BACKGROUND AND KEY DEVELOPMENTS
- On March 4, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an international arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's Darfur region. The ICC accuses President Bashir of sanctioning the actions of government forces backed by Arab militias that committed atrocities against the civilian population of Darfur. Bashir is the first acting head of state to be indicted and the most senior figure pursued by the court in the Hague since the court's inception in 2002.
- On March 4, the Government of National Unity (GNU) Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) ordered Action Contre la Faim (ACF), CARE International, CHF International, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Mercy Corps, Médecins Sans Frontières/Netherlands (MSF/H), the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Save the Children /United Kingdom (SC/UK), and Solidarités to depart Sudan. According to the U.N., the Sudanese government terminated the agencies' humanitarian operations and cancelled the organizations' registrations. On March 5, the GNU HAC expelled three additional organizations—MSF/France, PADCO-AECOM, and SC/US.
- According to the U.N., the donor community, and humanitarian agencies, program closure will significantly reduce the provision of life-saving assistance to the more than 4.7 million affected individuals in Darfur.
- The U.S. Government (USG) is the largest bilateral donor to Sudan and has contributed nearly $4 billion for humanitarian programs in Sudan and eastern Chad since FY 2004.
NUMBERS AT A GLANCE | SOURCE |
| Total Affected Population in Darfur | 4.7 million | OCHA(1) – March 2009 |
| Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Darfur | 2.7 million | OCHA – March 2009 |
| Population with Reduced Access to Health Care due to Expulsions | 1.5 million | OCHA – March 2009 |
| Population with Reduced Access Adequate Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services due to Expulsions | 1.16 million | UNICEF (2) - March 2009 |
| Population with Reduced Access to Food Aid due to Expulsions | 1.1 million | OCHA – March 2009 |
FY 2009 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING PROVIDED TO DATE
USAID/OFDA Assistance to Sudan and eastern Chad: $21,733,841
USAID/FFP(3) Assistance to Sudan and eastern Chad: $372,515,300
State/PRM(4) Assistance to Sudan and eastern Chad: $23,975,000
Total USAID and State Humanitarian Assistance to Sudan and eastern Chad: $418,224,141
CURRENT SITUATION
- From March 11 to 16, a joint U.N.–GNU assessment team traveled to the three Darfur states to assess gaps in humanitarian assistance resulting from the expulsion of 13 international humanitarian organizations. According to the U.N., the assessment team was unable to reach many areas due to logistical and security concerns, and the assessment did not include protection and return concerns. The U.N. plans to convene a briefing in New York and Khartoum regarding the joint assessment on March 24.
Health
- Health officials remain concerned about health facilities in Southern Kordofan State in the Three Areas, according to a March 23 report by the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO). Following the early March expulsions of 13 international humanitarian organizations, health officials note that 114 health facilities, totaling 30 percent of the state's facilities, remain without direct implementing partner support and may suspend services. The expelled partners provided support to all 114 clinics, including provision of routine immunization, nutrition and feeding programs, and community education and messaging activities.
- On March 23, WHO noted the opening of a temporary health clinic in the new extension of Zam Zam IDP camp in North Darfur. According to WHO, the clinic provides basic health services for recent arrivals to the overcrowded camp and is supported by WHO, UNICEF, the U.N. Population Fund, and the Sudanese Ministry of Health (MOH).
- As of March 20, Kalma IDP camp in South Darfur lacked health care despite several international organizations volunteering to provide services. UNICEF staff expressed concern regarding the camp's ongoing meningitis outbreak. U.N staff continue to liaise with IDP leaders in order to resolve the situation.
- According to WHO, the non-governmental organization (NGO) expulsions leave 1.5 million individuals in Darfur without access to adequate health care. Although the results of the joint U.N.–GNU assessment are pending, WHO estimates that the districts of Jebel Marra and Jebel Moon in West Darfur and Shearia in South Darfur lack health services. In addition, WHO notes that other areas experienced significant reductions in health care, including a 20 percent reduction in El Geneina, West Darfur; 22 percent in Kutum, North Darfur; 63 percent in Habila, West Darfur; and 83 percent in Kass, South Darfur.
Nutrition
- As a result of the early March NGO expulsions, UNICEF reported that 42 therapeutic feeding centers and 21 supplementary feeding programs have closed or reduced operations in Darfur and northern Sudan states. Following the suspensions, NGO staff reported increased admission rates to nutrition programs in West Darfur towns. In addition to decreased nutritional support, UNICEF reported that the NGO suspensions have decreased nutrition surveillance capacity throughout Darfur. According to UNICEF, ACF was conducting approximately 30 percent of nutritional surveys in Darfur prior to the organization's expulsion. UNICEF is currently investigating whether state MOHs can fill nutrition gaps in accessible areas.
Protection
- According to UNICEF, the early March NGO expulsions suspended protection support for more than 100,000 vulnerable children in northern Sudan. Women and children face increased risk of violence due to decreased protection measures in IDP camps and other vulnerable areas. In addition, the protection programs helped demobilize former child soldiers in Darfur and Red Sea and Southern Kordofan states and reunite families separated by the mid-May fighting in Abyei. Due to the sensitive nature of protection programs, UNICEF estimates that local NGOs and government agencies will be unable to fill gaps in protection assistance left by the departing organizations.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH)
- As of March 20, UNICEF reported that, IDPs in Kalma camp were receiving less than 4 liters of water per person per day, according to UNICEF. The reported levels are below the Sphere standard of 15 liters of water per person per day and the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCRs') minimum standard for short-term survival, which is 7 liters of water per person per day. According to UNICEF, Kalma camp's 28 hand pumps were functioning; however, the motorized pumps were non-operational due to the current fuel shortages. Humanitarian agencies also caution that IDPs may be using unsafe water from the nearby wadi, or seasonal riverbed.
- On March 17, UNICEF convened a meeting for WASH partners to discuss gaps in South Darfur, future plans, and response capacity. According to UNICEF, agencies must organize all emergency interventions in consultation and concurrence with the appropriate state ministry, the GNU HAC, and UNICEF as the sector lead. UNICEF requested that organizations plan programs for three months and that one partner provide the entire WASH package for an area or camp rather than each partner providing one component. According to UNICEF, emergency WASH activities include testing and chlorination of water sources, provision of safe drinking water through support of fuel and technical inputs for pumps, and the hygiene and sanitation activities of soap distribution, garbage disposal, latrine rehabilitation, and hygiene message dissemination.
- On March 16, USAID staff traveled to North Darfur to assess the impact of the recent NGO expulsions on the provision of humanitarian assistance in IDP camps. The team visited Zam Zam IDP camp near El Fasher, North Darfur, where USAID staff reported that the estimated 36,000 recent arrivals to the camp have little access to basic services, particularly safe drinking water. During the visit, IDPs in the new section of the camp reported two- to three-hour waits at water pumps and a lack of health services, food distributions, livelihood activities, and emergency relief commodities, particularly plastic sheeting for temporary shelter. Although designed to host 65,000 individuals, Zam Zam camp currently holds more than 90,000 individuals, according to U.N. estimates.
