UNHCR and the Government's Commission for Refugees (COR)’s joint protection monitoring have identified significant protection issues involving the assault of refugees by host community members in Al Lait locality, including the killing of a refugee man over a dispute, physical assault of a refugee minor and two refugee men and one reported sexual assault of a refugee woman.

UNHCR is working closely with the Government of Sudan to improve South Sudanese refugee access to documentation and identification (ID) in Khartoum through a phased registration process. The Government's Immigration and Passport Police (IPP) unit initiated the first phase in mid-February to verify the total number of South Sudanese refugees living in Khartoum and issue them with foreigner ID numbers. Over 22,000 refugees have been registered by the IPP so far. The 2nd phase will be led by UNHCR and COR with biometric registration in order to support their access to protection, documentation and other assistance. Biometric registration will likely start in May and will be rolled out concurrently with the IPP process.

FUEL SHORTAGE DRIVING SHUT DOWN OF WATER TREATMENT PLANTS – Sudan’s fuel crisis remains a major challenge to service delivery across the response. The fuel shortage has interrupted water treatment plant operations for refugee camps along the White Nile River, with refugees now drawing water directly from the river at several camp locations. UNHCR is working with local partners and authorities to secure emergency fuel supplies; however, in the meantime, WASH partners are initiating the distribution of water purification tablets and public information initiatives on the importance of boiling water to mitigate waterborne illness risk. Household water filters are also being procured in anticipation of ongoing interruptions to clean water supply for refugees living in camps.

ONGOING NATIONAL FUEL SHORTAGE AFFECTING REFUGEE OPERATIONS ACROSS SUDAN – Partners have reported temporary interruptions to clinic and hospital operations across all states, and student enrollment campaigns have been delayed in South and West Kordofan States. WFP also faced challenges to timely pre-positioning of food supplies at refugee settlements that typically become inaccessible during the rainy season. Nearly all water treatment plants servicing refugee and host communities in White Nile State have reduced pumping hours, with people drawing water directly from the White Nile River. WASH partners distributed chlorination tablets and initiated public awareness campaigns on the importance of boiling river water. MSF-Spain established Surface Water Treatment Plant (SWAT) systems at Al Kashafa and Al Waral camps to support emergency water treatment.

UNHCR TO PROVIDE PLASTIC SHEETING AND OTHER NON-FOOD ITEMS (NFIs) FOLLOWING FLASH FLOODING IN EL NUHUD, WEST KORDOFAN - Flash flooding caused injuries and destroyed homes, public buildings and shops in El Nuhud locality, where nearly 4,000 South Sudanese refugees live. UNHCR and the Commission for Refugees (COR) conducted an initial rapid needs assessment on 24 July. UNHCR will provide 3,000 NFI kits to locality residents, including plastic sheeting. The local primary school attended by both refugees and host communities was also affected, with damaged latrines and fencing. OCHA led an inter-agency needs assessment for areas affected by flash flooding on 30 July.

LARGE INTERNAL REFUGEE MOVEMENTS OBSERVED WITH START OF HARVEST SEASON – In White Nile State, the Government of Sudan’s Commission for Refugees (COR) estimates that at least 50,000 refugees are working on farms outside of the camps. Refugee schools in camps are temporarily closed, and will reopen in November, when families are anticipated to return to camps. Education partners and the State Ministry of Education agreed in September to adjust the school calendar to address low attendance rates anticipated during the harvest season. In East Darfur, a 10 per cent reduction in attendance to therapeutic and supplementary feeding nutrition programmes in camps has been observed. Where possible, programming is being adapted so beneficiaries can still receive sufficient nutrition support.

UNICEF AND UNHCR COMPLETE 2nd ROUND OF NUTRITION CAMPAIGN IN WEST KORDOFAN STATE – The campaign is part of the accelerated nutrition action plan initiated in October following the outcomes of the 2018 Standardized Expanded Nutrition Survey (SENS). Nearly 3,700 South Sudanese refugee children were screened, with referrals of malnourished and at-risk children made to local nutrition programmes for treatment. The action plan also integrates infant and young child feeding (IYCF) support, with over 2,700 pregnant and lactating women referred for IYCF counselling and supports. These campaigns have also been completed for refugee camps in White Nile State and targeted localities in South Kordofan State, as part of inter-agency efforts to scaleup the nutrition response to address critically high global acute malnutrition (GAM).

WFP'S CASH-BASED TRANSFER PROGRAM IN EAST DARFUR A SUCCESS: In 2019, WFP’s cash-based transfers to all South Sudanese refugees in Al Nimir refugee camp (home to more than 12,800 refugees in East Darfur State), have enabled many to rent land and farm their own crops by providing them with the capital they need to purchase the inputs they need and fund land access. Previously, most refugees in the camp were only able to work as labourers on host community farms. UNHCR is discussing with a private sector company how to include the refugee production of peanuts in the already existing host-community value chain

Camp site extensions granted in East Darfur and White Nile, to accommodate an additional 18,000 newly arrived refugees.

Regional Refugee Coordinator and Special Advisor for the South Sudan Situation, Mr. Arnauld Akodjenou, carried out a resource mobilization mission in May and June aimed at fostering visibility to the dire situation of the South Sudanese crisis and bolster political and economic support to the crisis.