2010 UNHCR country operations profile - Sudan

Working environment

The context

UNHCR's operation in Sudan - Africa's largest country - extends over four distinct sub-operations. In the east, a decade of civil conflict has led to political, economic and social marginalization, resulting in chronic poverty and under-development. Within this context UNHCR remains concerned about a protracted refugee situation spanning more than 40 years, aggravated by the continuing flow of new arrivals from Eritrea.

In Darfur, some 2.6 million people are internally displaced, while another 250,000 have sought refuge in Chad. Prospects for return are affected by fighting between state and non-state factions, and political complications. Changing land-use patterns add pressure on, and competition for, land and renewable resources. Moreover, the consequences of sporadic fighting in Chad often spill over into Darfur. Limited access to the region due to extremely insecure conditions has also affected operations, with civilians, including humanitarian workers, exposed to violence by various militias.

Khartoum is host to some 30,000 urban refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from Eritrea and Ethiopia. Khartoum State also has some 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), about 400,000 of whom reside in four sites recognized by the authorities, while the rest live in informal squatter areas in and around the city. Most of the displaced find themselves in a protracted urban situation, enduring same hardships as the urban poor - in addition to lacking access to documentation and livelihood opportunities.

In Southern Sudan, the dynamics are shaped by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), trans-national insecurity and tense co-existence. Since 2005, more than 320,000 refugees have returned from exile to Southern Sudan, where decades of conflict have destroyed even the most basic infrastructure. Some 50,000 IDPs have also returned home. Since late 2008, Southern Sudan has also been receiving refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Despite the obvious differences, some common threads unite these sub-operations. Country-wide, unresolved issues such as the inconclusive national census, the postponement of national elections and the implementation of the "award" of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration with respect to the Abyei boundary, have the potential to derail the peace initiatives. Relations between the Government and the humanitarian community have been affected by the decision taken by the Government to expel thirteen NGOs following the indictment of Sudan's President, issued by the International Criminal Court in March 2009.

The needs

In east Sudan, the Government's encampment policy requires asylum-seekers and refugees to remain in the 12 designated camps. A comprehensive solutions strategy is being implemented to address this protracted refugee situation. A verification and registration exercise, the first phase of which was completed in 2009, will pave the way for a targeted effort to improve the living conditions in the camps and enhance basic assistance. At the same time, the east will probably continue to receive new arrivals, mainly from Eritrea and Somalia, with significant numbers moving towards Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Egypt en route to Europe. More effort will be needed to improve the quality of asylum in east Sudan in order to reduce secondary movements.

Refugees from the Central African Republic and Chad in Darfur continue to require protection and assistance, while the possibility of new arrivals is not excluded. Lawlessness and impunity, sexual abuse and the recruitment of children by armed militias, generates insecurity in IDP and host communities, and internal displacement is expected to persist. Gaps in health, education, water, sanitation, and shelter will continue to be exacerbated by conflict and rivalries over natural resources. At the same time, self-reliance and self-management will need to be encouraged so as not to foster dependence on aid. Given the growing emphasis on IDP returns, a comprehensive-solutions strategy is required.

In Khartoum, asylum-seekers and refugees do not have access to asylum procedures or documentation and are at risk of detention, deportation and refoulement. The protracted IDP situation is more akin to that of an urban poverty problem and requires development and human rights responses. The expulsion of a number of NGOs involved in protection, if not reversed, will leave gaps that the remaining humanitarian community may not be able to fill.

After decades of civil war, Southern Sudan and Blue Nile State remain dramatically under-developed. Investment and aid have only begun to fill some of the enormous gaps in the major services and in the authorities' capacity for governance. These gaps affect the local population, including those who have returned from exile, as well as displaced people. Security is hampered by inter-tribal tensions and the wide availability of weapons, as well as cross-border clashes. Southern Sudan also hosts refugees from the DRC and Ethiopia, for whom UNHCR provides protection and assistance and pursues durable solutions.

Main objectives

Favourable protection environment

• Help the Government to fulfil its responsibility to protect and assist refugees, returnees and IDPs.

• Protect and assist refugees from Chad and the Central African Republic in Darfur, and Congolese and Ethiopian refugees in Southern Sudan.

• Coordinate protection activities and advocate on behalf of IDPs in Khartoum.

• Conduct returnee and protection monitoring and intervene with the authorities and other actors in case of protection violations.

Fair protection processes

• Improve the reception, registration, protection and tracking of newly-arrived refugees in east Sudan.

• Strengthen the capacity of Sudan's Commission for Refugees to conduct refugee status determination (RSD), provide documentation and protect asylum-seekers and refugees, in line with international standards.

• Ensure that urban refugees and asylum-seekers in Khartoum have access to UNHCR, legal and social counselling, social and medical services and freedom from arbitrary detention, and that refugees in need have access to resettlement.

• Build the capacity of the authorities to intervene on behalf of displaced people.

Security from violence and exploitation

• Contribute to a safer environment for refugees and IDPs in camps, settlements, areas of return and rural communities.

Basic needs and services

• Continue to improve living conditions for the camp-based population related to the water supply, food security, and health, education and sanitation services.

Community participation

• Implement community-based rehabilitation projects in return areas in South Sudan, as well as in locations with high concentrations of IDPs in Darfur.

Durable Solutions

• Pursue durable solutions for the refugees in east Sudan, with a view to shifting from care and maintenance towards livelihood activities and self-reliance, and seek resettlement opportunities for those in need.

• Facilitate the voluntary return of refugees and IDPs in Southern Sudan and Blue Nile State, and support programmes aimed at sustaining returns.

Key targets for 2010

• All asylum-seekers have access to registration, legal and social counselling, documentation and RSD procedures.

• Some 50 per cent of refugees and asylum-seekers are registered on an individual basis.

• All survivors of sexual and gender-based violence who seek UNHCR's assistance have access to medical and psychological assistance, as well as legal representation.

• UNHCR has access to those in detention.

• The basic needs of asylum-seekers and refugees are addressed.

• Livelihood and self-reliance activities for refugees in east Sudan increase by at least 20 per cent.

• The durable solutions strategy for IDPs in Darfur is strengthened.

• Some 32,000 refugees are assisted to return to Southern Sudan.

• Approximately 350,000 returnees benefit from reintegration activities in Southern Sudan.

Strategy and activities

The strategy to address the protracted refugee operation in east Sudan will be three-pronged: continue to improve living conditions in the refugee camps; implement livelihood activities; and pursue targeted resettlement for vulnerable groups. The latter two activities will be based on the results of the registration and verification exercise.

UNHCR will seek to provide the timely delivery of critical protection and assistance to new and existing refugee populations in Darfur, as well as to affected host communities. Activities towards this end will include border monitoring, provision of basic services in the camps and improving registration and civil documentation. Furthermore, UNHCR will advocate for enhanced legal and physical protection and help the Government to build its protection capacity.

With regard to IDPs in Darfur, UNHCR will focus on its operational readiness to assist potential voluntary returns; targeted assistance in camps and in rural areas, with attention to conflict-affected communities; supporting self-reliance of IDPs, returnees, and local communities; and encouraging community or government assistance interventions to ensure sustainability.

In Khartoum, UNHCR will work to strengthen the Government's capacity to carry out its international obligations and provide protection to refugees and asylum-seekers. UNHCR will conduct RSD for those who are in urgent need of a durable solution and where Government procedures are not accessible. To help IDPs in Khartoum, UNHCR will focus on protection and targeted advocacy campaigns with development and humanitarian actors.

The operation in South Sudan and Blue Nile State will focus on the reintegration of returnees, so as to ensure the sustainability of returns, in cooperation with other UN agencies. At the same time, UNHCR will continue to assist Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries who may wish to return home. It is expected, however, that the level of returns in 2010 will be much lower than in previous years. An estimated 50,000 IDPs residing in close proximity to returnees in South Sudan will receive assistance in the form of community-based reintegration projects. Refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from Ethiopia and the DRC, will continue to receive life-sustaining humanitarian assistance.

Constraints

Voluntary repatriation will remain elusive for refugees in eastern Sudan. In general, limited durable solutions are expected in 2010 for Chadian refugees in Darfur, Congolese refugees in South Sudan, and IDPs in Khartoum and Darfur. Rather, these areas may receive new influxes. In addition, insecurity and logistical and weather conditions will hamper access to some areas of Southern Sudan and Darfur.

Refugee returns to Southern Sudan will continue, though at a slower pace than in previous years. The number of IDP returns from the north is expected to rise prior to the elections and referendum.

Organization and implementation

Coordination

UNHCR collaborates with the Government of Sudan, IOM, ICRC, UN agencies, NGOs and the two UN missions in the country (UNMIS and UNAMID). The Humanitarian Aid Commission and the Commissioner for Refugees remain UNHCR's main Governmental partners.

Financial information

Between 2005 and 2009, the budget for Sudan grew by 64 per cent. The growth is due to an increase in the number of refugees assisted by UNHCR; efforts to improve the living conditions for refugees in eastern Sudan and find solutions for them; reintegration needs in Southern Sudan, (which have increased in line with the number of refugees who have returned since 2005); and the continuing requirements of IDPs in Darfur. For 2010, a budget of USD 174 million is being presented, based on the comprehensive needs assessment. The bulk of this amount is to cover the needs of refugees and returning refugees in the four locations in Sudan.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2010-2011