Emergency Relief Program for Displaced Persons in South Kordofan State

Background

The South Kordofan State is located in the geographical centre and to southwest of Sudan, neighboring the new South Sudan State. It was part of the North-South civil war, which ended in 2005 after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The CPA included a special protocol to address issues related to South Kordofan and Blue Nile and to allow the people of the two areas to decide their future through popular consultation. The State consists of 19 localities, inhabited by diverse ethnic groups of Nuba, Arab and other origins. The population of the state is estimated at 2,508,000 people according to a census in 2010.

 Since June 5, Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers have been fighting in South Kordofan. The humanitarian crisis resulting from this conflict has quickly escalated; most areas have been affected, including the capital, Kadugli. Many residents have been forced to escape the violence. Civilians have fled their homes as a result of aerial campaigns that have caused deaths and destruction to property.  Men, women, and children have left cities and have sought to hide outside of the state or in the region’s Nuba Mountains. Others have fled from the attacks of Arab militias. The number of people displaced in the state according to the Humanitarian Affair Commission, Kadugli office is around 37,000, but that figure underestimates the true number of people displaced by the conflict. The State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs told the National Assembly on the 8th of August, 2011 that 75% of Kadugli inhabitants have been displaced, and the 2010 census estimated the number of residents of Kadugli locality to be roughly 126,300 and  that clear shows the scale of crisis.

The level of displacement in the state has been difficult to observe by certain traditional means. There are no IDP camps, so most people have stayed with relatives in North Kordofan or have fled north to other states, mostly staying with friends or family members. These are invisible IDPs who, nonetheless, are quite vulnerable, as most of them are very low income and are given no support from the voluntary sector or the government. Additionally, many SPLM activists have been targeted and have fled to other parts of Sudan, leaving their families with no support and putting many children in danger. The local authorities in Khartoum and other states started a process of registering IDPs from South Kordofan, but many Nuba activists refuse to register for fear of being targeted by state security. This makes it very difficult to fully assess the number of displaced and efficiently meet their needs.

The Scale of the Crisis and What is Needed

Since the start of the current crisis on the 5^th of June, 2011, Justice Africa Sudan and other national Sudanese NGOs have striven to address the issue of humanitarian needs and civilian protection. The magnitude of the humanitarian crisis has increased massively over time, however, and that requires immediate response to reduce the negative long term effects of the crisis.

The situation has been difficult, as the government has refused to give permission for international NGOs to operate in the area, which has led to even more suffering for IDPs.  Justice Africa Sudan has asked the Humanitarian Affair Commission (HAC) to grant it permission to assess the humanitarian needs and coordinate the work of the local NGOs to provide needed relief and medical assistance to IDPs in the area. HAC agreed in principle to give the permission and to ask local and national bodies to ensure the safety and protection of the humanitarian workers. The Government of Sudan (GoS) has refused to allow the establishment of IDP camps, as it believes that this will replicate the same conditions as those found in Darfur. This has forced many displaced people to stay with friends or relatives, placing a large amount of pressure on the host families at a time when the prices of most essential commodities (sugar, cooking oil, sorghum, meat) have raised an average rate of 50%.

Justice Africa Sudan Experience and Capacity

Justice Africa Sudan is national Sudanese non-governmental organisation established in 2007, with main office in Khartoum and branches in Juba ( South Sudan) , Neyala ( South Darfur) and Kadoli ( South Kordofan) JA Sudan involvement with Sudanese civil society is well developed, with a programme of support to local institutions in South Kordofan in 2009/10 and involvement with peace building and conflict prevention a string of consultations and two  major  peace conferences in 2010 among its achievements.

Justice Africa’s involvement with Sudanese civil society began through a first Civil Project in Sudan, which was a response to the human rights violation and support for the peace process,   to bring about permanent peace in Sudan.  Justice Africa Sudan also involved in Darfur peace process through enhancing the role of Darfur CSOs in support of the peace process in the region

 Through the Civil Project JA (Sudan) managed to facilitated and formed coalitions of civil society organisations, and developing capacity to address issues such as press laws, party laws, judicial reform, self-determination, administrative decentralisation, civic and human rights, trade union and employments rights, education, educational curricula, women’s rights, food policy, land reform, disarmament and demobilisation, and the return and resettlement of refugees and displaced persons. JA (Sudan) also helps in building the organisational capacity of local Sudanese CSOs.

Justice Africa Sudan is also involved in the crisis in Darfur region, where we have worked closely with all the parties involved including the African Union the United Nations. Justice Africa has also provided information and analysis, including background papers, and also carried numbers of activities in support of Darfur Darfur Dialogue and Consultation (DDDC).

Through its Sudan Dialogue (Unity/Secession Dialogue) JA (Sudan) managed to carry our numbers of activities in support of South Sudan Referendum which took place in January 2011. And also carried numbers of activities in relation to the future of northern Sudan after July 2011, and the needed reforms to overcome the impact of south Sudan separation and the loss of most of the oil revenue. JA ( Sudan) also running  project which deal with north/south borders states addressing issues related to the livelihood of people living on those areas and the impact of South Sudan separation on their life.

Recently JA Sudan carried out need assessment for people displaced from South Kordofan state due to the recent conflict, and that was carried in coordination with local activists.

According to 2010 census results, the total population of those localities is around 1400,000 people. The official figure released by the HAC Kadugli office estimates 37,000 people, a very low figure considering the population of affected localities and the magnitude of the conflict. Most IDPs are in areas controlled by SPLA, and there are ongoing attempts to deal with the humanitarian situation in those areas. Still, this will be very difficult logistically as one needs access from the North to be able operate in the region, and those areas are controlled by the GoS. It is urgent that some sort of agreement be reached in order to allow for the delivery of relief and medical aid.  This aid cannot come from the South since most IDPs are concentrated in Dilling, Rashad, Talodi, and Kauda and can only be reached through the North.

Areas Covered by the Project

 Since ongoing relief operations are concentrated around Kadogli and Dilling localities, Justice Africa Sudan intends to start piloting the support project in Rashad locality (eastern part of the state). There are no organizations operating in this area, and currently there is no fighting observed in the area. A concentration of the IDPs has been observed in the following areas of Rashad locality:

The total number of displaced families in the area is 1295, with 6022 people in total and 2970 children of school age. The project intends to provide the following services for displaced families over four months:

• Food and drinks
• Tents, if possible, for around 87 families from Umbair village
• School uniforms for children
• School bags and materials
• Text books
• Basic medical supplies