Sudan - OFDA-01: 12 November 1996

  
 U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
  
  BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
  OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)
  
 SUDAN - Complex Emergency

Situation Report #1, Fiscal Year (FY) 1997November 12, 1996

Note: The last situation report was dated June 10, 1996.

BACKGROUND
Fighting began in 1983 between the Government of Sudan (GOS) and
the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) when the southern-based
rebels demanded more influence in the government and protested
the GOS efforts to "Islamize" the Christian and animist south. 
In 1991, the SPLA split into factions, and intensified fighting
between SPLA factions erupted in areas of the south.  The
conflict continues today and civilians throughout the south and
the transitional zone (the area of southern Darfur, southern
Kordofan, northern Bahr el Ghazal, and the northern Upper Nile
States) are directly affected by aerial bombings by the GOS and
forced relocations due to fighting.  Ongoing insecurity and
population displacement in the south and the transitional zone
have not only interrupted or destroyed most of the indigenous
trading and productive systems, but have also been a major
impediment to relief efforts.  The United Nations (U.N.) and
numerous international non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
within and outside the framework of Operation Lifeline Sudan
(OLS) are delivering relief assistance by airlifts, airdrops,
barges, trains, and truck convoys.  In the more secure areas of
southern Sudan, efforts to rehabilitate and restore
self-sufficiency are underway.

NUMBERS AFFECTED
According to the U.N. Humanitarian Coordination Unit (UNHCU), an
estimated 2.5 million Sudanese are internally displaced,
including 1.8 million in Khartoum, 350,000 in the transition zone
and government-held garrison towns, 150,000 in camps in
Equatoria, and additional tens of thousands elsewhere.  In
addition, Sudanese continue to flee from southern Sudan because
of insecurity and civil strife.  Currently, there are an
estimated 399,500 Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries:
27,500 in the Central African Republic; 220,000 in Uganda; 60,000
in Ethiopia; 60,000 in Zaire; and 32,000 in Kenya.  According to
the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Sudan is
currently hosting an estimated 340,000 refugees, including
300,000 Eritreans and 40,000 Ethiopians.  UNHCR hopes to
repatriate 100,000 Eritreans in 1997, provided that agreement on
modalities can be reached between the governments of Sudan and
Eritrea.  Repatriation of Ethiopian refugees from camps in Sudan
is almost completed, and UNHCR has begun the repatriation of
Ethiopians who live outside the camps in Sudan. 

Total USAID Assistance for Fiscal Year 1996. . . . . .$41,929,652

CURRENT SITUATION
Disease, flooding, and drought conditions have exacerbated the
poor conditions of war-affected populations in Sudan.  A cholera
outbreak, which was first reported in June, reportedly killed at
least 700 people, mostly in Bahr el Ghazal.  Recent reports of
measles in western Upper Nile and Bahr el Ghazal are also of
concern, and responses are underway.  Over 200 people were also
killed, crop areas damaged, and an estimated 40,000 homes
destroyed by flooding of the Nile River and heavy rains in
Khartoum, White Nile, River Nile in the north, and Upper
Nile/Jonglei.  Unusually heavy rains also had a detrimental
effect on the health and nutritional status of populations in
squatter areas and displaced camps around greater Khartoum. 
Additionally, an estimated 1 million people are suffering from
food shortages in northern Bahr el Ghazal, North Kordofan, and
the Red Sea Hills region.

On July 16, the GOS, under intense international pressure, lifted
restrictions that were imposed on C-130 aircraft last September. 
This enabled OLS to airdrop food and other relief items to over
700,000 people severely affected by food shortages and floods
in southern Sudan.  As of October, WFP, through OLS, airdropped
approximately 4,000 metric tons (MT), primarily in northern Bahr
el Ghazal, Upper Nile, and Jonglei.  OLS was able to deliver only
20%  of assessed needs from January to June, using smaller, less
cost-effective aircraft.  

The first review of OLS was completed in August and released to
the U.N., donors, and relief agencies.  The review was conducted
by external consultants, and, while supporting the continuation
of OLS, recommended a number of changes.  Major recommendations
included the following: OLS should more aggressively pursue
humanitarian access to all war-affected populations in Sudan; OLS
should separate relief and rehabilitation activities from the
development process set forward by the GOS, while at the same
time increasing the use of relief/rehabilitation assistance to
strengthen the coping mechanisms of local communities; and OLS
should improve the integration of the northern and southern
sector programs, including the application of humanitarian
principles and ground rules dissemination in the northern sector.

The review team also recommended a stronger coordination role
for the U.N. Department of Humanitarian Affairs (UNDHA) in
selecting and managing the lead U.N./OLS representative and in
staffing, upgrading, and managing the UNHCU.  Further suggested
was the establishment of international and locally-based
advisory committees comprising U.N. agencies, major donors, and
NGOs.  On September 25, the review team met with donors, U.N.
agencies, and NGOs to discuss recommendations.  The team
subsequently met with representatives from the GOS and the rebel
factions.  Details from the meetings and a plan of action are
being prepared by the U.N.

POLITICAL/MILITARY SITUATION
On August 16, 1996, the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) adopted
Resolution 1070 which would ban international flights by aircraft
owned, leased, or controlled by Sudan Airways or another entity
of the GOS.  The UNSC will meet in mid-November to assess whether
Sudan has complied with its obligations under UNSC resolutions to
extradite to Ethiopia three fugitive suspects in the 1995
assassination attempt on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and to
desist from its involvement in terrorism.  If Sudan remains in
non-compliance, the UNSC may decide to proceed with
implementation of the international air ban on Sudanese aircraft.

Current U.N. sanctions on Sudan include restricted international
travel for GOS officials, a ban on holding international
conferences in Sudan, and a call on nations to reduce the size of
Sudanese diplomatic missions abroad.  The GOS has condemned the
latest sanction, linking it to an attack on Islam and continues
to claim that the alleged terrorists are not in Sudan.  The GOS
has carried out numerous bombing raids in southern Sudan,
including targets in Maridi, Tambura, and Kotobi in Western
Equatoria.  In Maridi, 30 relief personnel were present in the
town during a bombing which wounded four Sudanese civilians.  In
Tambura, five civilians were wounded when one bomb landed between
the CARE and International Medical Corps (IMC) compounds,
endangering 14 relief personnel present within the compounds.  In
early July, Christian Solidarity International charged that the
GOS used internationally-banned cluster bombs against civilians
near Chukudum.  The GOS has denied these allegations. 

In late September, GOS warplanes dropped about 10 bombs on the
northwestern Ugandan town of Moyo.  No casualties were reported. 
The bombing followed an Iranian-mediated pact signed in early
September between the Governments of Sudan and Uganda to
consolidate efforts to clamp down on rebel activity on the
border.  The Sudanese government admitted the attack but claimed
it was a mistake.  Uganda broke diplomatic relations with Sudan
last April.  Eritrea and Sudan also broke relations in 1995, and
tensions are elevated between the two countries.

In late October, reports of a plot to topple the National Islamic
Front (NIF)-led government headed by Omar Hassan al-Bashir
emerged.  This is the third report of a coup attempt in Sudan
this year.  The GOS acknowledged an attempted coup in March and
in August arrested 65 former soldiers in connection with an
alleged plot to attack government targets in Port Sudan and
undermine the NIF regime.  The GOS has also reportedly conducted
arrests of civilians in the area.  

In early October, the National Democracy Alliance (NDA), a
coalition of Sudanese opposition groups based in Asmara,
announced the formation of a joint military force which includes
the SPLA, the Sudan Alliance Forces, and the Beja Congress. 
Since early July, the NDA has increased attacks on GOS-
controlled areas near the Red Sea military zone, resulting in
casualties near Kassala and Tokar towns and around Garora refugee
camp.  WFP suspended food deliveries to the camp in eastern Sudan
in July due to insecurity, including two land mine explosions.

In July, SPLA/M leader John Garang met with State Department and
BHR/OFDA officials, as well as NGO representatives, while in
Washington. During the visit, Garang lobbied for lifting, in
rebel-held areas, current U.S. Government (USG) legislation
which bans development aid in Sudan.  In August, Garang visited
refugee camps in Koboko in northern Uganda with assistance from
the Government of Uganda (GOU).  He urged the refugees to return
to Sudan during his visit.  Between 10,000 and 17,000 refugees
have reportedly returned from northern Uganda since late July. 
There are between 200,000 to 230,000 Sudanese refugees in Uganda. 

In July, 100 refugees, mostly women and children, were killed and
thousands displaced when the GOS-supported Lords' Resistance Army
(LRA) rebels attacked the Agago/Acholi Pii refugee camp near
Kitgum.  An additional 2,000 were displaced and about 45 families
abducted.  Among those missing and feared abducted were a WFP
truck driver and two policemen.  The rebels reportedly burned 300
huts at the camp, which housed more than 16,000 refugees. 
Trucks belonging to WFP and an Italian NGO also were destroyed. 
OLS temporarily closed the main road from Kitgum and Labone,
because of attacks by LRA forces and recent land mine explosions
which have injured NGO staff.  All U.N. and NGO staff in northern
Uganda were relocated to Kampala temporarily due to recent
attacks on NGO compounds.  In October, unidentified gunmen
thought to belong to LRA launched two separate attacks on
Sudanese refugee camps in northern Uganda, killing 16 and
seriously wounding five.  Several huts were looted and burned by
the attackers and many refugees fled.  

>From June to August, the SPLA lost control of two towns.  Lui, in
Western Equatoria, was taken by the GOS, following fierce
fighting that displaced thousands of people and forced NGO staff
to temporarily evacuate.  Riek Machar's South Sudan Independence
Movement (SSIM) faction also seized Akobo in Jonglei region. 
Recent SPLA gains include the capture of Pochalla town.

In early October, the SPLA/United faction, led by Lam Akol, set
two Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) relief workers free, two
weeks after they were abducted while on board a WFP barge between
the towns of Renk and Malakal.  Both men were taken to Malakal.  

In late August, six Roman Catholic missionaries who had been held
for nearly two weeks by the SPLA were released.  The six
missionaries, including an American priest, were released at the
mission compound in Mapourdit where they had been detained
by a local SPLA commander who had accused them of being spies and
promoting Islam. 

RELIEF EFFORTS
Site visits for the OLS southern sector have been completed.  The
northern sector assessment has suffered from delays but is now
moving forward with six task forces comprised of NGO, GOS, and
U.N. team members.  The results of the two assessments will form
the basis of the 1997 OLS Appeal.  The U.N.'s Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO)/UNICEF/WFP Household Food Security
Assessment was finished in October and indicated that in
government-held areas in the south, Juba, Jonglei, Gogrial, and
Aweil will be the hardest hit in the coming months due to
flooding, insecurity, and crop disease.  The annual FAO/WFP Crop
and Food Supply Assessment, which covers the crop situation in
the whole of Sudan, is expected to begin in mid-November.  This
assessment gathers data at the end of the second harvest and also
serves as the basis for the U.N. inter-agency consolidated
appeal. 

Medecines sans Frontieres/Belgium (MSF/B) has reported 19 cases
of measles in Mapel, Wau County, since October, including 2
deaths.  Treatment and a vaccination campaign are underway under
MSF/B's ongoing BHR/OFDA-funded health program in the area.  This
is the latest of a series of measles outbreaks in western Upper
Nile and Bahr el Ghazal.  A coordinated response, including
community mobilization and immunization and involving a number of
NGOs and local counterparts, is underway under OLS.  Several NGOs
also responded to the outbreak of cholera in Bahr el Ghazal. 
BHR/OFDA grantees Christian Medical Aid (CMA), MSF/B, Action
Contre la Faim (ACF), and International Rescue Committee (IRC)
participated in efforts to successfully control the outbreak.  In
Khartoum, NGOs responded to an outbreak of diarrhea in the
displaced camps from July to October.

--Equatoria
Currently, the GOS continues to impose restrictions on certain
flights as well as rebel-held locations in southern Sudan,
including Chukudum and Nimule.  The area south of the
Kapoeta-Torit-Juba and Juba-Yei-Kajo Keji lines is currently in
the no-flight exclusion zone.

--Upper Nile/Jonglei
The international donor community provided urgently-needed
assistance in response to the floods that ravaged Sudan this
summer.  In June, flooding of the Akobo River destroyed 85 to
100% of all crops and 30% of all homes in Pochalla and
surrounding towns, affecting an estimated 18,000 people in the
worst flooding the town has experienced in 50 years.  In July,
U.S. Ambassador to Sudan Timothy Carney declared a disaster in
Pochalla due to the flooding.  BHR/OFDA and USAID's Office of
Food for Peace (BHR/FFP) immediately responded by providing funds
and 1,150 MT of food to Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), which
operates outside the OLS umbrella.  The funds were used to
transport urgently needed items to displaced persons in the
Pochalla area.  

In early August, following GOS approval for the resumption of
relief flights to Pochalla, OLS began air dropping urgently
needed food rations to an initial 15,000 people and conducted
assessments in accessible areas using C-130 and Buffalo aircraft.
These activities were subsequently interrupted in September, when
all flights to Pochalla were re-denied by the GOS.  Another
non-OLS NGO, MSF/France, provided emergency assistance to
43,000 people in Pochalla with partial support from BHR/OFDA. 
The GOS ban was finally reversed in October, allowing OLS relief
flights to resume.  It is estimated that assistance will be
required for flood-affected areas in Pochalla through the end of
the January 1997 harvest.  Several towns in Upper Nile/Jonglei,
including Malakal, Tonga, Nasir, Sobat, Pibor, Motot, Waat, and
surrounding areas, were also severely hit by floods.  Ongoing
programs in these areas are attempting to address the needs of
the flood-affected population.

--Bahr el Ghazal
Attacks reportedly carried out by Kerubino forces in Gogrial have
negatively affected the food security in the area.  In response,
WFP and UNICEF are delivering relief commodities in Agaigai,
Ajiep, and Madhol.  BHR/OFDA is also funding a grant to World
Vision Relief and Development (WVRD) to assess and respond to the
increased level of vulnerability among the populations in Tonj
and Gogrial counties of the Lakes area.  In early November,
Kerubino forces detained an International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) aircraft in Wunrok, northern Gogrial.  The aircraft
was returning patients who had been wounded and evacuated
following recent fighting in the town. 

--Khartoum
In September, U.S. Ambassador Timothy Carney declared a disaster
in areas of northern Sudan affected by heavy flooding.  BHR/OFDA
subsequently released $25,000 to Adventist Development and Relief
Agency (ADRA) to distribute locally-manufactured tents to meet
the shelter needs of displaced residents.  Ongoing programs in
the Khartoum displaced camps were used to address the needs of
flood-affected camp dwellers.  According to the GOS, areas in El
Gayli in Khartoum and Umbadda, Marzoub, and Abu Said in Omdurman
province were severely hit by the floods.

A USAID team traveled to Khartoum and Kordofan in October to
visit existing programs and meet with NGOs, U.N. agencies, and
GOS officials regarding constraints to program implementation and
future program needs.  GOS restrictions continue to frustrate the
provision of assistance in the camps and squatter areas located
in the Khartoum area.  NGO/U.N. efforts to ensure better
coordination and to plan long-term strategies for the Khartoum
displaced are underway.  

--Kordofan
In July, Save the Children Federation/US (SCF/US) and CARE
reported that northern Kordofan was facing severe food shortages
as a result of a poor 1995 cereal harvest caused mainly by a lack
of rainfall at critical growth stages.  As part of a joint
operation with SCF/US, CARE secured funding and issued tenders
for 10,000 MT of cereals in surplus areas of Gedarif for delivery
to northern and western Kordofan.  Program implementation was
initially delayed due to GOS restrictions on the movement of
grain from Gedarif.  In late October, CARE was able to purchase
and move 4,000 MT of sorghum for distribution by CARE and SCF/US
to vulnerable villagers.  Preliminary results from CARE's
mid-season crop assessment survey indicate some rural
councils in north and west Kordofan will exhaust their harvest by
January 1997.

USAID representatives visited drought-affected villages in North
Kordofan and returnee villages in the Nuba Hills during their
recent visit.  In North Kordofan, it is likely that increased
relief efforts will need to be mounted in February to fill food
gaps.  In South Kordofan, SCF/US is providing health, water,
and food security assistance in Dilling and Rashad provinces and
hopes to expand activities to Kadugli province soon.

--Northeast regions
In early summer, the GOS and several NGOs reported the existence
of alarmingly high malnutrition rates among rural populations in
the Red Sea Hills area.  In September, the reports indicated that
an estimated 240,000 people, mostly agro-pastoralists, were at
risk of starvation due to successive droughts, food deficits, and
livestock reduction, among other factors.  The International
Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),
UNICEF, WFP, and Oxfam are collaborating on efforts to respond to
the immediate needs of the affected population and to deter
further displacement of the rural population to urban areas.

In June, the GOS deported 224 Eritrean and 20 Ethiopian refugees
in Kassala amid growing tension in the northeastern region. 
Approximately 28,000 Ethiopians participated in an organized
repatriation between December 1995 and the present.  About
15,000 remain in camps and an undetermined number are living
outside of camps.  UNHCR hopes to complete all organized
repatriations of Ethiopians from Sudan in 1997.  There are now
over 60,000 Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia.

ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY THE USG 
The USG has actively been providing humanitarian assistance to
Sudan since 1988.  On October 28, 1996, Ambassador Carney renewed
the disaster declaration for Sudan for FY 1997, stating that
continued U.S. assistance is required to assist over 3 million
war-affected and displaced Sudanese.  

The USG's humanitarian response to the disaster in Sudan is
provided through BHR/OFDA, BHR/FFP, and the State Department's
Bureau for Population, Refugee, and Migration (PRM).  On January
31, 1996, the United States announced that it was suspending its
diplomatic presence in Khartoum, due to concerns for the safety
of American Embassy personnel in Sudan.  Subsequently, Ambassador
Carney established a temporary office in Nairobi to maintain
regular diplomatic communications with the GOS.  He and his staff
visit Sudan periodically.  Both BHR/OFDA and BHR/FFP staff in
Washington work with remaining USAID/Sudan Foreign Service
National staff in Khartoum to provide ongoing monitoring of
relief programs in GOS-controlled areas.  Continued relief
activities in southern Sudan are also monitored by the Regional
Economic Development Services Offices/Sudan Field Office
(REDSO/SFO).  (BHR/OFDA supports a program officer currently
based in Nairobi as part of the SFO).

SUMMARY OF USG ASSISTANCE FY 1996
--BHR/OFDA Assistance
Program Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $244,558
Mission allotment for floods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$25,000
ADRA health program in Chukudum and Kapoeta. . . . . . . $497,869
ADRA therapeutic feeding program for Khartoum displaced. . . . .
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $270,964
ADRA emergency food distribution for Khartoum displaced. . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$164,569
ACF emergency water, sanitation and health activities in Eastern
Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$251,256
ACF health care program in Juba. . . . . . . . . . . . . $838,662
American Refugee Committee (ARC) emergency health program in Kajo
Keji  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$378,398
CARE emergency recovery program in Tambura . . . . . . . . . . .
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $497,594
CARE emergency relief in Kordofan. . . . . . . . . . . . $522,877
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) umbrella grant management for
Equatoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$307,362
CRS emergency operation plan in Nimule, Labone, Ikotos Corridors
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$632,120
International Aid Sweden (IAS)/CMA health and nutrition program
in Upper Nile and Jonglei. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $371,935
IMC health program in Tambura. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $299,303
IRC health, water, and sanitation program in Upper Nile and
Jonglei . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  $495,573
IRC health, water, and sanitation program in Bahr El Ghazal . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$449,716
IRC umbrella grant management. . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,328,852
MSF/B emergency medical and nutrition program in Western
Equatoria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $447,600
MSF/F health, seed and displaced kits distribution in Pochalla .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$217,310
Mercy Corps International health program in southern Sudan. . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$224,686
NPA food relief and agriculture rehabilitation program
in southern Sudan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,226,301
NPA emergency relief to flood victims in Pochalla. . . . .$56,705
NPA/Sudan Medical Care (NPA/SMC) Medical Program in Kapoeta . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$196,998
Save the Children Fund (SCF)/UK map production. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $38,220
SCF/UK program to identify and target appropriate support in
southern Sudan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$155,111
SCF/US emergency feeding programs for South Kordofan displaced .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,092,695
SCF/US emergency food distribution in North Kordofan . . $212,777
UNICEF Operation Lifeline Sudan Support. . . . . . . . $2,000,000
UNDHA assessment of OLS activities in entire OLS area . .$150,000
WFP program operation support of OLS food program. . . $2,600,000
WFP program operation support in northern Sudan . . . . .$350,000
WVRD food and/or agriculture Programs in southern Sudan .$707,937
WVRD/Sudan Production Aid food security project in Tonj County
and Bahr El Ghazal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $155,304
Total FY 96 BHR/OFDA Assistance. . . . . . . . . . . .$18,408,252

--BHR/FFP Assistance
In FY 1996, BHR/FFP contributed 34,030 MT of P.L.480 Title II
emergency food to Sudan, including 14,560 MT valued at $9,076,300
to ADRA and 10,830 MT valued at $8,635,100 to CRS.  In FY
1996, BHR/FFP also implemented CRS and WFP activities in food
security and distribution that were funded in FY 1995.  
Total FY 96 BHR/FFP Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . .$23,521,400

--State/PRM Assistance
In FY 1996, PRM contributed $32.9 million to UNHCR's 1996 General
Program for Africa.  PRM also contributed $41.7 million to ICRC's
Africa Appeal and $13 million to IFRC's 1996 appeal for programs
in Africa.  PRM funds were used for Sudanese refugees, internally
displaced Sudanese, and the care and maintenance of Ethiopian and
Eritrean refugees.  Additionally, PRM provided over $5 million to
UNHCR's Horn of Africa Appeal and to IRC for a primary health
care and social services program in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya.

FY 1996 BHR/OFDA Assistance. . . . . . . . . . . . . .$18,408,252
FY 1996 BHR/FFP Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$23,521,400
TOTAL FY 1996 USAID Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . .$41,929,652