Update on the Humanitarian Situation in the Abyei Area
May 18, 2008
This update on the situation in Abyei is based on a report from the field given to Daniel J. Deng of KUSH by Kuol Nyok of WARDS at 10:00 pm Sudanese time on May 18, 2008 after a coordination meeting with 50+ representatives of UN and other international agencies convened at the SudanARC compound in Agok.
UN response has been rapid. 18 village assembly areas have been designated for IDPs and 5 of these have been chosen as distribution sites because of: 1) road accessibility; 2) schools, because classrooms will be used for food storage; 3) water availability; and 4) security – no threat of being affected by fighting in Abyei. On Tuesday (May 20), the 5 centers will receive food and become operational.
The following organizations are now on the ground and involved in the humanitarian response:
WFP 300 metric tons of food (to cover one month for 50,000 people) arrived now being delivered by trucks to Agok where displaced are concentrated. Mercy Corps is ready to commit more food if needed.
Mercy Corps and Save the Children are handling registration of people into two categories, the displaced and residents of host communities
MSF and WHO are focused on human health and emergency medical
UNICEF and CRS hygiene and water
IOM – nine trucks and large tents
WARDS is the local focal point for the whole response
The Coordination center is at SudanARC compound in Agok. Coordination protocol is that all agencies meet in the SudanARC vocational center each morning and evening (6pm) to report. All staff are registered for coordination and security purposes and movement of each is to be cleared with UN security. There has been a request for Motorola radios within the UN and more land cruisers.
Agok has become overcrowded. The official estimates are that there are 102,500 people displaced from areas north of river Kir, including 35,000 from Abyei town and the rest from villages north and northwest (Dokora, Nong, Todac) of Abyei. Villages to the northeast (Mijok and Dunup) are not displaced, but are insecure and possible military targets. These figures have been given to the UN by the SSRRC and are being used for official planning purposes.
In terms of the military situation, SAF forces have burned down Abyei town with undetermined number of casualties and are now combing areas outside of Abyei. The Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) has consistently chosen not to engage militarily when attacked by the Sudanese armed forces, but rather to maintain defensive positions only; however, they are under pressure to respond to this aggression. We will not be surprised to see that this conflict is not over and the humanitarian questions may deepen. Diligent commitment is needed over the long-term.