CRITICAL WATER SUPPLY GAPS PERSIST IN EL RADOM, SOUTH DARFUR – Nearly 12,000 refugees living in the El Radom settlement have access to just 10 L of water per person per day, well below the SPHERE minimum standard of 15 L and UNHCR emergency standard of 20 L. Additional support for the water supply network is urgently needed.

PARTNERS CONCERNED OVER NUTRITION PROGRAMMING GAPS IN EAST DARFUR – Nutrition programming gaps have emerged for refugees in El Ferdous settlement following the ending of Al Manar Voluntary Organization’s (AMVO) outpatient therapeutic programme (OTP). Pipeline breaks for Ready-to Use Supplementary Food (RUSF) have also disrupted Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programmes (TSFPs) for refugees in Al Nimir camp and El Ferdous. State Ministry of Health provision of nutrition supplies for the OTP in El Ferdous ended on 31 July. New nutrition programming is urgently needed.

SOUTH SUDANESE REFUGEE DELEGATION IN KHARTOUM SHARE EXPECTATIONS FROM REVIVED PEACE TALKS WITH SOUTH SUDAN’S LEADERS - On September 4, a group of 16 South Sudanese refugees from Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR) met in Khartoum with the signatories of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and other political parties and stakeholders from South Sudan’s civil society. The refugees appealed to the international community to continue to support the people of South Sudan, and said that they will only return to South Sudan if the situation on the ground improves and there is a strong commitment to the agreement by all parties. They also expressed their readiness to play a greater role in awareness-raising and rebuilding trust amongst South Sudanese communities both in South Sudan and in exile. The meeting was facilitated by UNHCR in collaboration with the Government of Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the Commissioner of Refugees (COR) and the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD).

HEALTH SERVICE GAPS EMERGING IN NORTH DARFUR - A health service gap has emerged in North Darfur State affecting about 14,000 refugees living in settlements, as well as their host communities who benefit from- and rely on this clinic and health services. Health partners are urgently needed to sustain health services in the area.

UNHCR TO COVER DRUGS GAPS IN REFUGEE CAMPS AND EL LERI SETTLEMENT TO THE END OF 2019; ADDITIONAL FUNDING STILL NEEDED – UNHCR is procuring essential drugs to address supply gaps in health clinics in refugee camps in White Nile and East Darfur States, and for the El Leri settlements in South Kordofan State. The procurement will cover essential drugs supply needs for one year, with an additional four months’ supply allocated as contingency stock. Funding is urgently needed to cover drugs supply gaps in other out-of-camp refugee settlements in all States across the response.

2018 MARKS LOWEST RATE OF NEW ARRIVALS TO SUDAN SINCE START OF SOUTH SUDAN CONFLICT IN DECEMBER 2013 – Nearly 1,700 South Sudanese refugees arrived in Sudan in December, bringing the year-end total of new arrivals in 2018 to 33,117. This is below the revised annual arrivals estimate for 2018 of 50,000. Inter-agency partners estimate a maximum of 50,000 new arrivals in 2019.

OVER 3,000 REFUGEES ARRIVED IN SUDAN IN JANUARY – The majority of refugees arrived in East Darfur State (1,552), followed by West Kordofan (767), South Darfur (487), South Kordofan (167) and White Nile (138). The increased new arrival flows follow the re-opening of roads in South Sudan along the border. Inter-agency partners estimate a total of 50,000 new arrivals in 2019.

ONGOING CASH AND FUEL SHORTAGES CONTINUE TO IMPACT RESPONSE DELAYS AND REFUGEE PROTECTION – Cash shortages reported since November continue and are driving implementation delays for assistance projects in all refugee locations, especially for procurement and monitoring activities, and cash-based interventions. The situation is compounded by rising inflation and ongoing fuel shortages. Water system functionality has been hard hit, with generators at pumping stations unable to run due to a lack of fuel. Ongoing protests have also raised concerns for refugee protection amid escalating civil unrest across Sudan.

OVER 3,000 REFUGEES ARRIVED IN SUDAN IN FEBRUARY – New refugee arrivals from South Sudan continue to cross into Sudan. Over 6,200 refugees have arrived in Sudan in 2019 so far, arriving from Aweil area in Northern Bahr Ghazal State and Upper Nile State, citing violence, food insecurity and a lack of livelihoods as their reasons for leaving South Sudan.

UNHCR AND COR COMPLETE RAINY SEASON PREPAREDNESS NFI DISTRIBUTION IN KHARTOUM’S “OPEN AREAS” - From 23 June to 7 August, UNHCR and the Government of Sudan’s Commission of Refugees (COR) distributed NFI kits to over 15,000 South Sudanese refugee and host community households households across 9 ‘open area’ settlements in Khartoum State. The distribution also targeted newly displaced South Sudanese refugees who fled to Bantiu ‘Open Area’ in June following attacks in Khartoum, as well as vulnerable host community households. The kits included plastic sheets, mosquito nets and sleeping mats, and was part of rainy season preparedness for existing refugees, and emergency response to address the needs of newly displaced families in the open areas. ‘Open areas’ are informal settlements hosting South Sudanese refugees in Khartoum.