Sudan Response Plan: About 2 million people assisted with food

Humanitarian partners are providing aid to hundreds of thousands of people in need in Sudan under the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). So far, at least about two million people have received food and livelihoods assistance.

Some adjustments have been made to the plan in view of the Covid-19 situation and its impact, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan says in its Situation Report on Thursday.  

This year, the humanitarian community is aiming to assist 6.1 million people in Sudan, focusing on those living in 120 localities with the highest convergence of inter-sectoral needs as identified by the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO). According to the 2020 HNO, there are 9.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Sudan.

About 42 per cent of people targeted are in the five Darfur states. A further 20 per cent live in Blue Nile, South Kordofan, North Kordofan and West Kordofan states. About 18 per cent are located in the four eastern states. A further 20 per cent are located in the central states, including Khartoum, which seems to be the epicentre of the Covid-19 cases and related mortality so far.

Double rations

Life-saving food and nutrition assistance continues throughout the country, while taking measures to minimise the risks of Covid-19 transmission. Nearly two million people received food assistance in March.

The World Food Programme (WFP) planned to assist beneficiaries with a double ration in April, covering food requirements for April and May, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Doubled distributions will be implemented both for in-kind and cash-based transfers.

The Post-Harvest Losses (PHL) campaign continues, informing partners of hermetic storage to safely store their harvest has been completed for the three states of White Nile, North and West Kordofan. Activities were also completed in Kassala, El Gedaref, Blue Nile, White Nile and North, West, Central, South, and East Darfur states, reaching 37,400 farmers with PHL training and safe storage equipment.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and partners are also working on rapid response and anticipatory actions to combat the desert locust in areas at risk. As of 28 April, FAO and partners received $5.5 million of the required $9 million for desert locust response in Sudan until December this year.

Trainings on Home Fortification (HF) were undertaken in Blue Nile and Red Sea states in March, targeting state Ministry of Health counterparts and nutrition partners. Home fortification will assist families to address nutrition in the home through micronutrient powders and other means.

About 44,800 men, women and children in the Shagarab refugee camps in eastern Sudan’s El Gedaref received food rations for two months.

Darfur

Nutrition activities continue in Darfur, including the Expanded Programme on Immunization, Community Management of Acute Malnutrition for all Outpatient therapeutic programmes and stabilisation centres, and Infant and Young Child Feeding across rural areas, including camps and settlements. Partners are reviewing whether to provide a two-week Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food ration, dependent on availability of supplies.

Following the monthly food aid distribution, WFP is targeting 427,719 displaced people in South Darfur, and 14,842 displaced living in East Darfur. They are the most vulnerable categories who receive monthly general food distribution.

Two months ration (April and May) was provided for approximately 130,396 displaced people in South Darfur. For the refugees, WFP will distribute two months food aid to 22,424 refugees living in South Darfur and 55,633 refugees in East Darfur.

Nutrition operations are running normally in all feeding centres, using guidelines to ward off the spread of the coronavirus. Mobile nutrition support has been provided in the Jebel Marra area as well.

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