OCHA Situation Report
Southern Sudan
20 - 26 November 2006


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Summary

The overall security situation in Southern Sudan over the reporting 
period remained stable in most areas. With the onset of the dry season, 
roads have started to clear and traffic through key locations has 
improved, allowing better access to markets and food stocks and 
increasing assistance activities in key areas.

Insecurity in South Kordofan and South Darfur continues to prompt 
population movements to Western and Northern Bahr el Ghazal, requiring 
urgent humanitarian assistance in areas of return.

The capacity of the Ministry of Health to respond to the cholera 
outbreak in Upper Nile State has made it challenging for actors working 
on containing and responding to the outbreak.

Highlights

Security

The issue of staff being harassed and in some cases beaten has been 
raised with the Vice President.

The Level 4 (red "No Go") roads of Juba Bridge - Mongala - Lafon - Torit 
- Katire - Kit - Lobonok - Juba Bridge have been reduced to Level 3, 
meaning they are open for emergency operations with mandatory armed 
escort.

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) reportedly looted food in Wondoruba (an 
area close to Juba) without casualties and the Ugandan People's Defence 
Force (UPDF) intervened.

The People's Defence Force (PDF) check points in Wau, Western Bahr el 
Ghazal are being monitored by the local authorities in the area. 
Meanwhile the area security management team (ASMT) in Wau has requested 
all agencies to limit movement to the areas around these checkpoints and 
to cease movement after 2200 hours.

In Jonglei, shooting at the Akobo market injured two traders. There is 
growing tension in the area towards Arab traders with a potential to 
escalate if not contained.

The disarmament of civilians in Warrap is proceeding successfully in all 
payams.

Population movements & returns

OCHA is coordinating humanitarian response to the IDPs who arrived from 
Merem in South Kordofan to Majok Yietheou in Northern Bahr el Ghazal. 
WFP has started food delivery by air drop, IRC is running a mobile 
clinic, and both NFI and water interventions have been initiated for an 
estimated registered 8,000 beneficiaries (5,000 IDPs, and 3,000 
returnees). Upon arrival, most returnees complained that they were 
prevented from leaving Merem by the local authorities. The insecurity in 
Merem, South Kordofan may also delay the return of spontaneous IDPs from 
the North to the South, as Merem is a major entry point.

The situation of an estimated 327 IDPs in Raja County, Western Bahr el 
Ghazal has improved due to the delivery of health care, food and NFIs. 
It is anticipated that IDP arrivals are likely to increase over the next 
month. Another 200 are expected within the next week, arriving in small, 
scattered groups for safety reasons. It is anticipated that IDP arrivals 
are likely to increase over the next month.

Efforts are being made to assist the safe movement of two main Mbororo 
herdsmen groups currently in Rokon (NE of Juba - Central Equatoria) and 
between Ezo and Tambura (Western Equatoria). The Mbororo are of West 
African origin but have lived in Southern Sudan for generations. They 
have requested to return to Upper Nile State. An inter-agency assessment 
team together with SSRRC visited Rokon to meet with the tribal chiefs of 
the area to defuse tensions between the herdsmen and local communities 
and to discuss possible UN assistance in assisting this group to move.

Population movements prompted by recent attacks in areas east of Juba in 
Central Equatoria - mainly in Gumbo village - are being addressed by the 
local authorities and assessments planned. The IDPs from Gumbo are said 
to be sheltering within church compounds in Kator area.

At present there are 80,000 refugees at the Kakuma refugee camp in 
Kenya, 2,000 of whom wish to return mainly to Warrap, Unity and Northern 
Bahr El Ghazal States. UNHCR has started the repatriation of these 
refugees to Unity State. So far 210 refugees have been repatriated to 
Bentiu/Rubkona in Unity State and onwards to their final destinations. 
In Central Equatoria, UNHCR assisted the repatriation of 249 refugees 
from Uganda (101 from Moyo and 148 from Arua).

Humanitarian activities

In Upper Nile State, WFP is beginning food distribution along the Sobat 
corridor to complete a final general distribution to the vulnerable 
population in anticipation of reduced river levels at the end of the 
year.

The issue of SPLA and host community accessing the water targeted for 
returns inside the way station in Malakal has been resolved among NGOs 
and local authorities.

In Warrap, OCHA has initiated a county-level assessment and training 
project to strengthen humanitarian coordination and assistance. In 
addition, WFP plans to increase the number of children covered under its 
school feeding programme from 1,000 to 25,000 by next year. On returns, 
WFP has requested partners to inform them of returnee destination and 
expected numbers for the pre-positioning of food.

Epidemics

In Juba, Central Equatoria State, 359 cases of cholera and five deaths 
(CFR 1.39%) were reported.

In Upper Nile State, the response to the cholera outbreak in Kaldak 
continues - total number of admissions reached 240, with five deaths 
(three inside the medical camp and two outside). The case numbers 
continue to rise in Kaldak, and the sanitation situation among the 
military remains a serious concern. Agencies are constrained in their 
response to the military personnel, as they do not have a mandate to 
assist soldiers. Meanwhile, four cases of suspected cholera were 
reported in Malakal town. As a result three isolation wards will be 
established, two at GOAL and one by the MoH.

LRA/GoU peace talks in Juba

The Juba peace talks are still in recess, which began on 8 November. The 
mediation team has requested the parties to resume talks at the end of 
November. Provision of services to the LRA assembly areas is progressing 
slowly.

The Cessation of Hostilities Monitoring Team (CHMT), with two UN 
observers, made its first trip to check on the UPDF withdrawal from 
Palutaka and Tabika, in Eastern Equatoria near the Owiny Ki Bul assembly 
area. It verified UPDF withdrawal from Palutaka. The local 
administrators in Palutaka also confirmed LRA withdrawal from Tabika.

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