Blue Nile Humanitarian Coordination Office

Summary of the Humanitarian and Human Rights Situation (Feb March 2013)

Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SRRA) Blue Nile Humanitarian Coordination Office Humanitarian & Human Rights updates \ February 5th. March.2013

Introduction: The Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SRRA) is operating in the SPLM\N held areas, its main role included and not limited to monitor and updating both INGOs & LNGOs about the humanitarian statues in SPLM\N controlled areas and the refugees camps in Ethiopia and South Sudan. Despite the obvious difficulties involved in monitoring and verifying informations from the conflict area of Blue Nile, the SRRA teams are playing major roles to make visible the scale of atrocities and the suffering civilians are facing. The update covers the period from February 2013 to March 5th. 2013. The summary below is based on SRRA delegated team reports during the surveying visits to Mofu in the south west of kurmuk after its fall into the hands of the SPLA forces on Feb 20th 2013, the observations and information are collected from refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs). In addition to recommendations, this one months update highlights the impacts of the current Sudan Army Forces (SAF) summer military campaigns and the allied (NCP) militias upon IDPs and refugees situations also track the new civilian movements whom are fleeing SAF troops ground offensives and indiscriminate aerial bombardment. The Sudanese army and the allied militias have re-started a military season campaign targeting SPLM-N controlled areas in Blue Nile State. The campaign came as an immediate response to Bashiers statement on February 7, 2013 that he will not negotiate peace with SPLM-N, refusing to comply with UNSC Resolution 2046 and reiterating his speech to public gathering in Damazin the capital of Blue Nile State on the first of January 2013, where he promised to clean the state from the rebels. The new military campaign which planned to take place during negotiation period will increase the vulnerability of the IDPs who depend only on leaves and roots of trees and limited source of drinking water to survive. However, this new status will reproduce the tragedy of the civilians to start again from zero to manage their survival limited tool where the new displacement means new search for food items, water and protection. The impact of the recent military offensives upon civil population:
1. On Feb 23rd 2013, indiscriminate aerial bombardment on Ura and Yabus caused Damages

on farms and completely burned small huts belonging to the civilian population.
2. On February 4th2013, 13 SPLM detainees were released after they spent 17 months in the

prison of Sudan in Sinja & Arruserris, still 84 SPLM/N members in detention up to now.
3. On Feb 10th 2013, 35 families arrived to Tanfona in south western part of Kurmuk

County from Baldgu area in Baw County after SAF attacked their villages.
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Blue Nile Humanitarian Coordination Office

Summary of the Humanitarian and Human Rights Situation (Feb March 2013) 4. From Feb 16th to 23rd 2013 the IDPS number increased as a consequence of the current

military summer campaign.

5. On Feb 23rd 2013 indiscriminate aerial bombardments by Antinov airplane alover the ares

north and south west of Kurmuk have killed 3 people and 5 others wounded.
6. On Feb 24th 18 families crossed the border to Doro refuges camp in South Sudan. 7. On Feb 20th 2013 SPLM/N troops re-controlled Mufo area 20 hours fighting form SAF. 8. On March 4th 2013 aerial bombardment targeted Yabus Bala and Muguf areas tragically 5

persons were killed 2 kids among them, also 4 persons were injured, causing higher alarming and instability among the civilians in the villages around yabus and Muguf. IDPs situation update: The SRRA teams reports from the ground confirmed that wave of internal displacements from the areas that located in the North/West of Kurmuk County took place, these new IDPs influx that fled the military aggression on their original villages of Wadaka, Baldugu and Gozs. Those IDPs temporarily settled in the areas south of Kurmuk namely in the villages of Muguf, Chali and Mayak, the total number of those IDPs estimated to be around 10,000 persons, most of them are women, elders and children, they are in desperate need for NFIs, food distribution and medical attention. The most vulnerable are children and elders, malnutrition cases are observed among this category of IDPs. Refugees situation update: In general the security in the refugees camps in South Sudan is good, some cases of competitions over access to natural resources is observed in-between the refugees and host communities but the SRRA representatives and the local authorities were able to resolve these cases. The hepatitis E epidemic is on rises which represent the main concern and caused frustrations among refuges communities, in addition to that more malnutrition cases among children registered; also it is observed that the motorbikes incidents reported increased, as these motorbikes are the only means of transportation in the camps the frequent incidents have caused more fears. For instance last week the refugee Jalal Bilal Jawal and his brother have lost their lives due to motorbike incident on the way from Doro to Jamam refugees camp. The people who crossed the borders from Gessan area toward Ethiopia are facing difficulties as the government of Sudan prevents them from reaching the refugees camp, some of them were killed and others were forced to go back. The much cold weather caused number of infections among the refugees. Reports from the camps in Ethiopia suggest that the Sudan government attempts to send delegations headed by a head of traditional Chief Muck Yousif Adalan or whoever to refugees camps in order to mobilize these camps populations for immediate return will cause tension and risk the peaceful co-existence within these camps.

Blue Nile Humanitarian Coordination Office

Summary of the Humanitarian and Human Rights Situation (Feb March 2013)

Recommendations:
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SRRA-Blue Nile Humanitarian Coordination Office urge the international community, the region governments and regional organizations to practice more pressure on the Sudan government to postpone all indiscriminate military offensives and allow free access for the humanitarian workers to deliver aid and provide protection to civil population in the war affected areas. SRRA-Blue Nile Humanitarian Coordination Office is deeply concerned about the fate of the detainees remained in the hands of Sudan government security organs and call for their rights to have access to legal aid or get released as their case is political. SRRA-Blue Nile Humanitarian Coordination Office call for improved health care and food distribution to safe lives in the refugees camps in South Sudan and SPLM\N areas. SRRA-Blue Nile Humanitarian Coordination Office call for suspension of the Sudan governments attempts to enter the refugees camps to mobilize populations in these camps for immediate returns, suspension of visit would maintain security, ease tension and support peaceful co-existence within these camps. SRRA recommends more efforts of host community \ Refugees reconciliations. SRRA recommends establishing of new schools in the refugees camps.

Thanks (hashimorta33@gmail.com)