Sudan

2012 UNHCR country operations profile - Sudan

Working environment

The context

The past year has been one of significant events in Sudan, affecting the refugee and internally displaced populations. More than six years after signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), South Sudan became independent on 9 July 2011. The Three Protocol Areas thus became part of the front line between the two countries, and were the scene of conflict prior to the separation. This resulted in a considerable number of casualties and population movements, particularly into Ethiopia.

Meanwhile humanitarian access to conflict-affected areas was impeded following the departure of the UN Mission in Sudan, which had hitherto supported the implementation of the CPA. In June 2011, the Security Council adopted Resolution 1990, calling for the establishment of the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). The operation will monitor the border between north and south, and protect civilians and humanitarian workers.

In August 2011, Sudan amended its Nationality Act, depriving individuals who acquire South Sudanese nationality of their Sudanese nationality. This could affect a broad category of people, some of whom have only weak ties to South Sudan. There are an estimated 700,000 Southerners in Sudan. Due to intermarriage, especially among tribes in the new border areas, there are significant numbers of people of mixed origin.

Meanwhile, the return of civilians to South Sudan continues with the support of the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan as well as the international community. IOM estimated that by mid-2011 the overall number of returns was well over 300,000 and it is expected that return movements will continue well into 2012.

In Darfur, the Doha Peace Agreement was signed in July 2011 by the Government and one of the rebel groups. The Government also announced a new Peace and Development Strategy for Darfur. Though insecure conditions continue to drive new displacement in parts of Darfur, the region has seen the return of some IDPs and refugees, the latter from amongst the self-settled along the border zones of Chad.

Following earlier bilateral consultations between the Governments of Sudan and Chad, the two States and UNHCR established a Tripartite Technical Working Committee to begin deliberations about eventual refugee returns from Chad.

Eastern Sudan -- which has the highest concentration of refugees in the country -- has become a transit zone for people arriving from neighbouring countries. There has been a rise in trafficking and smuggling, as people enter Sudan with the aim of travelling on to Khartoum, North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Of most concern are the dangers associated with irregular travel, exposing refugees and migrants to kidnapping, extortion and physical, particularly sexual, violence. For many refugees and asylum-seekers, chiefly those residing in Khartoum, the absence of documentation creates a constant risk of arrest, deportation and refoulement.

At inter-agency level, UNHCR is to assume responsibility, as from January 2012, for the emergency shelter and non-food item (NFI) sectors in Sudan, including the Darfur Common Humanitarian Pipeline.

The needs

The main populations of concern to UNHCR are refugees from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and other countries in camps, settlements and urban centres, as well as IDPs and populations at risk of statelessness.

Uncertainties remain as to the post-CPA period, particularly with regard to further internal or cross-border displacements in the volatile frontline region, and return movements to South Sudan. Large sections of the population do not have documentation to prove their nationality, their birth in Sudan or family links with it, giving rise to risks of de jure or de facto statelessness, particularly for Southerners with insufficient documentation to prove their origins, individuals of mixed origin, orphans and unaccompanied children.

The Transitional Solutions Initiative provides for close collaboration between UNHCR and UNDP as well as the World Bank to combine an area-based development approach with a targeted effort to make the exisiting 12 refugee camps economically sustainable and to allow for their gradual conversion into sustainable village communities. It is expected that up to five camps can be converted in 2012.

In Darfur, the limited return of refugees from Chad and IDPs from the camps, together with the de facto integration of those displaced residing in urban areas, calls for a gradual shift in programming from a camp-based, protection-oriented approach towards a stronger focus on solutions. This will involve agricultural and urban livelihoods-based interventions and a strengthening of partnerships with civil society to increase access to target populations.

Newly-displaced IDPs continue to require urgent attention to address their protection concerns, particularly physical security and access to basic services. In addition, incidents of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, are cause for concern, particularly in the absence of effective redress mechanisms.

The emergency shelter and NFI sector will reassess future requirements, taking into consideration the likelihood that a large proportion of the IDPs now displaced and living in urban and semi-urban areas in Darfur may not return permanently to their places of origin. Moreover, it is envisaged that other parts of Sudan could see an increase in demand for emergency shelter and NFIs.

Main objectives and targets for 2012

Favourable protection environment

Laws and policies are developed or strengthened.

• Law in Sudan is consistent with international standards on prevention of statelessness

Fair protection processes and documentation

Civil-registration and civil-status documentation is strengthened.

• Some 95 per cent of IDPs in Khartoum, the east and border areas are registered on an individual basis.

Basic needs and services

The nutritional well-being of the population of concern is improved.

• The prevalence of global acute malnutrition among children aged between six and 59 months is reduced from 17.4 per cent to 10 per cent.

The supply of potable water is increased.

• The supply of clean water for refugees in Darfur and eastern Sudan is increased from 13 to 20 litres and from 18 to 20 litres per person per day, respectively.

The population has optimal access to education.

• The percentage of refugee children aged between six and 11 enrolled in primary education rises from 40 to 50 per cent.

Durable solutions

The potential for voluntary return is realized.

• All IDPs in Darfur who wish to return home do so voluntarily.

Leadership, coordination and partnerships/Logistics and operational support

Logistics and supply are optimized to serve operational needs.

• Implementing partners and beneficiaries receive in time at least 90 per cent of the supplies they require.

Strategy and activities in 2012

UNHCR will fulfil its mandate responsibilities to protect refugees and prevent statelessness, as well as its protection-lead responsibilities with respect to IDPs within the inter-agency collaborative framework. The phenomena of new arrivals, secondary movements, return movements and fresh displacement will continue to require enhanced protection and coordination capacity. UNHCR will promote policies that protect refugees, prevent their refoulement and guarantee meaningful solutions for them. It will work with the authorities on citizenship issues and support civil registration with the aim of obtaining documentation for people of concern.

Addressing emerging concerns in the Three Protocol Areas will require a concerted effort by the Government, the international community and UNISFA, particularly in addressing internal and cross-border displacement.

In eastern Sudan, UNHCR will focus on promoting the local integration of refugees while advocating for constructive measures to prevent and respond to secondary movements. New arrivals will continue to require support in the form of shelter and basic services, as well as innovative programming to respond to the different needs of an urban population. UNHCR's Transitional Solutions Initiative will be jointly implemented with UNDP and the World Bank with the objective of progressively eliminating refugees' dependence on external aid. Resettlement will continue to be pursued in a strategic context for those unlikely to integrate and in support of those with serious protection concerns.

In Darfur, the potential for return will continue to be explored. Conflict-sensitive area-based interventions will be planned within an inter-agency collaborative framework. Community-based assistance will continue in refugee-hosting areas. Support will be extended to Sudanese refugees wishing to repatriate from Chad if conditions in places of origin allow it. UNHCR will engage with partners such as UN-HABITAT to develop strategies in support of the IDPs residing in urban and peri-urban areas.

Notwithstanding the diversity of operational contexts, UNHCR's approach is to maintain a countrywide orientation towards durable solutions in Sudan. Partnership will be vital, recognizing that even where UNHCR has a unique mandate for refugee protection, it does not have the capacity to address all the related challenges on its own. As such, it will endeavour to engage local partners at State and grassroots levels as a means of enhancing outreach to populations of concern. It will also collaborate with development actors to promote area-based approaches. The long-term objective is to bring displacement issues into the mainstream of national development programmes.

Under the cluster approach, UNHCR has been designated as the lead in emergency shelter and will take on the management of the Common Humanitarian Pipeline as of January 2012.

Constraints

The continuation of tensions in the new frontline areas with South Sudan and parts of Darfur could lead to fresh displacement. Hindrances to humanitarian access remain significant. While it is hoped that efforts to secure political solutions to the conflicts will bear fruit, fighting in any of the regions could propel refugee movements into neighbouring countries. Such a scenario does not augur well for the sustainable return and reintegration of IDPs and refugees. Commitment and investment from government, multilateral and bilateral actors in areas of refugee and IDP return will be critical.

The movement of Southerners returning to South Sudan will continue to be undermined by insecurity, logistical constraints and lack of clarity on the status of Southerners in the north.

Organization and implementation

Coordination

UNHCR will continue to work closely with local authorities, the central Government and the country team -- particularly with its traditional partners WFP, UNICEF and OCHA -- while expanding its engagement with UNDP in a results-based and field-oriented approach.

As leader of the protection cluster, UNHCR will continue to collaborate with the sub-cluster leads for gender-based violence (UNFPA) and child protection (UNICEF). It will be an active player at central level in the Joint Verification Mechanism and High Level Committee on return and reintegration in Darfur.

In eastern Sudan, the joint UNHCR-UNDP programme and the collaborative relationship with the World Bank, both of which also target host communities, will involve greater engagement with local stakeholders at the State and grassroots levels.

UNHCR also participates in the 2009-2012 UNDAF for Sudan to bring displacement issues into the mainstream of national development programmes, and will lead coordination on multi-sectoral protection issues.

Financial information

Between 2007 and 2011, the total budget for Sudan grew by 151 per cent (from USD 92.2 million to USD 232.5 million) due to steady increases in both the annual and supplementary programmes. The most significant increase -- a 60 per cent rise from USD 109.1 million to USD 174.4 million, occurred between 2009 and 2010 following a comprehensive assessment of the needs of eight different population planning groups. For 2012, UNHCR is presenting a budget of USD 150 million on behalf of seven population groups. The plan for 2012 takes into account UNHCR's overall objective of contributing actively to the peace process in Sudan by responding rapidly and effectively to displacement and finding solutions for it.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2012-2013