IOM Regional Response to South Sudan Crisis EXTERNAL SITUATION REPORT
7-18 March 2015
Refugees load their luggage at the Nadapal border point. Š IOM 2015 (Photo: IOM Kenya)
OVERVIEW
HIGHLIGHTS
There are currently 1.5 million people displaced in South Sudan, with over 500,000 people having fled to neighbouring Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Sudan. Over 112,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are sheltering within UNMISS Protection of Civilian (PoC) sites across the country, predominantly in Bentiu and the three Juba PoC sites. Some 2.5 million people are now facing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity and the outlook for 2015 is dire.
South Sudan: IOM provides UNICEF with five submersible pumps through the NFI Core Pipeline. Kenya: During this reporting period, IOM has provided transportation assistance to a total of 89 refugees. Ethiopia: IOM in collaboration with UNHCR begin relocating over 50,000 refugees from Leitchuor and Nip Nip refugee camps to Pugnido and Jewi Refugee Camp.
Since the beginning of the conflict, 514,384 South Sudanese refugees have crossed into Ethiopia (197,228), Uganda (145,000), Sudan (126,814) and Kenya (45,342). (Source: UNHCR Sitrep, 13 March 2015).
Equatorial and Unity states. Refugees from Unity reported heavy fighting in the area. Since the onset of the crisis, IOM has provided transportation assistance to a total of 23,968 refugees.
IOM RESPONSE TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE
SHELTER AND NON-FOOD ITEMS (NFIs) ETHIOPIA: During this reporting period, UNHCR in collaboration with IOM began relocating more than 50,000 South Sudanese refugees from flood-prone areas of western Ethiopia ahead of the rainy season in late April. The refugees are being moved from the Leitchuor and Nip Nip refugee camps in the Gambella region to Pugnido Refugee Camp. In August 2014, both camps were severely hit by floodwaters during unusually heavy seasonal rains, which caused the Baro River to burst its banks. The first group of 377 refugees left in a convoy of 11 vehicles with a security escort on 16 March. KENYA: During this reporting period, IOM transported 89 refugees from the Nadapal border point to Kakuma Refugee Camp. The majority of the arriving refugees are from Eastern
SOUTH SUDAN: To date, 5,794 Metric Tonnes have been transported across the country by IOM, of which 93 per cent through the Shelter-NFI Cluster. Delivery of shelter materials to Bentiu and Malakal is underway. Meanwhile, dispatching of shelter materials for new shelters to POC 3 is ongoing . Additionally, the prepositioning of NFIs in Rumbek, Maban, Malakal, and Melut is complete and preposition of shelter materials in Malakal is ongoing. Since the beginning of the crisis, over 67,474 households have been supported with NFIs, of which 703 households have received.
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