| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER |
OLS SOUTHERN SECTOR UPDATE 96/37, 17 September 1996
A weekly report on major developments concerning relief operations in southern Sudan
168 UNACCOMPANIED MINORS RETURN HOME... More than 160 unaccompanied children living in a camp in New Cush were reunited with their families last week in the first reunification from areas controlled by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). The boys, aged between 10 and 18, traveled by Save the Children Fund-UK (SCF-UK) truck from New Cush to Lokichokio, from where they were airlifted in a UNICEF Buffalo aircraft to their home areas of Akot (Wednesday), Adior (Thursday), Thiet (Friday) and Agangrial (Saturday). Each child was given a UNICEF "going home kit" containing pens, pencils, exercise books, chalk, high-energy biscuits, clothing, cooking pots (provided by Norwegian Church Aid), and fishing twine (provided by SCF-UK). Most left their families in 1993 when they went to Kaya to attend school. Family tracing and reunification was conducted by Radda Barnen, SRRA, and UNICEF. The agencies will closely monitor the children to ensure they settle in well, and to ensure they have access to adequate education and health services. The reunification process is expected to begin shortly for other unaccompanied children in displaced camps in Eastern Equatoria.
FLIGHT BAN CONTINUES ON POCHALLA... The UN is continuing efforts to regain Government flight clearance to Pochalla to assist an estimated 18,500 flood affected people in the area. OLS was granted flight clearance in August for relief assistance but was denied access for the month of September, thus disrupting relief activities which were initiated in response to the severe flooding over the last three months. It is estimated that relief assistance and monitoring will be needed until the end of December 1996.
UPDATE ON ANNUAL OLS NEEDS ASSESSMENT... The annual OLS needs assessment continues this week with six teams working in various areas of southern Sudan.
- The mobile assessment team, with staff from UNICEF, WFP, SRRA and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), is currently in Loronyo, Eastern Equatoria, having completed their assessments in Napotpot and Lotukei. They plan to visit Mogos as their final location.
- Team one, with staff from UNICEF, Save the Children Fund - UK (SCF-UK), SRRA, World Vision International (WVI), NPA and WFP, is currently in Agaigai and plans to assess Marial Bai. They have completed assessments in Akop and Wulu.
- Team two, with staff from WFP, SRRA and UNICEF, has completed assessments in Ajiep and Madhol. They hope to assess Maper if security permits, which will complete their assessments.
- Team three, with staff from WFP and RASS, has completed their assessments in Mading and Manajang. They plan to assess Nhialdiu as their final location.
- Team four, with staff from WFP, RASS and FRRA, are currently in Mogok, having completed assessments in Aburoc and Yuai.
- Team five, with staff from WFP, SRRA and UNICEF, are currently in Pocktap, having completed assessments in Paluer and Atar.
- Team six, with staff from the Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere, Inc. (CARE), WFP and SRRA are scheduled for an assessment in Tambura.
There have been changes to the schedule of locations throughout the assessment due to adverse weather, flight clearances and insecurity. However, it is expected that the majority of locations will have been assessed by 25 September. The OLS assessment includes the sectors of health, water and sanitation, nutrition, and general issues of food security. The results of the annual needs assessment will form the basis of the 1997 United Nations Inter-Agency Appeal for Sudan.
MSF BELGIUM STAFF RELOCATED FROM BARARUD... Three staff of the OLS NGO Medecins sans Frontieres-Belgium (MSF-Belgium) were relocated from Bararud on 12 September, on the advice of local counterparts, as a precautionary measure. The MSF-Belgium staff will return to Bararud as soon as possible to continue their health programmes which have been in operation for over a year.
WFP STAFF RELOCATE DUE TO INSECURITY IN THIEK THOU... Two WFP staff, accompanied by their SRRA counterparts, relocated by foot from Thiek Thou on 16 September due to fighting near their location.
OLS STAFF RELOCATED FROM TURALEI... Staff of the OLS NGOs Action Contre la Faim (ACF), VetAid and two WFP staff were relocated from Turalei to Lokichokio this week due to insecurity. ACF reports that their staff are now in Nairobi waiting for clearance to return to Turalei in order to resume their primary health care programme that has been ongoing since August 1995.
OLS REVIEW MEETINGS SCHEDULED THIS MONTH... Three meetings are scheduled on 25-26 September in Geneva to discuss the OLS Review and its recommendations. Respective meetings will be attended by representatives from the Government of Sudan, OLS Donors, OLS NGOs, the UN, and the southern Movements. Dates of subsequent meetings in Nairobi and Khartoum have not yet been announced.
ATTACKS ON REFUGEE CAMPS IN NORTHERN UGANDA... Aktion Afrika Hilfe (AAH) has reported attacks on 13 and 15 September on the refugee camps Ikafa and Palorinya. AAH also reported that some of the occupants of the camps, primarily southern Sudanese, have moved as a result of these attacks. It is not clear where they have moved to and if they will return to the camps. Two expatriates contracted by AAH to drill in the camps were beaten and one Ugandan soldier was killed during the 15 September attack on Palorinya.
OLS PROGRAMMES UPDATE... - WFP delivered 250 metric tonnes of food aid commodities to approximately 44,000 beneficiaries during the week of 8-14 September. This included distributions of 233mt in Aweil (18,000 beneficiaries), Ajiep (21,000 beneficiaries), and Pagak (5,000 beneficiaries). An additional 14.5mt was delivered to 1,432 beneficiaries for hospital inpatients, food for work, and teacher and veterinary training programmes in Akon, Atar, Duar, Leer, Nhialdiu, and Panyagor.
- SCF-UK and UNICEF are hosting a training of Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) in Panthou from 12-22 September. This is the first training in the area since late 1994.
---------- Message-Id: <199609171619.MAA17972@orion.sas.upenn.edu> Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 12:20:31 EDT From: "Dr. A. I. Younis, Division of Molecular Medicine, YRPRC, Emory University. 404 727 1499." <younis@RMY.EMORY.EDU> Subject: OLS Weekly Update: 17 September 1996
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