Mid-Year Review of the Work Plan for Sudan 2012 - Global ...

UNITED NATIONS AND PARTNERSINTRODUCTIONMID YEAR REVIEW | SUDAN WORK PLAN 20123EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe Mid-Year Review of the 2012 Sudan Humanitarian WorkPlan (HWP) comes at a time of growing concern for Sudan.The first half of 2012 witnessed a serious escalation of tensionsbetween Sudan and South Sudan over outstanding ComprehensivePeace Agreement (CPA) issues and South Sudan’sdecision to halt transporting oil through Sudan. The heightenedtensions spilled over into conflict and culminated in theoccupation of the Higlig area by South Sudanese armed forcesand destruction of key oil installations in April. This caused yetmore displacement and vulnerability in the border areas.Sudan’s economic situation continued to deteriorate generallydue to the loss of oil revenues, high levels of inflation, a weakeningcurrency and poor harvests. Together, these factors haveraised prices of basic food items and increased concerns overfood security throughout the country. This comes at a time ofdecreased government revenues: government developmentspending and transfers to the states for basic service deliveryand social safety nets have decreased by 26% and 20% respectivelycompared to this time last year.Meanwhile, the continuation of armed conflict in South Kordofanand Blue Nile between Government forces and the SudanPeople’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) has been amajor cause for concern. The conflict has continued to affectcivilians. Some 655,000 people, according to estimates, havebeen displaced or severely affected in both states. There aresignals that the humanitarian situation is deteriorating fast inSPLM-N held areas which have been cut off for many monthsand where there are reported to be severe food shortagesand few functioning health services. In addition to the largenumber of people who are internally displaced from the fightingin South Kordofan and Blue Nile, by the end of June 2012over 200,000 refugees had fled to South Sudan and Ethiopia.The United Nations (UN) and its humanitarian partners havebeen able to provide some assistance in Government-heldareas, but Government restrictions have made it impossibleto deliver food and other emergency assistance to peoplein SPLM-N areas despite a tripartite proposal of the AfricanUnion, the League of Arab States and the United Nations foraccess to all conflict-affected people in the two states.In Abyei, while the majority of the 109,000 people who weredisplaced in 2011 have not yet returned, 9,000 people havereturned to areas north of the Bahr Al Arab/Kiir River by theend of June. The recent withdrawal of all Sudanese and SouthSudanese forces from the area is a positive development andmay pave the way for a large-scale return in the months aheadfor the remainder of the displaced.In Darfur, revised estimates indicate that there were a totalof some 178,000 voluntary returns of refugees and internallydisplaced people between January 2011 and the end of March2012, illustrating the fact that there is relative stability in manyparts of Darfur, even though fighting has continued in someparts of the region. The inauguration of the Darfur RegionalSudan 2012 HWP at mid-year: Key parametersDuration January - December 2012Key milestones in 2012Target benefciariesMay - Sept: hunger seasonJun - Aug: planting seasonJun - Oct: rainy seasonNov: harvestNov: winter planting season• 4.0 millionTotal funding requestFunding request per beneficiary$ 1,052,695,296 $263Authority (DRA) in February demonstrated the willingness ofthe Government of Sudan to implement the Doha Documentfor Peace in Darfur. The DRA will focus its efforts on ensuringthe sustainability of returns and leading the reconstruction anddevelopment of Darfur. The Government's financial supportto the DRA will be critical to ensure the DRA can fulfill itsmandate. Incidents of fighting and new displacement in someparts of Darfur and concerns over food security after a poorharvest season are potent reminders of the challenges ahead.The initialling of a framework agreement between Sudan andSouth Sudan on the status of their nationals in the two countrieswas a positive development. The deadline for peopleof South Sudanese origin to regularize their status in Sudanended on April 8 amid uncertainty, as most people of SouthSudanese origin remain undocumented. The embassy ofSouth Sudan has now commenced processing emergencyidentification documentation but a significant backlog exists.Returns to South Sudan during the first half of the year werehindered by insecurity in the border areas.In view of these developments, significant humanitarian needsremain in Sudan. Humanitarian organizations are planningto assist a total of four million people during the second halfof 2012, which is in line with the estimated figure in the 2012HWP. However, increased vulnerability beyond current levelsis a distinct possibility during the second half of the year andhumanitarian partners will continue to monitor the situationclosely to identify new needs as they emerge. Contingencyplans have been updated and can be activated in the event ofa worst-case scenario unfolding.While needs remain high in Sudan, the humanitarian communityis facing an increasingly difficult operating environment inthe country. Most recently, the Government asked seven internationalnon-governmental organizations (INGOs) to ceaseoperations and close their offices in eastern Sudan, which willaffect up to 600,000 people receiving assistance. Humanitarianaccess to South Kordofan and Blue Nile continues to beextremely restricted for international organizations, with theGovernment insisting that the bulk of assistance to these areasbe channelled through national organisations. Such organizationshave responded, but generally lack the capacity to mounta comprehensive, large-scale response.