May 21, 2014

Highlights

The U.S. Government (USG) announces an additional $291 million for South Sudan

Donor conference in Oslo, Norway, garners approximately $600 million in new pledges for humanitarian funding

Relief agencies respond to increasing cholera cases in South Sudan's capital

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

The international humanitarian community convened in Oslo, Norway, on May 20 for a pledging conference on South Sudan, hosted by the Government of Norway (GoN) in collaboration with the U.N. The conference garnered an additional $600 in pledged funding from several donor countries. As of May 21, international donors had provided approximately $702 million toward the emergency response in South Sudan, including $514 million in previously pledged funding, according to the U.N.

On May 20, the USG announced an additional $291 million in humanitarian assistance to address the current crisis in South Sudan, tripling total USG FY 2014 humanitarian funding to South Sudan to nearly $434 million. The new funding includes contributions from USAID/AFR, USAID/FFP, USAID/OFDA, and State/PRM.

Relief actors remain concerned regarding the spread of cholera in South Sudan, with nearly 190 cases and 9 deaths reported in Juba town, Central Equatoria State, as of May 19. The U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned of new reported, but unconfirmed, cases of cholera in Jonglei and Upper Nile states on May 20. The Government of the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) Ministry of Health (MoH) and relief agencies are intensifying response activities to curb the spread of the disease.

INSECURITY, DISPLACEMENT, AND ACCESS CONSTRAINTS

The current conflict has displaced more than 1.3 million people—including 998,800 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 354,100 people who are seeking refuge in neighboring countries—since December 15.

During the week of May 11, tensions remained high in Unity, Upper Nile, and Jonglei states. Reported clashes west of Bentiu town, Unity, hampered humanitarian access to the area, leading to delayed flights and aid deliveries, the U.N. reports. While Bor town, Jonglei, remained calm, the U.N. received reports of military activity in northern Jonglei, as well as clashes in Jonglei’s Akobo County.

Foreign nationals—including people from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda—sheltering at the UNMISS protection of civilian (PoC) site in Bentiu reportedly began leaving the site in recent days, according to the U.N. Many of these foreign nationals reportedly traveled in the direction of Wau town, Western Bahr el Ghazal State.

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS ASSESSMENTS AND RESPONSE ACTIVITIES

Due to access constraints, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is conducting airdrops for the first time in more than 15 years to provide emergency food supplies to approximately 420,000 conflict-affected people in South Sudan. ICRC is requesting approximately $55 million to support the airdrops and other response activities—including the distribution of seeds, tools, and fishing kits. With the additional requested funding, ICRC also plans to improve sanitation and access to safe drinking water for approximately 340,000 people.

An interagency team conducted an initial rapid needs assessment (IRNA) in Upper Nile’s Renk County from May 8–12 to evaluate humanitarian conditions for displaced populations. The IRNA results identified approximately 13,000 IDPs in Wontou town, 300 IDPs in Ulith town, and nearly 60 IDPs at the Renk UNMISS PoC site in need of critical humanitarian assistance, including food, emergency shelter and relief supplies, health services, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance. Although some displaced households are reportedly returning to Renk town, security and humanitarian conditions will likely remain fluid in the coming months.

CAMP COORDINATION AND CAMP MANAGEMENT

As of May 16, relief agencies had completed the groundwork, including drainage and roads, at the UNMISS PoC extension site in Malakal town, Upper Nile, the U.N. reports. The U.N. anticipates that the new site will have the capacity to host IDPs in the coming weeks.

AGRICULTURE, FOOD SECURITY, AND NUTRITION

In April, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) scaled up critical food and nutrition assistance to vulnerable populations, reaching nearly 600,000 people—an increase of 65 percent since March—with emergency food assistance despite insecurity, inclement weather, and fuel shortages. In addition, WFP supported the distribution of supplementary nutrition assistance for more than 51,000 children under five years of age during the month of April.

For the first time since the outbreak of the current crisis, WFP successfully delivered food commodities—70 metric tons (MT)—from Gambella, Ethiopia, to Akobo town, Jonglei, via boat along the new Akobo River corridor on May 16, the U.N. agency reports. In addition, WFP remains engaged with RSS authorities to obtain formal permission to move barges from Juba along the White Nile River. WFP is also pursuing options to purchase food locally in Upper Nile to reduce lead times in food acquisition and distribution.

Relief agencies recently conducted a mass mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) screening of nearly 4,900 children under five years of age at the UNMISS PoC site in Bentiu, finding a moderate acute malnutrition level of approximately 8 percent and a severe acute malnutrition level of nearly 2 percent, according to the U.N. Nutrition actors plan to conduct a similar MUAC screening at the Bor UNMISS PoC site in the coming days.

To date, health agencies have admitted nearly 19,600 children for outpatient therapeutic feeding programs (OTP) at nearly 260 health care sites, with 27 sites also providing nutrition stabilization care, the U.N. reports. According to available data, health care workers have discharged approximately 65 percent of the admitted patients, while 29 percent have defaulted on the program and less than 1 percent of patients have died.

USAID/OFDA has provided more than $3.7 million in FY 2014 to U.N. agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to support the procurement and distribution of therapeutic foods, as well as implement critical nutrition activities targeting vulnerable populations across South Sudan.

HEALTH AND WASH

Since the RSS MoH declared a cholera outbreak in Juba on May 15, health actors had reported nearly 190 cases of cholera in the capital city, as well as nine cholera-related deaths, as of May 20. Between May 18 and May 19, the number of cholera cases in Juba increased by 36 percent, from 138 to 188, according to health actors. UNICEF and the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) warn that the outbreak is spreading and are coordinating response activities with the MoH.

On May 20, UNICEF warned of new reported, but unconfirmed, cholera cases in Jonglei and Upper Nile. According to local media, health clinics in Twic East County, Jonglei, were treating nearly 20 people with cholera symptoms as of May 20.

Humanitarian health and WASH actors are working with the MoH to mount a robust response to the cholera outbreak. WASH Cluster—the coordinating body for humanitarian WASH activities, comprising U.N. agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders—partners are conducting rapid assessments in seven affected areas of Juba. In addition, Cluster partners plan to distribute preventative WASH supplies in Juba’s U.N. House and Tong Ping PoC sites on May 20 to supplement recently completed soap distributions.

WHO and partners have conducted trainings on cholera case management, infection prevention and control procedures, and health, sanitation, and hygiene education for approximately 70 health workers in the Juba Teaching Hospital, which serves as the primary referral point for cases in Juba. Médecins Sans Frontières, WHO, and UNICEF are supporting the MoH with coordination, surveillance, and case management activities. UNICEF is pre-positioning diarrheal treatment kits to prevent the spread of cholera to IDP areas and distributing thousands of liters of safe drinking water at cholera treatment centers. The South Sudan Red Cross and Medair are also supporting cholera prevention through community mobilization activities.

In addition, with MoH and U.N. support, radio stations in South Sudan are broadcasting messages on effective hand washing, cholera prevention, and early detection of cholera symptoms. Health actors are also establishing cholera treatment centers at the PoC areas in Bentiu and Bor. As of May 15, relief agencies had vaccinated approximately 163,000 people against cholera, including people sheltering in IDP sites in Juba; Mingkaman, Lakes State; and Malakal. In addition, as of May 15, relief actors had provided first-round cholera vaccinations to nearly 2,900 people at the Bor PoC site, according to the Health Cluster.

LOGISTICS AND RELIEF COMMODITIES

During the week of May 11, the Logistics Cluster airlifted more than 100 MT of humanitarian supplies for more than ten relief agencies to Unity’s Bentiu and Ganyiel towns, Malakal, and Jonglei’s Old Fangak town, WFP reports.

To enhance warehousing capacity in Juba, the Logistics Cluster has opened an additional common storage facility, which can house up to 630 cubic meters of humanitarian commodities, according to WFP. The Logistics Cluster is also supporting the construction of additional common storage facilities in Malakal and Rumbek, Lakes State.

OTHER HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

On May 19 and 20, representatives from more than 40 donor countries convened at a pledging conference in Oslo to raise funds for the humanitarian response in South Sudan. U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer warned attendees that the conference was the international community’s last chance to avert famine in South Sudan. At the meeting, donor countries pledged more than $600 million in new funding for humanitarian response efforts in South Sudan and the region.

On May 20, the USG pledged an additional $291 million to help meet the urgent humanitarian needs of populations affected by the crisis in South Sudan, bringing total USG FY 2014 humanitarian funding in South Sudan to nearly $434 million. The new assistance will support food distributions, livelihoods, and nutrition interventions for IDPs, conflict-affected populations, and refugees in neighboring countries. The funding will also improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities and will bolster emergency health care and protection services.

The British government has pledged approximately $101 million to assist vulnerable populations in South Sudan through aid organizations, such as WFP and ICRC. The new funding will bring the U.K.’s total humanitarian support to South Sudan since the beginning of the crisis to more than $157 million, according to the British government.

On May 19, the GoN announced $63 million—in addition to $17 million previously provided—to support the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan. While the new funding will primarily support relief actors on the ground in South Sudan, including ICRC, as well as various U.N. agencies and NGOs, a portion will provide relief assistance to South Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries.

The Government of Denmark (GoD) pledged an additional $10 million for humanitarian assistance to South Sudan on May 20. The Danish contribution will fund WFP, the Common Humanitarian Fund, and ICRC for relief activities. GoD humanitarian contributions to the country since December 2013 will reach $36 million with the new pledge, the GoD reports.

The Government of Germany (GoG) announced on May 20 plans to provide an additional $8.2 million to support critical humanitarian assistance and avert famine. With the new contribution, the GoG has provided approximately $17 million to relief assistance activities in South Sudan in 2014, in addition to approximately $2.3 million for South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia and Uganda, according to the GoG.

The Government of Switzerland announced more than $5 million in additional funding for relief activities in South Sudan. The pledged contribution is in addition to more than $14.5 million from the Swiss government for the South Sudan crisis this year, supporting U.N., international organizations, and NGO efforts across the country, the Swiss government reports.

The Australian government will provide an additional $2.6 million to address food insecurity in South Sudan, bringing Australia’s total contributions to the humanitarian response since December 15 to $13.4 million, according to the Australian government. Australia’s new contribution will support WFP’s efforts to provide food assistance to the more than 87,000 people currently sheltering at UNMISS PoC sites across the country.

On May 13, the Government of Japan (GoJ) announced a $6.8 million contribution to UNHCR to support refugee needs in Unity and Upper Nile states. In particular, the new GoJ funding will provide health, nutrition, and WASH support for Sudanese refugees sheltering in Maban County, Upper Nile, and Ajuong Thok refugee camp, Unity. In addition, the GoJ announced on May 20 that it would provide $12 million in new funding to various relief organizations operating in South Sudan to support emergency relief activities benefiting IDPs and refugees. As of May 21, the GoJ had provided approximately $19.6 million in humanitarian assistance to South Sudan in 2014.