Bombing everything that moves...

So the indiscriminate bombing of the border region continues, plus SAF forces being positioned in order to wreak havoc in areas that Mr Al-Bashir deems 'appropriate'.

I was reading Gurtong Focus magazine about war and peace in each state and came across a good article about the North's ongoing unacceptable behaviour towards the south, particularly when it comes to oil...

and within it, I found this very interesting, and very disturbing, image:

Something to think about. So why isn't the world more concerned?

Something completely random and unrelated to South Sudan

There isn't a lot to do here in Jamam. So I play on the internet quite a bit. I recently found an old note that I'd published on Facebook, back in 2009, when I was working in Indonesia for the Australian Red Cross. Seems like ages ago (and it is!). But it really made me laugh out loud! So, for your amusement, and my posterity, I'm publishing it on my blog. This is for my own benefit, really...

25 random things you probably don’t need to know about Jacqui

by Jacqui Symonds on Saturday, February 14, 2009 at 8:48am ·

"Ok. So I’m procrastinating from doing staff performance reviews (damn you, end-of-job responsibilities!). I have loved reading everyone else’s lists, and almost feel embarrassed to publish these because there are so many more interesting ones than mine...You are tagged because 1. You’re in it (duh) or 2. I’d love to read yours, so get writing, ya Facecrack junkie. "

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
1. When I was a kid I wanted to be an artist, because I loved art and was pretty good at it. I even received a merit certificate (perfect score) for Art in Year 12. But when I had to decide on my career path, I didn’t know what to do. So I underwent a professional aptitude test. It showed that my design skills were one of the poorest performing areas.

2. I can raise both of my eyebrows independently of each other. It’s my best talent.

3. The funniest thing I’ve ever been mistaken for (besides a 'Home and Away' actress) is a ghost. In Simeulue Island, Indonesia (where I'm living), I often go to the beach after work for a walk around dusk, when the fishermen are out casting their nets. One afternoon when I emerged from my walk on the beach, a fisherman in the nearby river saw me – and due to the time of night, my towering height, white skin and flaming ‘red’ hair, he believed I was a ghost. He was so scared that he packed up his net and went home!

4. I did a week of work experience at an envelope printing company in year 11.

5. In 2005, Nath and I stayed at the Clown and Bard backpackers hostel in Prague. We composed an awesome poem about our adventures at Oktoberfest and other random places, while extremely drunk at two in the morning. It now adorns the wall of their downstairs bar in black marker pen, along with the stories of countless other travellers.

6. I learned to play the piano for nine years, from the age of seven. I went through grade examinations, which I really didn’t enjoy. I put myself under so much pressure to excel that I used to bash my head against the keys in absolute frustration from repeatedly getting a section of a piece wrong.

7. Bradey, Ange, Cee and I once dressed up as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for a fancy dress party. When we arrived at the house we employed our stealth moves as we made our way down the side of the house, and planned to jump out and impress everyone with our awesome weapons and ninja moves. The house was unusually quiet, and when we got to the backyard and saw a rusted out car amongst overgrown grass, we realised we were at the wrong house. After disturbing the occupants inside, we legged it out to the road, minus all ninja stealth. When we found the right house we just went through the front door.

8. I was once given two chickens, both in the same day by different people, as thank you gifts. Location: Liberia!

9. In August 2008 my sister Ange and I got locked in a Laundromat in Medan (Indonesia) because we refused to pay for our laundry service. When our clothes came back, 50% of them were just as dirty as when we submitted them, so we told them we wouldn’t pay. Our arguments took us past closing time, so they locked the doors. Among the many strategies we employed to win the argument and/or escape, we sat on the floor of the foyer and played Shithead, until the manager finally cracked and negotiated with us.

10. One night, Ange, Cee and I were bored at home, drinking, so we set out into the back streets of Unley and proceeded to spend the next few hours laughing and guffawing extremely loud and obnoxiously, throwing stuff, kicking street signs and generally running riot Clockwork Orange-style (sans ultra-violence). It goes down as one of my favourite nights ever.

11. When I was a teenager, I was quite the bitch, especially to my mum and younger sister Ange. If we went shopping in Rundle Mall, I would walk ahead of them. I was too embarrassed to walk with them, because I thought they were totally uncool.

12. I have never been skiing. I’m almost too scared to try it now, because I’m worried about injuring myself. It’s one of my biggest fears – getting injured. Maybe because it happens to me rather frequently…

13. The first music festival I ever attended was IndieFest 1998 with my cousin Tracy, at Adelaide Uni. The main thing I remember about it now was the anticipation I felt at lining up to go inside. Don’t ask me who played. The Living End?

14. When we were both still at primary school, Ange and I entered the Melrose Easter tennis tournament. I was wearing a bright red hat with the Elders logo printed on it (Ange had one too, we were so cool). Partway through a singles match, which I was winning comfortably, the friend of my opponent came down to watch. She began heckling and abusing me to try and put me off, so that her friend would win. It was really nasty! She started abusing me about my hat, and how uncool it was. I cracked under the pressure and started crying during the game. I was winning 5-2, and ended up losing 7-5. All I wanted to do was smash her with my tennis racquet.

15. I have lived in Germany (2 months, 1997), Liberia (9 months - 2006) and Indonesia (19 months – 07-09).

16. I dream of opening an eco-backpackers hostel in Morocco.

17. I once got so sunburnt that I had to go to hospital. It was in year 12, when a group of my school friends went to Wallaroo after our exams. We spent the entire last day of our adventure on the beach. The next day when we arrived back in Jamestown, my classmate Sal’s mother look one look at my legs and said, ‘Jacqui, I think we’d better take you to the hospital.’ I had to get my feet and legs bandaged up to my knees because they were so burnt. I hadn’t even really noticed because we had been so pissed. For about a week afterwards I had to apply burn cream and bandages every day and walk around in flip-flops.

18. Among the many things I have eaten in my lifetime, some of the more random are animals and include frog, python, monkey, eel, buffalo and bush deer.

19. On a work trip to the SA Riverland with my fellow SA Government graduates, one night while out drinking on the lawns in front of the Berri pub, we lost a whole esky of beer in the River Murray. It somehow rolled down the hill into the river, and just floated away (or sunk?) without any of us noticing…

20. I never knew that Moldova was a country until about five years ago when I discovered it in an atlas.

21. I have fainted in the blood bank, twice. If it happens again, they will ban me from donating. 3 strikes…

22. I hide any spare beers in the fridge from my housemate Nick. Otherwise he drinks them all by himself out the front of the house. I secretly think he’s a closet alcoholic.

23. I REALLY hate it when people throw their cigarette butts on the ground, or out the car window. I was once waiting at a bus stop and the rather bogan-like guy standing next to me threw his cigarette butt on the ground. There was a rubbish bin about 2 metres away from him. I said to him, ‘Excuse me, do you think you could please pick that up? There’s a bin just there.’ He gave me a scathing look, turned away, spat on the ground, turned back to me and said ‘why don’t you pick THAT up?’

24. I really enjoy baking my own bread, which I do every weekend.

25. In year nine, Lauren, Pete and I had a one-hour after-school radio show on “Just One J – 103.1FM” in the Nissen Hut of our High School. The transmitter only broadcast the signal far enough to listen to it within the town. Our show had a (rather small but well cool) cult following, because we played Radiohead, the Smashing Pumpkins, the Lemonheads and Skunk Anansie. All the other radio shows were run by year 8’s who played the Spice Girls. We thought they sucked. 

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So there you have it. The silly things you learn from reading people's weblogs.

To give you a picture of Africa's current situation ...

... and it's fairly dire, wherever you look. These updates cover emergencies that Oxfam affiliates are currently responding to in Africa.  Inputs are provided by the humanitarian lead agencies.

OXFAM EMERGENCIES UPDATES, 9th to 22nd February 2012

 - West Africa -

Regional: An early warning system network, which had played down the extent of the oncoming crisis, is now saying that conditions will in fact reach ‘crisis’ level between July and September, and that the worst affected country will be Mauritania.  Baroness Amos, the Under-Secretary for humanitarian affairs at the UN, is visiting Niger, where 5.4 million are affected, and will meet Oxfam staff while she is there. Oxfam Novib and Oxfam Great Britain (OGB)'s current plans are to help 450,000 people in Niger.

Mali
Tuareg rebels in eastern-central Mali, boosted by additional fighters returning from Libya, have renewed insecurity in the area and caused several thousand people to flee into neighbouring countries. The number of people displaced in eastern Mali has increased over the last couple of weeks to 70,000.  30,000 of these remain inside Mali’s borders, while the other 40,000 have fled into Niger, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso.

In Niger, Oxfam is helping refugees from Mali with basic hygiene/kitchen items and improving water supplies. Due to unstable life conditions more people are leaving Niger into neighbouring countries, particularly to Libya. 1200 persons in average leave the country every week. The second round of cash transfer of the OFDA 2 programme is happening in Dakoro (Maradi). In the departments of Madaoua and Doutchi the cash for work programmes are underway with funding from PAM.

In Mauritania, the cash transfer process has started in the most affected villages and programmes of disinfection and rehabilitation of wells are also underway in these villages. Intermon Oxfam is also finalising the advocacy strategy to be shared with the region and headquarter. The situation in eastern Mali is affecting Mauritania, with a total of 15,493 people registered by the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) on the 15^th February in the Fassala refugee camp in Mberra.

In Burkina Faso and Chad the responses continue, assessments are ongoing in Senegal. 

- Horn of Africa -

Sudan - South Kordofan and Blue Nile states
Negotiations with the government for broad humanitarian access into Southern Kordofan (SK) and Blue Nile (BN) states led by the UN in Khartoum continue.  Despite the visit of two high-level UN representatives to Sudan earlier this year (who also pushed the government to allow humanitarians into this area) this appeal has not yet resulted in any real change.  On January 22 the government announced they would allow humanitarian organizations to return to their areas of operation and allow the government humanitarian agency and the Sudanese Red Crescent to do humanitarian relief work, but agencies are still waiting to be able to move back.  Violence continues in both SK and BN. There is no sign of a ceasefire on the horizon. The conflict has caused large displacement. An early warning system is now estimating that without immediate large-scale assistance, large parts of both SK and BN will reach Level 4 ‘Emergency’ status – one level below famine – by the start of March. The latest figures are:

• 300,000 people estimated to have been displaced within SK state.
• Some 66,000 people displaced or severely affected by fighting in BN state.
• 105,000 Sudanese refugees in South Sudan, 25 percent of these arrived in January 2012. 
• 26,400 refugees from SK are now in Unity State in South Sudan.
• 78,605 refugees from BN are now in Upper Nile’s Maban area [Jacqui: this is where I am currently working] in South Sudan. A further 35,000 refugees from BN are now in Ethiopia.

Darfur: There are some signs that pressure on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Darfur to return to their homes areas continues, despite many of these areas being unsafe, although there has not been any significant change in government policy on this.  A women’s group in Kassab IDP camp recently wrote a letter to UNAMID complaining of ongoing insecurity and sexual abuse.  Nyala is calm again after large demonstrations in January. There is wide recognition in the camps that Darfur is no longer getting much profile internationally. Oxfam America is working closely with Sudanese partners in Darfur, currently reaching more than 339,800 people with programs to provide water, sanitation, hygiene, livelihoods activities (cash grants, assets, and training to start small businesses), and fuel-efficient stoves. OUS partners are also distributing tree seedlings.

South Sudan
Plans for scaling up in South Sudan are being fleshed out.  The UN is now saying that at best 2.7 million people will need assistance getting enough food by April.  This is due to a combination of poor harvests (partly climatic, partly because conflict gets in the way of planting and harvests), less food coming in from North Sudan, and higher prices for available food.  Some of these people are returnees – 364,000 so far, with a further 500,000 expected – and another 180,000 are refugees temporarily displaced from the north.

Oxfam is drawing up plans for a combined public health and food security programme, and is about to start a market assessment which will help understand how far cash distributions will benefit people (as opposed to maybe food aid).  The team has requested a significant injection of funding to help them kickstart a larger programme.

Somalia
Acute food shortages are being experienced in South Somalia due to the fragile security situation with high increase in prices of basic commodities. Security situation is worrying in the Dadaab refugee camps in northern Kenya where the threat of improvised explosive devices, kidnappings, vehicle hijackings and banditry remains high impeding the ability of aid agencies to deliver services. The Inter-Cluster Working Group (ICWG) met in Nairobi to review the implications of the Al Shabaab ban on humanitarian organizations in parts of Somalia and will produce an updated analysis document. The total number of individuals benefiting from OI interventions from 1st july 2011 is : 1,545,121,00.

Ethiopia/Kenya
An old tribal conflict in the northern Kenya region of Moyale has flared up, leading to a sudden upsurge displacement of people into Ethiopia (from about 20,000 to 57,000 2 weeks ago). Oxfam have an office in Yabello with contingency stocks they can distribute – basic kitchen/hygiene items, blankets, latrine slabs, and bladder tanks – about £100,000-worth.  It will be a short response – 1-3 months – to tide people over a crisis point.

- Southern Africa -

Mozambique
Intermon Oxfam continues to support water and sanitation needs of people affected in Quelimane City and Nicoadala District. OES are supporting the INGC and technical services in the coordination of activities in the WASH sector in Zambezia Province. Oxfam plans a emergency and early recovery WaSH intervention in Quelimane city and Nicuadala, in partnership with Kukumbi and Mozambican Red Cross (CVM). In Sanitation with CVM (Construction of 10 emergency latrines and 10 bath rooms in Sampene Camp) and water supply (Distributed 120 m³ of water in Quelimane – target 3000 people served per day, 10 water points identified for rehabilitation in Nicoadala, and assessment for cleaning ongoing in Quelimane). 1874 persons benefited from NFI distribution, 15 activists from municipality received training on water distribution and hygiene messages in Quelimane. The governments is not implementing is contingency plans in the province of Zambezia for lack of funds.

Madagascar
Tropical cyclone Giovanna swept through Madagascar earlier this week causing some considerable damage. No Oxfams are present in Madagascar, but other agencies are assessing needs and OGB are in touch with them in case there is a need for Oxfam to respond.  The cyclone is likely to hit the African mainland this weekend; Intermon Oxfam is already responding in the wake of recent storm damage in Zambesia province of Mozambique, and this storm could make matters worse.

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Africa is always in an emergency situation, not only due to man-made reasons (especially conflict) but also due to natural events (many greatly influenced by human activities), and this is now - when the impacts of climate change are not yet diastrous. But it's only going to get worse from here. So how can people build in resilience into this continent and minimise the impacts of climate change and other future disasters? When will this self-destructive cycle of poverty and aid finally end?

South Sudanglish for dummies

Being here in South Sudan where people's use of English is, well, interesting to say the least, I've found a whole bunch of funny phrases, some of which aren't technically incorrect, but we wouldn't ever use them; and others which don't make a whole bunch of sense. Either way, I'm trying to integrate them into my own vocabulary.

1. 'Footing' - to be used in place of 'walking'. "How are you getting there?" "I am footing."

Not 'going by foot'. This is definitely my favourite!

2. "You are lost!" - the first thing people say to you when they see you after a long absence ... a replacement for "I haven't seen you in a while, where have you been?"

3. 'It's ok.' Which is a kind of ambiguous way of saying 'yes'. If you ask someone a question with a yes/no answer, and they respond with "it's ok", you should take it as affirmative, not negative. It's also how people confirm something that you've proposed to them. "So you'll organise transport to Maper?" "It's ok."

For me it's a bit counter-intuitive. If someone offered me a piece of cake and I said "no, it's ok", I would be refusing it, not accepting it. Here it's the opposite. ... hence my initial confusion for about the first month of my being here!

4. 'Next tomorrow' - the day after tomorrow.

5. "I'm coming" - used when you need to just go off and do something; we would probably say "I'll be right back."

6. "I'm on my way coming". You don't have to be a dummy to work that out, but it still makes me smile. Ahh obsolete words.

7. Speaking of obsolete words: "I will try my level best." This one is great too; I'm not really sure where it comes from, or why they use it, but I like it!

8. 'What what' ... used in place of 'etc' when people are listing examples of things and can't think of any more ... ie. "they were eating apples, bananas, what what..." Love this one too.

9. A 'lady' is someone who is married; a 'girl' is someone who is not married yet. So even if you're already 30 but not yet married (which is highly unusual in South Sudan ... in fact being 20 and not yet married is also unusual!) you are still considered a girl.

10. Adding the suffix 'ment' to words that don't really need it. My favourite example is the word 'delayment'. "There was some delayment with our coming from the field." Hee hee!

11. 'Too much' - often used to describe a situation that is not good, or where something is
for example when it's a really hot day - "this heat is too much" or when everyone is really busy and needs a rest - "work is just too much".

12. 'You people'- used in place of 'you' (plural) - and usually used when making a strong statement about a group; for example, "you people are just too much!" or "what are you people doing?!"

I'll add more when I think of them.

:)

How to end a National WASH meeting - with a beauty contest, of course!

And now for a rather amusing (? - bemusing may be more appropriate!) anecdote from the world of WASH in South Sudan.

One of my roles here in Oxfam GB is to act as the WASH Cluster State Focal Point for Lakes State.

The WASH Cluster is a system set up by UNICEF that is designed to facilitate coordination of WASH emergency response activities between NGOs, the Government and the UN. This includes the management and distribution of emergency 'core pipeline' materials (like hand pump spare parts, hygiene kits, latrine slabs, soap etc). The key to this system is the nomination of focal people in humanitarian agencies that are undertaking Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) activities. Each state has one and I'm it for Lakes.

Luckily for us, during my time here there haven't been any major emergencies in Lakes that have required a rapid WASH response. My main responsibilities have been to coordinate monthly WASH Cluster meetings and all the activities that go along with it (which are mainly associated with sharing information between agencies and working together with the government on longer-term developmental WASH activities).

The upshot of all of this is that as WASH Cluster SFP, I was invited to attend the Ministry of Water Resources & Irrigation Bi-annual Planning and Coordination meeting. It was held this past week in Yambio, a beautiful town west of Juba which is remarkably cool and green - it even rained regularly! - an incredible relief and change from the rest of this unbearably hot country.

The meeting was a gathering of over 100 participants from all ten states of South Sudan involved in WASH activities, be it as NGO, UN and World Bank representatives, or Ministers, Deputy Generals, Directors and Deputy Directors of State Ministries, County Commissioners and other civil servants. The Governor of Western Equatoria State (the host of our meeting) and the Minister for the National Ministry for Water Resources and Irrigation attended and were the people who's arses were most regularly kissed.

We spent the 2.5 days having a talkfest of all things WASH in South Sudan, covering topics such as hand pump spare parts supply, plans for urban water distribution plants, geophysical surveys and data collection, CLTS (see an earlier post) and strategic plans for water in South Sudan, and sharing common issues, challenges and ways forward. And finally, the MWRI launched their Strategic Plan for Water & Sanitation in South Sudan. So it was all rather formal and protocol-filled, and involved a lot of sitting around listening to laboriously long presentations from a bunch of guys in suits.

So funnily enough, when the Governor gave his closing speech, he invited all the participants to the State House for a post-meeting celebration. "One for the road" was the way he put it, amongst inviting us to see the legendary 200 year old tree in his marvellous courtyard (I planned to go for that alone, besides feeling I should probably show my face). He didn't forget to spruik how Western Equatoria State was the best state in the country and that we should have the meeting there every year either. Sure, if they hold it in mango season. I've never seen so many mango trees in one place and mango season here is legendary. I wouldn't mind giving up my limited diet of goat, rice and greens for 3 days of pure mango-eating sloth.

When we turned up to the Western Equatoria State House, to the Governor's credit  he certainly did have one of the most amazing trees I've ever seen in his huge courtyard. Past Kings used to hold court there to decide the fate of their citizens. He had the place set up for eating, drinking and watching performances by local youth singing and dancing in traditional style, plus even a local music star called 'Doctor Love' who performed a song entitled 'congratulations' especially for the Governor (apparently penned for him, too). Once the governor had opened proceedings (already having taken a few bevvies) the entertainment began.

The tone of the night was set by the performance of the good Doctor, with this young guy in his baseball cap, baggy jeans, basketball boots and bling singing to a terribly distorted backing tape. To his credit he actually pulled it off, the many gaps in the tape proving he could actually sing, and all the dignitaries getting up and grooving away on the improvised dance floor. Some of the UNICEF guys who had jointly organised the meeting also got up and strutted their stuff, to the amusement of everyone in the compound.

What came next took all of us by surprise, and will be what I remember most about this 3 day talk-fest!

The State Minister, at the request of the Governor, had organised a 'Miss Valentine' Beauty Contest to try and promote local girls' education, intelligence, beauty and presentation skills. The winner had been judged on Valentine's Day, but in their wisdom the organisers wanted the Governor to present the prize - a motorbike(!) - in front of all the delegates. There was even an organising committee, and the entrants had been coached and prepared in 'presentation skills' prior to the event. We all were a little concerned when the contestants had turned up, and the thought had even crossed some of our minds as to whether they were a group of prostitutes hired for these 'honourable' government officials. So we were relieved when we realised who they were... momentarily.

The girls were all frocked up in slinky dresses and proceeded to strut their stuff on the improvised catwalk in front of all the guests. Now the idea of promoting girls' education and development is a commendable one, and sure, the contest (apparently) had an 'intelligence' component, and encouraged the girls to be more confident and present themselves confidently in public, but REALLY?! In front of an audience of mostly middle-aged men, 15 year olds strutting about, flicking their hair provocatively and posing seductively was simply taking the piss. I'm sure it was having the intended effect ... ha! Not to mention grossing us out. The other disturbing thing was the soundtrack to the catwalk, the popular song Nwa Baby Ashawo by Mr Flava, which is a song about picking up prostitutes.

Despite all this, it was somewhat amusing and generated quite a lot of discussion amongst all the closely attentive men who each had their favourite. I was buoyed by the young girl who was not really a 'true South Sudanese beauty' and clearly out of her depth amongst the taller, slimmer, more glamorous contestants. I wanted her to win purely for having the guts to enter.u

After this had gone on, the organising committee representatives got up and announced the top four contenders, and then went on to announce the quite predictable winner. This brought on raucous applause from everyone in the courtyard. The Governor (who was decidedly pissed by now) then got up and presented the rather hefty prize of a motorbike. He introduced the father of the winner and thanked him for coming; on ushering them off the stage, the winning girl subtly slipped him the keys to her new prize. Oops, did I use the word 'her'? I should have said 'his'. Even the Governor in his ramblings, after earlier stating that the prize could assist her to more easily get around and promote her independence, advised her to give it to her brother, her father, or even try to ride it herself, but to be careful not to cause any accidents. Hmmm. Not sure if it was the most carefully thought out prize. I just hope she gets to keep it - and is allowed to learn how to ride it.

The Governor was then very clear in his declaration that these girls were NOT prostitutes but future upstanding citizens of South Sudan, who he hoped to encourage - through these beauty contests - to go on to bigger and better things, get educated, score jobs in Government; and of course not stray off the path or allow men to impregnate them while they were still young and throw it all away. I mostly heard BLAH BLAH BLAH. He then announced that he was introducing a law in Western Equatoria that jailed any man for 24 hours for impregnating an under-age girl. Interesting...!

Then there was the question of contestants 5 - 15, who had missed out on the top four placings (and any remote chance at the prize). In what seemed to be a nice offer of consolation (or perhaps pity?), the Governor offered them a shared prize of 1000 South Sudanese Pounds. What then happened was a rather bemusing splashing of wealth from the Ministers, Director-Generals, Commissioners and other civil servants in order to match or better the offer of the Governor. It was a case of both peer pressure and a show of wealth that neither impressed nor amused, much like the beauty contest itself. In the end, a combination of donations (Goverment funded of course!) led to a total of around 10,000 SSP - around USD3,000. Not a bad effort really, and while completely misguided, the one group of people who thought it was completely wonderful were the girls themselves. I just hope they spend it wisely - and that these politicians actually pay up.

In a country where women are second citizens in more ways than I can count on two hands, twice over, these kinds of initiatives - while made with good intentions - really, really REALLY don't contribute to the advancement of women's rights, education, equality or any of the things that we enjoy in 'the West'.

Sigh.

An update on the humanitarian situation

Got this recent weekly bulletin from OCHA, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in Juba. It's quite long and detailed, but it gives you an insight into the sorts of things that humanitarian agencies are dealing with on the ground. Everywhere you look there are people in need of assistance, for various reasons (tribal conflict & cattle raiding, lack of food and water, insecurity due to fighting and bombing in border areas ... the list goes on).

I found it quite bemusing that they called the following things 'highlights'. Can't really see many positives in this, as the title suggests...
Highlights:
• Over 140,000 conflict-affected people have been registered in need of aid in Jonglei State, with rapid
inter-agency assessments largely complete and the focus shifting to aid delivery.
• A militia attack in Warrap State killed 78 people, displaced 3,000 and affected 40,000 people, according to local authorities.
• Humanitarian partners supported the movement of 20,000 refugees from insecure border areas in Upper
Nile State to safer locations south.

I. Situation overview
The humanitarian situation in South Sudan continued to be strained on multiple fronts, with a rebel militia group attack in Warrap State’s Tonj East County on 28 January allegedly killing 78 people. Another clash, possibly related, in Mayendit in Unity State killed a reported 12 people. Rumours also persisted of possible retaliatory inter-communal attacks in Jonglei State. Some 100,000 refugees are estimated to be in Upper Nile and Unity states, displaced by fighting in Sudan’s Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan. On the food security front, the Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission report released this week predicts that up to five million South Sudanese will face food shortages in 2012.

The political situation in South Sudan continued to remain tense, with the government shutdown of oil  production in response to the alleged confiscation of its oil by Sudan. Talks between the two presidents on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa did not produce an agreement on oil transit fees, but negotiations will reportedly resume on 10 February. Humanitarian partners remain concerned about possible unrest resulting from government-planned austerity measures to be implemented because of the loss in oil revenue.

II. Humanitarian challenges: needs and response 

140,000 conflict-affected people registered in need of aid in Jonglei State.

Inter-communal tensions remained high in Jonglei State, with rumours persisting of possible reprisal attacks.
Civilians are also anxious about a planned disarmament drive due to begin in the state shortly. Two attacks took place over the week, but it is unclear whether they are part of the recent spate of inter-communal violence. On 1 February, UN Security reported an attack by an unknown group on a police patrol travelling from Likuangole to Akobo. On 29 January, local sources reported a cattle raid in Twic East County, in which some 4,000 cattle were stolen.

Humanitarian partners continued to scale up the response to those affected by the recent inter-communal
violence. Rapid inter-agency humanitarian assessments are now largely completed in affected areas, and
partners are focusing on delivering relief. As of 30 January, over 140,000 people had been registered in need of aid, exceeding the initial planning figure of 120,000. Some 100,000 people have been provided with food aid to date. Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support is ongoing, with partners continuing to repair water points and construct latrines in Pibor town and Likuangole. In Gumuruk, there are no functioning boreholes and water has to be delivered to the town by truck. Health assistance is underway with community health workers travelling to Pibor, Dorein, Fertait, Gumuruk and Likuangole to conduct heath outreach. Nutrition support is also scaling up.

A blanket supplementary feeding programme for 2,000 children started in Pibor on 30 January and nutrition
services are ongoing in Boma. A supply of the nutritional supplement Plumpy Nut arrived in Ayod County for use in surrounding areas. Close to 8,000 non-food item (NFI) kits have been transported to the Pibor area since the onset of the crisis, and initial distributions have been completed in Pibor town, Likuangole and Boma. The movement of 7,570 NFI kits to Duk, Yuai, Waat, Walgak and Akobo is also being planned, with the first movement underway to Yuai. Education support is also ongoing in affected areas, with two temporary learning spaces operating in Pibor town, benefitting some 130 children a day.

Insecurity, the low number of partners on the ground in some areas, and road inaccessibility of some conflict-affected areas continue to hamper the relief operation. Despite these constraints, operations have started in
Walgak with the first food distribution on 2 February and the re-opening of the nutritional stabilization centre.
Refugee sites in Upper Nile State nearing full capacity.

Current refugee situation

In Upper Nile State, the security situation in Bunj town in Maban County and surrounding areas is calm, despite the bombardment in the Sudan border area of El Foj on 23 January. The relocation of refugees from the area was completed during the week, with some 1,300 people moved from El Foj. Over 20,000 people have been moved to safer areas south since the relocations began on 6 January. Registration is ongoing at the Jammam site, where 29,522 people have been registered so far. In case the Jammam site reaches capacity, a second site in the area has been identified and is being assessed for water availability and the presence of unexploded ordnance.

There are an estimated 34,000 refugees located at the Doro refugee settlement in Maban. As the site is close to full capacity, land for a second site in the area has been identified. Assessments of water availability will take place in the coming week. Arrangements have been made for the creation of a camp management group in Doro, which will include representatives from the refugee community, the host community and protection partners.

Humanitarian partners continue to assist the movement of refugees in Unity to safer areas.

Ongoing insecurity along the border between Unity State and Sudan’s Southern Kordofan State remains a concern to humanitarian partners. The vast majority of the 26,440 refugees in Unity are residing in Yida refugee site close to the Sudan border. The humanitarian community continued to encourage and assist the movement of refugees to locations a safer distance from the border. On 25 January, partners assisted 87 students, six teachers and caretakers, and 28 vulnerable refugees to relocate to Pariang from Yida. On 28 January, another 57 refugees were relocated to Pariang. In addition to organized movements, spontaneous arrivals continued, with 76 people moving from Pariang to Nyeel refugee site. As of 30 January, 534 refugees were registered at the Pariang transit site and 564 refugees were registered in Nyeel.

A meeting between local authorities, protection partners and the Yida refugee leaders took place on 28 January to discuss relocating from Yida. A memorandum of understanding was agreed upon which included provisions related to freedom of movement of refugees and the creation of a relocation committee. Partners continued to coordinate activities to support refugees who have relocated away from the Yida site. Education assistance is being provided to secondary students in Pariang and partners are mobilizing to begin a school feeding programme. The mobile health clinic continues travel between the town and the refugee transit site in Pariang three times a week.

Up to five million South Sudanese face food shortages in 2012
Nearly five million people in South Sudan will face food shortages in 2012, including at least one million who are severely food insecure, according to a report released on 1 February by the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster. The Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM) was conducted between October and November 2011 at the government’s request, to investigate the overall food security situation in South Sudan. On top of the one million people severely insecure, the CFSAM report estimates that a further 3.7 million are borderline and will need help to avoid slipping into the 'severe food insecurity’ category. This is an increase of 1.5 million compared to last year. Poor harvests, rapidly rising prices, conflict and displacement are blamed for the deteriorating situation.

Percentage of households severely and moderately food insecure



South Sudan is likely to have a cereal deficit of more than 470,000 tonnes in 2012, according to the report. That is about half the country’s cereal requirements for the year. Erratic rainfall, conflict related displacement,
and an influx of returning South Sudanese and refugees in the country are all affecting food supplies.CFSAM reports that South Sudan will need increased amounts of immediate food aid in 2012. Planting of crops begins in March and none of the funding requested through the Consolidated Appeals Process for agriculture and livestock interventions has arrived. Without this, close to 1.2 million people will not receive farming inputs and livestock vaccinations, making the food shortages bite deeper and faster.

WASH and protection needs largely met for people displaced from Abyei
Humanitarian partners continue to provide assistance to an estimated 110,000 people in the Agok area, Warrap State and other locations in South Sudan, displaced by the conflict that broke out in Abyei in May 2011. Over the next two months, food security and livelihood partners plan to support 31,000 vulnerable households in Warrap - including displaced people - with seeds to support crop production. According to WASH partners, the current water supply situation in Agok and surrounding areas is satisfactory. Close to 30 boreholes of a total of 45 have now been completed, and partners continue to work on the construction of remaining water points. The overall humanitarian protection situation in the Agok area remains relatively stable, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Regular protection monitoring in areas with people displaced from Abyei have not revealed any specific protection incidents among the displaced or between the displaced and host communities. Education partners are constructing five permanent primary schools in the Greater Tonj and Gogrial East counties for displaced students and host communities, which will benefit 3,200 students.

Attack in Warrap State reportedly kills 78 people
Local authorities reported that an unknown militia group from Unity State attacked a cattle camp in Warrap’s Tonj East County on 28 January. Initial reports indicated that 78 people were killed in the incident, over 68 people were wounded and some 17,400 heads of cattle were seized, according to local authorities. Nine people are reportedly missing. An inter-agency assessment on 28 January reported that an estimated 3,000 people were displaced to surrounding villages and that some 40,000 people have been affected because their livestock was stolen. The immediate needs of those affected are food, water, medicine and NFIs.

On 1 February, local authorities came together in neighbouring Mayendit town in Unity State in an inter-county peace initiative meeting, including to reportedly resolve the Warrap attack. Clashes broke out nearby, the cause of which is still being investigated. Initial figures indicate that 12 people were killed and 25 wounded in the incident, according to UNMISS. An unknown number of civilians reportedly fled to the bush. A UN team was on the ground at the time to assist in resolution efforts. They were caught in the crossfire, and one staff member was shot and is in hospital.

III. Returns to South Sudan
 
Continued preparations for increased returns
The rate of South Sudanese returning from Sudan increased compared to recent weeks, with over 1,100 new arrivals reported between 25 and 31 January, most of which were spontaneous returns. Flights organized by humanitarian partners carrying highly vulnerable returnees from Khartoum to Central Equatoria and Greater Bahr el Ghazal continued, with 312 people flown from 26-29 January. New funding for humanitarian partners in Sudan will finance the transportation of some 7,000 of the 11,000 returnees in Sudan’s Kosti way station to South Sudan.


Manifesting has begun for further train movements from Khartoum, with up to 4,000 returnees expected to be taken on three trains from Khartoum and Kosti to Greater Bahr el Ghazal State. In Renk in Upper Nile State, an IOM-supported barge moving some 900 returnees who were awaiting onward transport is due to depart 3 February for Juba. In addition, land movements are being organized for up to 600 people moving from Renk to other locations in Upper Nile. Over 364,000 individuals have returned to South Sudan since October 2010.

Humanitarian assistance ongoing for returnees in Renk, Lakes and Wau
Humanitarian support for returnees awaiting onward transport in Renk continues, with health partners opening another clinic during the week. Large amounts of returnee luggage continue to be the main barrier to
their movement and partners are looking into road transport during the dry season. This would free up barge space for luggage, which could be transported separately. In Lakes state, 184 returnee households are being assisted with shelter, food, water and medical care at the way station in Rumbek while they await land allocation. Returnees who were flown to Wau over the past two weeks who do not have relatives there are being accommodated in the government transit centre, and the local authorities will assist them in applying for land allocation.

 

Registration of returnees flown to Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal.

Humanitarian partners in South Sudan and Sudan jointly planning for returnee influx
As the 8 April deadline for South Sudanese to leave Sudan draws near, humanitarian partners are preparing for a potential large influx of returnees. Humanitarian partners in both countries have prepared contingency plans for a mass influx of up to 500,000 people. In the meantime, both humanitarian communities continue to advocate to the governments of both countries for a joint agreement on returns.

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So there you have it. A bit of an insight into this mixed-up place that is the world's new country. Such a long way to go.