UNHCR welcomes Uganda Communications Commission directive to improve refugees’ access to SIM cards.

UNHCR’s Representative in Uganda today handed over three ambulances, thirty one motorcycles and a thermal scanner to the Ministry of Health to boost the Ebola response. Uganda has included refugees in the National Ebola Preparedness and Response Plan and continues to keep its borders open, ensuring safe and dignified asylum for the women, children and men arriving daily from the neighbouring countries.

From 7 September 2017 to 31 July 2019, 74,979 refugees voluntarily returned to Burundi in an organized manner with the support of UNHCR.

UNHCR GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION TOOL (GDT) PILOTED IN SUDAN – The GDT was piloted in the Sharq El Nil locality distribution from 4-7 August. The GDT uses biometric registration data to quickly and accurately verify 2,432 refugees collecting NFI kits on behalf of their families. This helps to speed up the distribution process and reduced opportunities for fraud. Refugees were able to see real-time reports on exactly who had collected for their families and what had been received. This helped to mitigate uncertainty and duplication issues. They reported that the distribution process felt more organized and transparent. The GDT forms an important part of ensuring refugees are able to access assistance in a secure and dignified manner. GDT is being rolled out for distributions across Sudan.

We are pleased to announce that the Joint Refugee Return and Reintegration Plan (JRRRP), an integrated inter-agency response plan to ensure the sustainable return and reintegration of Burundi refugees from the five main countries of asylum (Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya) is now available online. The JRRRP articulates the joint strategy to receive voluntarily repatriating refugees and provide both humanitarian and development oriented community-based response activities reaching an estimated 74,000 assisted and self -organized refugee returns in 2017and 2018, up to 116,000 refugee returns projected for 2019, as well as an additional 82,000 community members in the six main provinces of return. The plan brings together 19 partners within Burundi, including Government ministries, UN agencies and NGOs with a rationale to assist displacement affected communities in Burundi by strengthening their absorption capacity and resilience. While UNHCR is of the opinion conditions in Burundi are not currently conducive to promote returns, UNHCR and partners are supporting a solutions oriented approach by assisting refugees who indicate they have made a free and informed choice to voluntarily return. More than 75,000 refugees have returned to Burundi through the assisted voluntary repatriation program since September 2017, while others have returned on their own, citing the wish to return to their houses and farms, and to reunite with family. With respect to recent media statements by the governments of Tanzania and Burundi about plans to repatriate refugees more quickly on a bilateral basis, UNHCR continues to call upon the commitment of both governments to uphold international obligations and ensure that any returns are voluntary and conducted in line with the Tripartite Agreement and as reaffirmed at the Tripartite Commission Meetings of August 2017 and March 2018. UNHCR is also urging all States to ensure that no refugee is returned to Burundi against their will, and that measures are taken to make conditions in Burundi more conducive for refugee returns including confidence building efforts and reintegration support for those who have chosen to go home.

We are pleased to share with you the 2019 mid-year report on the South Sudan Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) and the country mid-year reports from the DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. So far thanks to your support and efforts we managed to:  Provide 1.27 million South Sudanese refugees with food assistance  Ensure 11,500 South Sudanese refugee mothers delivered their babies safely with the assistance of qualified personnel  Assist 322,000 South Sudanese refugee children to attend early childhood development, primary or secondary school  Plant 622,000 new seedlings and reforest 2,911 hectares of land in Uganda, Kenya and Sudan in an effort to address environmental degradation

AN INFULX OF CAR REFUGEES CROSSING INTO DARFUR: A total of 7,729 new arrivals have crossed the border from Central Africa Republic to Central and South Darfur due to tribal conflicts. The majority of the new arrivals (6,587 individuals) are currently in South Darfur, Um Dafoug locality where level 1 (house hold) registration was conducted by COR. They arrived after July 2019 and this number is increasing daily. 5,727 of them arrived after the second week of October 2019. 296 households that comprise 1,142 individuals are in Um Dukhun locality in Central Darfur.

REFUGEE ARRIVALS PICKED AFTER THE RAINY SEASON – Total new arrivals of South Sudanese refugees to Sudan in October was 1,670, bringing the total number of new arrivals in 2019 to 17,221. This follows the lowest new arrival figures observed in Sudan in August and September due to heavy rains and floods.

SUDAN RESUMED RIVER TRANSPORTATION WITH SOUTH SUDAN: World Food Programme (WFP) launched on 22 October barge transportation carrying food supplies from Kosti in White Nile State, Sudan to Renk and Malakal in South Sudan to increase food assistance to displaced South Sudanese people. The first three barges carried 4,500 tons of food, enough to feed 370,000 people for one month. The resumption of commercial transportation between Sudan and South Sudan may potentially facilitate cross border movements of people, including refugees.

AGREEMENT TO ISSUE WORK PERMITS FOR REFUGEES IN KHARTOUM: UNHCR in collaboration with the Commissioner of Refugees (COR) and the Khartoum State Supreme Council for Human Development and Labor (SCHDL) launched the issuance of the work permits for the refugees in Khartoum on 30 October. It was agreed that the work permits and business licenses will function as legal authorization for all refugees to access the labor market, provided they are registered with COR and recognized as refugees, in addition to a referral letter from COR. The requests will be processed through a special window at the Office of Labour in Khartoum state, where dedicated staff will be equipped with general knowledge on refugees’ issues through on the job training. It is expected that approximately 12,273 South Sudanese refugees aged 18 to 59 living in the Open Areas (54% women) could have access to formal labour opportunities by acquiring access to work permits. This would have high impacts on the life of refugees by improving their livelihoods opportunities and the regularization and safety of their employment, which in turn would reduce the levels of poverty and onward movement that exposes refugees to exploitation and human trafficking.