nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
Food insecurity outcomes are associated with gender of the household head and education attainment to a significant degree. Female headed households are particularly vulnerable to severe food insecurity, with 24% of female headed households severely food insecure compared to 18% of male headed households. At the same time, food insecurity is associated with low educational attainment, with 28% of the households whose household head is educated up to maximum of primary level facing severe food insecurity compared to only 8% of those whose head had post primary education. These results suggest that those with no or very low education attainment have limited access to better paying employment opportunities and hence are more likely to suffer from food insecurity.
Eye infections  ( e.g. Trachoma, Conjunctivitis )  has been reported among most IDPs
In addition, measures in response to COVID 19 slowed down cross border trade flows from source markets and domestic trade flows from market hubs, placing additional pressure on the local supply in key reference markets and rural markets. For example, quarterly import volumes of sorghum grain from Sudan were 93% below the 2018 2019 average from April to June; however, monthly import volumes from May to June increased by 19 28%, exhibiting some recovery. Similarly, import volumes of sorghum from Uganda via the Nimule cross border entry point sharply declined between the first and second quarters of 2020, but have now stabilized. From April to June 2020, quarterly import volumes were 4% higher than the same period of 2019.
The functioning of markets and trade has been affected by conflict, deteriorating road conditions, and high transportation costs indirectly associated with COVID 19 restriction measures.
The increase in agricultural production in 2019 was driven by a combination of increased productivity and cultivated area. Cultivated area increased by 5.3% to 929,000 hectares, still lower than the 2016 level. Agricultural productivity, defined as yields per hectare, increased by more than 4% as the country benefited from favorable rainfall conditions that aided better yields per unit cultivated land area. Use of modern inputs is still very low, but the importance of using animal manure is increasing, with its application largely performed by keeping over crop fields large herds of cattle for a certain number of days. Productivity per hectare of cultivated area increased from 0.84 metric tons of cereals to 0.88. Despite this increase however, productivity is still lower than the average for the past five years, which stands at 0.9 metric tons per hectare.
Despite floods that affected parts of the country, cereal production in 2019 is estimated to have increased by 10%, but the food security outlook remains dire. Cereal production was estimated at 818,500 tons in 2019 from 744,900 tons in 2018 representing a 10% increase. This increase is mainly attributed to security improvements that allowed returnees to farm. Consequently, the 2019 harvested area is estimated to have increased by more than 5% from 2018. At the same time, abundant seasonal rains boosted yields. However, harvests are still 4% below average of previous five years. As a result, the overall cereal deficit in 2020 is estimated at 482,500 tons, 7% below the deficit estimated for 2019, but still 22% above the 2015 2019 average10.
Foreign direct investment. Recent FDI  ( Foreign direct investment )  has been largely into the oil industry  ( especially from companies in Asia and China ) , as well as mining sectors. Net FDI inflows are expected to decline significantly due to the negative impact of the virus on FDI source country economies and the significant drop in oil prices. Earlier in July, the government announced that it had postponed plans for opening new oil exploration blocks due to the uncertainty caused by COVID 19.
Restrictions on humanitarian response. While humanitarian actors help to bridge the gaps in service delivery to some degree, the recent rise in incidents of intercommunal violence at a time when medical facilities are putting in place social distancing measures have strained existing capacities. As stated earlier in this report, the International Committee of the Red Cross  ( ICRC )  reported in May 2020 that COVID 19 measures reduced its surgical capacity by 30%, as physical distancing measures meant that the number of hospital beds had to be reduced. At the same time, implementation of COVID 19 containment measures, including restrictions on people movement, made it difficult to arrange movement of sick persons and healthcare personnel and to quickly scale up operations in the event of a large patient influx.
The impacts on healthcare go beyond COVID 19 highlighted by reports of pregnant women avoiding hospitals, presumably due to fear of the virus and thereby missing out on antenatal care. The overstretched health system is also dealing with increases in the number of Malaria cases as in reported in Aweil Town or in PoC  ( protection of civilian )  and other displacement sites.
Disruptions to trade, supply chains, and longer travel time have contributed to higher prices for essential commodities. Market prices for basic foodstuff have risen by about 20% between late March and May when COVID 19 containment measures were introduced. Although borders remained open to commercial traffic, cargo volumes passing through Nimule nonetheless fell by between 50 70% because screening processes slowed down the movement of commodities. At the same time, informal cross border imports collapsed from April and did not recover by August 2020  ( see figure 15 ) . Given that a large share of non  agricultural commodities sold in South Sudan's retail stores are shipped, these disruptions led to depletion of stock and higher consumer prices.
The main economic shock has been transmitted through lower oil prices as global demand has fallen and a price war erupted. The fall in the global oil price from nearly USD 70 a barrel in early January 2020 to about USD 43/bbl. in July 2020 has already impacted Government revenues. As discussed earlier, falling oil prices have had a negative impact on the economic outlook and budget. It has resulted in upward pressure on the market exchange rate as the country's access to foreign exchange has reduced.
19 June: The MoH sets up a mobile laboratory in Nimule which is considered a hotspot for infections. Nimule recorded its rst case on 28 June 2020. The MoH, WHO and partners set up a COVID 19 mortality surveillance team. 22 June: South Sudan Ranked Last in its Capacity to Respond to the Pandemic The Deep Knowledge Report Group analyzed 20 measures of countries ability to respond to COVID 19. Findings indicated that South Sudan has only 14 ventilators, 24 ICU beds, & est. 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people. 24 June: COVID 19 Declared a Risk to Health System & Cease­re The head of UNMISS states that the effects of the pandemic could undermine the country's weak health infrastructure at a time when localized conflict is on the rise. 15July: 202 COVID 19 Cases Con­firmed 202 COVID 19 cases conrmed out of 2,362 tests conducted, bringing the total to 1,606 with 41 deaths.
While few businesses and traders have ended their market activities, many more worry about the prospects for their businesses, in particular in the face of depressed consumer demand. NGOs – an important part of economic life in South Sudan – have reduced their activities.
Despite the peace agreement, violence is posing the greatest risk to food security. In Lakes State, tensions between state authorities and armed youth may spark violent clashes. In Unity State, the State government's recently announced plan to disarm communities, starting with groups in Mayom, may aggravate parties involved in the ongoing cycle of violence between armed groups in Mayom and northern Warrap. In Upper Nile, the delay in the appointment of a governor, recent cattle raids, and alleged criminal activities by training site personnel in Malakal are exacerbating tensions.
More than half of NGOs were temporarily closed as of June, but most businesses were operating and market traders maintained a significant level of activity. When contacted in late June, most commercial businesses were open  ( 93% ) , rather than temporarily closed. This includes both foreign  ( 94% )  and domestic  ( 92% )  businesses. Among market traders who remained active, most said they worked in the market daily  ( 81% )  – a high level of activity, but lower than in September 2019, when nearly all respondents  ( 96% )  were in the market daily.
The implementation of the peace process progresses, although gradually. On 14 September, the principal parties to the peace agreement reached an agreement on the State Ministerial position. On 16 September, President Kiir replaced the Minister of Finance, the Deputy Commissioner General of the National Revenue Authority  ( NRA ) , and the Managing Director of Nile Petroleum Corporation  ( NilePet ) .
The number of reported COVID 19 cases rose sharply amidst concerns over lax enforcement of containment guidelines. South Sudan was the last country in East Africa to report a positive case of COVID 19 and relatively few cases have been confirmed since the first was reported in the first week of April 2020. However, the number of confirmed cases increased sharply starting the last week of April, rising from just six on April 26 to 994 by May 27, 2020  ( Figure 6 ) . While several social distancing measures were instituted, there were concerns that these were not applied and enforced consistently. At the same time, inadequate provision of essential supplies continues to constrain South Sudan COVID 19 response, with recent media reports suggesting that new confirmed cases are being managed from home – consistent with available guidelines – as the country lacks adequately equipped facilities for quarantining and treatment of infected persons.
WFP Representative and Country Director, Matthew Hollingworth, joined two missions to flood affected areas. He travelled to Bor, Jonglei State, and also joined an interagency mission to flood Duk County, Jonglei State and Panyijiar County, Unity State. He met with people affected by flooding and saw first hand the impact on lives and livelihoods, as homes and clinics are submerged, communities are stranded and livestock lay dead in the fields.
However, South Sudan's COVID 19 response was constrained by inadequate provision of essential supplies. Inadequate provision of essential supplies has constrained the ability of authorities to sustain containment and preparedness measures. According to a Ministry of Health COVID 19 situation report for the period 13 19 April 2020, the country was faced with inadequate provision of essential supplies such as PPEs across all states. In addition, authorities have been faced with challenges related to the management of persons under quarantine especially at the State level, with financing shortfalls reported for accommodation, food, and adherence to the recommended 14 day quarantine.
In South Sudan, a series of shocks have exacerbated preexisting vulnerabilities, including: cycles of flooding, insecurity and violence across the state, COVID19 affecting markets disrupting supply routes and movement. In particular, the majority of Jonglei was already declared as facing “Emergency' with pockets of “Catastrophe' levels of food insecurity in January 2020 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. Compounding shocks have severely affected a state that was still recovering from previous flooding. Duk, Twic East, Pibor and Uror counties are likely of particular concern, though severe impacts are likely across the state.
As such, measures need to be in place from the beginning of the crisis to reduce the socio economic and other impacts of COVID 19 and avoid severe shocks that will only act to exacerbate instability, bringing structural inequalities into sharper focus.
In areas of high population density, such as displacement sites, populations are under the risk of being put under pressure to exit the sites to areas with very limited services where host communities are already facing challenges of their own. This – coupled with increased pressure or inability to generate an income for many South Sudanese who operate in the informal sector – could result in escalating tensions at the community level
Nonfarm business income has been most affected by the outbreak of COVID 19  ( Table 8 ) . Two in three households that cited nonfarm business as a means of livelihood in the past 12 months reported either less income from that source  ( 47% )  or a total loss of that income  ( 20% ) . Such nonfarm business activities typically consist of small commerce or personal services such as tea stalls, moto taxis, or hairdressers.
On 24 March, a nationwide curfew, effective for 30 days, was imposed from 8p.m. to 6a.m., with the exception of medical emergencies and those with special permits. The Government of South Sudan suspended all flights and closed all land border crossing points on 23 March to prevent the spread of COVID 19. Exception was given for cargo planes, emergency and relief flights to land. Additionally, only food trucks and fuel tankers were allowed through the land borders. All shops and businesses selling non essential commodities were ordered to close. However, shops and businesses dealing in food commodities, medicines, fuel, groceries, fruits and vegetables were allowed to continue operations. Finally, the authorities put in place restrictions on all inter state travel.
South Sudan authorities moved fast and rolled out the National COVID 19 preparedness response for the period April to September 2020. The government instituted several preventive measures that included the following: closure of all education institutions and health science institutes for 30 days. Events  ( sports, religious, weddings, funeral rites and political )  were suspended for six weeks effective 20 March. And all non essential businesses were asked to close as of 28 March.
Amid an improved security environment, employment in businesses and markets had risen substantially since 2019 – and it continued to rise somewhat during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, established businesses accounted for about 6% of all jobs. Work in the markets was an important source of jobs, with every three market traders employing between them two workers from outside of their family. Amid improving security, employment in businesses rose by 21% between June 2019 and April 2020  ( before the lock down measures )  – at the median, businesses employed one additional worker. Employment had risen among most groups of businesses, including those in Juba and those active in hospitality, both among the hardest hit by the pandemic.
The April 2018 site profile shows a population of 116,725 individuals living in 19,654 households. The male/female ratio is relatively even with 58,554 males and 58,171 females. 18,675 of the residents are under five years old. During the month of April, 418 newly arrived people sought refuge, with 933 persons leaving.
Within the PoC  ( Bentiu PoC ) , there are a number of other buildings, such as community meeting areas, schools and medical facilities
Seven IDP settlements  ( 17,003 individuals )  and thirteen returnee settlements  ( 12,786 individuals )  reported having no source of food at the time of the assessment. Of these, nine settlements are located in Juba County, two in Twic County, and one each in Raja, Abiemnhom and Gogrial East Counties.
During focus group discussions, participants reported a range of local treatments for burns and scalds. The most common methods identified were a sugar and water mix, ash, and breastmilk.
According to reports from Torit Hospital, women are missing out on antenatal care due to COVID 19 fears. A UN nurse reported a drop from approximately 200 to 60 pregnant women a week seeking support at the health facility 27July,2020
The High Level Task Force  ( HLTF )  confirmes28 new cases bringing the total number of cases to 231 with 3 recoveries and one death.  14May,2020
More reports of economic hardship engendered by COVID 19 related movement restrictions are reaching Juba, this time from Bor Town, Jonglei State. According to the traders who spoke to Radio Tamazuj from Bor Town, the measures have affected the already collapsing businesses and undertakings in the country 5Aug,2020
Uganda's open door policy for refugees and asylum seekers is suspended for 30 days. Refugees who are already in the country will continue to receive support 25march 2020
The two IOM administrated humanitarian hubs provide logistics bases, accommodation, and office facilities for UN agencies and NGOs in Bentiu  ( Unity )  and Malakal  ( Upper Nile ) .
The first know case of COVID 19 has been confirmed at Malakal PoC site. Humanitarian partners call for precautions considering that the real scale of infection is not known. 23June,2020
IOM continues to advocate for additional funding to replenish pipeline supplies that were significantly depleted in 2019 to early 2020 flood response and COVID 19 preparedness and response activities.
The High Level Task Force on COVID 19 is replaced with the National Taskforce Committee on Corona Virus Disease.  18May,2020
South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority has officially announced the reopening of all airports to domestic and international flights. 12May, 2020
The first COVID 19 cases are confirmed at Juba PoC 3 site. The patients are humanitarian service providers.  11 May 2020
South Sudan closes all airports and seals land borders for passengers. Curfew across country from 8.00PM to 6.00AM. Public institutions working halftime. First suspected case of COVID 19 tested negative 24 March 2020
Protection: • Of the access population, 100% reports of threat from aquatic animals like Hippos and Crocodile seen in Marik and Ahou • Of access population, 80% of them experienced Psychosocial trauma  ( frustrations )  due to the loss of the proprieties and shifting of the household properties to higher grounds and community buildings like schools. • Of access population 80% of the people are Sleeping in open space and this may lead to cases of GBV ( Aug 2020 )
Protection: • Most household properties were lost due to flooding and the most vulnerable and people with special needs, women and children from the affected communities remains the most affected. Many of the displaced people are sleeping in the open spaces which is too risky for their and their health and no privacy. • Theft of Household properties was reported as people sleep open. • Fear of children to drown of the level of flood water. ( Aug 2020 )
Education: • Some schools like St. Paul girls and Ahou P/s have been submerged by water and there are severe worries of water to submerge Marik P/S. • Schools occupied by the flood affected population are Mingkaman P/s, Roordit Primary school, Pannhial primary school and Mat Academy Primary School. • 18 teachers were reported to be among the flood affected population  ( four females and 14 males ) . However, only 6 males were identified during assessment. ( Aug 2020 )
USAID/BHA supports partners in their efforts to prevent and treat malnutrition across South Sudan. In partnership with the UN Children's Fund  ( UNICEF ) , WFP, and NGOs, USAID/BHA nutrition assistance reaches children and pregnant and lactating women nationwide with specialized food products to treat malnutrition and provide supportive supervision to frontline health nutrition staff. Using a community based approach, USAID/BHA partners promote recommended infant and young child feeding practices through one on one counseling and group education to manage acute malnutrition. With more than $43.2 million in FY 2020 funding, USAID/BHA reached nearly 2.5 million people including more than 325,200 IDPs with life saving nutrition services.
USAID encourages cash donations because they allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed  ( often in the affected region ) ; reduce the burden on scarce resources  ( such as transportation routes, staff time, and warehouse space ) ; can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster stricken region; and ensure culturally, dietarily, and environmentally appropriate assistance.
In particular, USAID/BHA partner the UN World Food Program  ( WFP )  reached more than 500,000 people with food assistance in September, including flood affected populations in Jonglei and Lakes states. To reach populations in heavily flooded areas, WFP delivered nearly 90 percent of food assistance allocated for delivery by air in September. Additionally, USAID/BHA is supporting the International Organization for Migration  ( IOM )  Rapid Response Fund  ( RRF )  a flexible funding mechanism that enables rapid responses to humanitarian crises through grants to international and national non governmental organizations  ( NGOs )  to provide multi sector assistance to flood affected populations across South Sudan.
On October 3, 2019, U.S. Ambassador Thomas J. Hushek redeclared a disaster in South Sudan for FY 2020 due to ongoing conflict, population displacement, restricted humanitarian access, and disruption of cultivation activities, markets, and trade, all of which have significantly exacerbated food insecurity and humanitarian needs.
On December 15, 2013, clashes erupted between factions within the GoRSS in Juba and quickly spread into a protracted national conflict, prompting displacement and humanitarian needs. On December 20, 2013, USAID activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team  ( DART )  to lead the USG response to the crisis in South Sudan and stood up a Washington, D.C. based Response Management Team to support the DART.
The January 2005 signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the southern based Sudan People's Liberation Army officially ended more than two decades of north–south conflict during which famine, fighting, and disease killed an estimated 2 million people and displaced at least 4.5 million others within Sudan. In July 2011, South Sudan became an independent state following a referendum earlier in the year.
Shelter/ NFI: construction of improvised shelters for the extreme vulnerable groups for the affected population • Immediate distribution of NFIs  ( Plastic sheets, mother kits, blankets, soap and sleeping mats, mosquito nets and cooking sets to 12,000 households /60,000 individuals affected by floods in more than 50 villages in Awerial and Shambe. • Constructions of emergency latrines and provision of basic dignity kits to girls and women of bearing age. ( Aug 2020 )
Health: Need to provide anti venom in the county against snake's bite. • Need to provide additional mosquito nets to the affected households WASH cluster to increase hygiene and sanitation awareness raising • Need for emergency supplies of drugs to Mingkaman PHCC to meet the increased demand of increased population from Jonglei State moving to Mingkaman. ( Aug 2020 )
Additionally, State/PRM supports the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees  ( UNHCR )  to address the specific health care needs of refugees and other vulnerable populations in South Sudan. Health interventions are integrated with nutrition and WASH services wherever possible to ensure a sustainable system of clinical services and support.
With approximately $35.3 million in FY 2020 funding, USAID/BHA provides health care services in South Sudan through community health facilities and mobile medical units  ( MMUs ) . Through MMUs, partners provide a range of primary care, mental health, and maternal and newborn health services. USAID/BHA also supports integrated community case management services in South Sudan, which deliver life saving curative interventions for common childhood illnesses, particularly where there is limited access to facilitybased services. To mitigate the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic, USAID/BHA partners are training local healthcare workers in infection prevention and control methods and strengthening community health coordination.
Similar fragmentation of armed groups occurred in Western Equatoria State's Yambio County and Central Equatoria's Morobo County in recent weeks, jeopardizing humanitarian access due to heightened insecurity. The UN and humanitarian partners are verifying the number of displaced persons and assessing humanitarian needs resulting from the violence.
On September 29, humanitarian agencies suspended operations in western Kajo Keji following armed clashes between SPLA IO factions in several locations in the area, according to the UN. Moreover, international NGOs in Kajo Keji evacuated staff members to Uganda following the clashes.
The UN reports UNMISS forces' withdrawal from the PoC sites will allow the peacekeeping mission to redeploy troops to other insecure areas in South Sudan. However, some IDPs have protested UNMISS' withdrawal from the PoC sites, indicating that persistent insecurity and sub national violence continue to pose protection risks to those sheltering at the sites, according to local media. USG partners are liaising with the GoRSS and UNMISS to ensure continued humanitarian assistance inside the sites during and after the transition to IDP camps.
The UN Mission in South Sudan  ( UNMISS )  withdrew its peacekeeping troops and security personnel from Protection of Civilian  ( PoC )  sites in Jonglei's Bor town and Western Bahr el Ghazal State's Wau town in early September as part of UNMISS' continued effort to transition South Sudan PoC sites to conventional internally displaced person  ( IDP )  camps.
Although significant food assistance is preventing worse outcomes in some areas, food security conditions could deteriorate if flooding or insecurity impede humanitarian assistance deliveries; in a worst case scenario, Famine IPC 5 levels of acute food insecurity are possible if conflict or flooding isolates populations from accessing food sources or humanitarian assistance for an extended period, according to FEWS NET.
According to a September Famine Early Warning Systems Network  ( FEWS NET )  update, Emergency acute food insecurity outcomes were likely in 35 counties during the month, with areas of greatest concern concentrated in Jonglei, Unity, Lakes, Warrap, and Upper Nile states. Moreover, Catastrophe IPC 5  conditions remained likely at the household level in Jonglei, particularly in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, where recent conflict and two consecutive years of severe flooding are straining household coping capacity.
Relief actors are scaling up response activities by providing emergency agricultural seeds and tools, animal health support, food assistance, medical supplies, protection services, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene  ( WASH )  assistance, while also rehabilitating dikes and other infrastructure to mitigate disaster risks and prevent further flood related displacement.
These factors  ( high water level ) , combined with the impact of the coronavirus disease  ( COVID 19 )  and deteriorating economic conditions, have negatively affected livelihoods and limited food production and availability in South Sudan, threatening to further increase humanitarian needs in the coming months, according to USAID/BHA partners.
Additionally, high water levels have negatively affected more than 70 percent of the total livestock population in Jonglei's Bor South, Canal/Pigi, Duk, and Twic East counties, resulting in more than 47,500 livestock deaths as of August, FAO reports. High water levels have also exacerbated the spread of water borne livestock diseases and limited the availability of foraging areas, reducing livestock productivity and milk production.
In Jonglei, one of the worst affected states, flooding had damaged approximately 45 percent of the total cereal producing area across nine flood affected counties as of late August, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization  ( FAO ) . While the main harvest season begins in September, FAO estimates that the floods damaged nearly 67,000 acres of cultivated land equivalent to approximately 11,900 metric tons  ( MT )  of cereals.
March 2020: Inter communal violence broke out in Pibor, Influx of IPDs in UNMISS Pibor Adjacent Area and Response in Pibor. April 2020: Clashes between farming and cattle keeping communities from neighboring Tonj South and Tonj East counties. May 2020: Influx of IDPs to Hai Masna from Akuoyo, Maranya, Akou and Mapel, Jur River County. June 2020: IOM CCCM scaling up response in Hai Masna.
July 2020: Second Inter communal Violence in Jonglei and Greater Pibor Administrative Area, Flooding in Jonglei, Lakes, Unity and Upper Nile states. August 2020: CCCM team supported in assessment in Bor, Influx of IPDs in Sharikat and Mangalla due to flooding and CCCM team conducted assessments Mangalla and Sharikat. September 2020: CCCM IOM joined IRNA in Mayendit County and Assessment in Kongoulousi, Ngoku, and Fongo Nuer, Wau County.
With the onset of rainy season, heavy seasonal rains were witnessed throughout the country but Jonglei, Lakes, Upper Nile and Central Equatoria States had the biggest share. Days of unstopped downpours led to significant increase in water level of River Nile and subsequent flooding that washed out everything on its way leaving more than 600,000 individuals homeless and without access to basic life saving services. As a response,CCCM Mobile teams were deployed to different areas to understand IDPs' situation and identify their immense needs.
As a response to the influxes and in close coordination with OCHA and CCCM Cluster, a surge CCCM mobile team was deployed to the area to coordinate the response on ground and engage with affected population on their needs and concerns. Core activities during the response included; establishing of coordination mechanism and Flow Monitoring Points, supporting advocacy and partner liaison, conducting engineering assessment and addressing protection concerns, community engagement and information sharing, and coordinating site closure with OCHA and other stakeholders.
The renewed waves of sub national inter communal violence that flared up in Jonglei and Greater Pibor Administrative Area in the second half of 2020 resulted in looting of humanitarian supplies, attacks and harassment of personnel and civilian abuses, and forced around 33,668 individuals  ( 11,443 households )  to flee for their lives seeking safety and protection at the UNMISS Adjacent Area  ( AA )  and several spontaneous displacement sites throughout Pibor.
Incidents of insecurity combined with COVID 19 related containment measures have put pressure on already weak healthcare systems in the country. Severe underfunding and recurring cycles of conflict have resulted in a gap in healthcare infrastructure, inadequate healthcare provider motivation/effort, and in significant shortages of qualified health care workers.
Heading north across the border to Sudan, migrant workers walk together and share phones to communicate with contacts in cities on the way, to send money and give advice.They pay this back when they make it to Khartoum or pass the money on to other migrants.As in Juba, friends support one another with medical, transport, school fees and food expenses.
The ability for those newly displaced to access health and WASH facilities are limited and observing physical distancing is difficult2. This has also hindered humanitarian interventions and COVID 19 preparedness and response. At the same time, with the onset of the rainy season, several locations experienced flooding. Major roads were cut off and all prepositioning of COVID 19 related items, as well as regular humanitarian programming was done by air, exponentially increasing the costs of COVID 19 preparedness and response.
In June 2020, President Salva Kiir appointed Vice President James Wani Igga to lead a committee tasked to bring together community elders from Jonglei and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area  ( GPAA ) . Later in August, the President declared a three month state of emergency in Jonglei and the Warrap Lakes border region to help facilitate a diffusion of tensions in those regions.
The violence flare up and fatalities observed in the first half of 2020 are geographically concentrated in few states that are the familiar hotspots for conflict in South Sudan. Most of the violent events reported in the first half of 2020 are concentrated in four states, namely: Jonglei, Central Equatoria, Lakes, and Warrap. These four states accounted for 71% of all violent events and 76% of violence against civilians, the most reported event type across all states. At the same time, these four states accounted for 82% of all reported fatalities during this period.
The signing of the latest truce in September 2018 and subsequent formation of the RTGoNU in February 2020 had provided hope for recovery and peace building. With these developments, conflict events had decreased significantly in 2019, and some refugees who had previously dispersed in the region started to return.
Overcrowded latrines: Top five counties where the highest proportion of assessed settlements reported that overcrowding prevents people from using latrines are Raja 53%, Nyirol 46%, Uror 38%, Bor South 35%, Luakpiny/Nasir 33%.
The food security situation is expected to deteriorate in the first projection period of December 2020 to March 2021, with an estimated 551,000 people  ( 60.4% of the population )  likely to be in Crisis  ( IPC Phase 3 )  or worse acute food insecurity, of which 372,000 people are likely to be in Crisis  ( IPC Phase 3 )  acute food insecurity, and 179,000 people are likely to be in Emergency  ( IPC Phase 4 )  acute food insecurity.
Donors and agencies must understand, and where appropriate, work within South Sudanese accountability systems, rather than ignoring or overriding them. The aid community's commitment to ensuring accountability to affected populations continues to be a work in progress. The rapid turnover of international staff, who need to quickly make sense of the complexities of the South Sudan operational context and the mostly short timeframes of projects and the short term nature of relations makes the tendency to rely on centrally developed accountability systems understandable. Nonetheless, aid agencies and donors need to acknowledge that for many South Sudanese their local systems of accountability are legitimate, respected and understood, and that it is the international system that is alien and unintelligible.
A total of 2,531,060 people have been reached with hygiene promotion and COVID 19 prevention and control messages on a weekly basis in IDP camps/ PoCs/refugee settlements, communities and other public places by UNICEF.
A total of 75 health facilities have been provided with PPE and 527 health workers have been trained on infection prevention and control measures by UNICEF.
Follow up is being conducted for the previously triggered villages in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria to determine maintenance of open defecation free  ( ODF )  status by UNICEF.
As a result, a total of 292,651 individuals have so far been provided with access to safe drinking water through water trucking, construction of new and rehabilitation of non functional waterpoints by UNICEF WASH programme .
During the period January to November 2020, the UNICEF WASH programme provided life saving interventions through the provision of access to safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene services to the vulnerable and affected people in host communities, Protection of Civilian sites  ( PoCs )  and internally displaced people in collective sites.
In addition, in November 2020, 20,071 long lasting insecticide treated nets  ( LLINs )  were distributed, bringing the cumulative total to 184,858 LLINs distributed to 92,429 families  ( 369,716 children and pregnant women )  through UNICEF and partners to support malaria prevention efforts.
Most children and women received consultations for the treatment of malaria  ( 33 per cent ) , acute respiratory infections  ( 16 per cent )  and diarrhea  ( 11 per cent )  from UNICEF.
During the reporting period, 24,646 children aged 6 months 15 years were vaccinated against measles bringing the cumulative number of children 6 months 15 years vaccinated against measles for the period January   October 2020 to 314,739 by UNICEF.
UNICEF is working with partners to ensure the continuity in the delivery of essential health services within the context of the COVID 19 pandemic in health facilities supported by UNICEF in Jonglei and Upper Nile.
During the reporting period, UNICEF Supported the Ministry of Health in the vaccination of 22,353 children aged 6 – 59 months against measles during the measles reactive campaign conducted in Pibor and 1,367,536 children were vaccinated with mOPV 2 in response to the CVPVD 2 Outbreak.
UNICEF continues to work closely with the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and other partners to support life saving emergency integrated primary health care services in all the 25 counties of Jonglei and Upper Nile States targeting an estimated 1.8 million people. The support also includes the distribution of essential drugs and medical equipment to 1911 health facilities as part of efforts to improve the quality of service delivery and support of emergency preparedness and response interventions at both national and state levels.
Mothers/caretakers were trained on family mid upper arm circumference  ( MUAC )  to determine the nutrition status of their own children at a family level and ensure self referrals to the nearest nutrition site by UNICEF.
There is widespread concern about this atomization of society. This is not a new worry but it has been exacerbated by both the pressures of the individualized hunt for income and the increasing numbers of migrant workers leaving their families for towns, the military or to go north across the border to Sudan.
Most areas are flooded exposing both IDPs and host community have reported being exposed to snakes' bites.
One person was killed, while three people suffered gunshot injuries but all are stable and recovering. WFP condemns in the strongest terms any attack on humanitarian workers and all contractors of WFP, who risk their lives delivering much  needed food assistance to the most vulnerable people. WFP calls on all parties in South Sudan for unimpeded humanitarian access, respect for international law and conditions that allow humanitarian workers and all contractors to carry out their jobs in safety.
WFP and cooperating partners reached 1.8 million people with a total of 25,100 mt of food and nutrition items and USD 7.61 million in cash based transfers in August 2020.
In South Sudan and across into Sudan and further afield, through these migrant networks, young people work hard to manage and mitigate these risks and insecurities. They do this through a combination of mutual investment, kinship, friendships and trust building, and through extensive information sharing across borders and long distances, as well as over time
South Sudanese rebel militia recruiters are active in and around Kerior refugee camp on the Sudan side of the border and the farmlands in south eastern Darfur. Young men who might have lost their funds or the goods they had intended to trade  ( or were seized by militia )  reportedly join armed work out of frustration, promises of potential pay and employment, or desperation.
Establish community volunteer outreach programmes which provides door to door visits to older people who are house/shelter bound, persons with disabilities, older persons with chronic disease and mobility issues, as well as those living alone. These volunteers will provide psychosocial support as well as identifying and reporting when elder abuse occurs for those at risk of neglect, emotional and financial abuse. The volunteers should be trained and equipped with PPE and where possible practice physical distancing.
Most people emphasize that pay and conditions in Sudan have significantly deteriorated since the South Sudan secession in 2011. This is due to the need for documentation, the expense of fees and checkpoint bribes on the road north, and worsening treatment by local Sudanese residents and employers, partly due to increased impunity for abuses against undocumented migrant workers.
Attempts by the South Sudanese military and national security to control the flow of women and children over the border often violently are, to these local authorities, justified. Unlike the seasonal migration of young men into commercial farm work or peri urban manual labour in Sudan a longstanding seasonal dynamic since the 1950s that helps keep village economies afloat the permanent or semi permanent migration of women with children is seen as more damaging. They are viewed as a threat to family life in the region, challenging the stability of marriages, extended families and clan units.
GBV partners also trained 106 frontline workers in Pibor.  ( Situation Report No. 3, as of 26 February 2021 )
Military recruitment and poorly paid private security work traps young internal migrants in a cheap armed labour pool. Their other options are embarrassing, socially undignified and similarly dead end manual labour in towns in South Sudan. These increasingly limited options inside the borders of South Sudan mean that many young men and women on this borderland look north for other opportunities. For many, long distance migration, and even other types of military work in Sudan or further afield, are more viable and sometimes more remunerative than the stark and restrictive possibilities that are immediately available in South Sudan.
Only middle and upper class families are generally able to access better entry positions, through a combination of bribes and family connections.Wealthier people, including military and government workers themselves, prefer that their children do not take up  ( risky )  armed work, unless they have a job offer in logistics or finance, or in town based national security services where there are opportunities for further study and services.
Military and security recruitment, in Juba and elsewhere, also carries significant risks for poor young men and women. Since renewed conflict and economic collapse in 2016, it is an increasingly undesirable route to professional development
In contrast, getting recruited into military or security work in Juba offers more chances for paid positions in safer administrative or policing roles, or secondment to bodyguard duties for important people. Even being closer to payroll offices and army bureaucracy is useful for trying to claim unpaid wages and petition for better postings.
WASH based health concerns: Top five counties where the highest proportion of assessed settlements reported diarrheal diseases is the main health problem are Nzara 38%, Aweil North 32%, Yambio 29%, Ezo 28%, Aweil South 28%.
WASH based health concerns: Top five counties where the highest proportion of assessed settlements reported malaria is the main health problem are Abiemnhom 100%, Baliet 100%, Maban 100%, Renk 100%, Rumbek North 100%.
6.48m food insecure  ( IPC 3 5, May  July 2020  ) . 1.7m severely food insecure  ( IPC 4, May– July 2020 ) . 292,300 children under 5 suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition  ( SAM ) . 1,008,700 children under 5 suffering from Moderate Acute Malnutrition  ( MAM ) .
Comparisons of the protection indicators by settlement type and size reveal that camps and camp like settings, especially smaller sites, fare noticeably better with fewer settlements with reports of conflict related incident and areas avoided by women and girls. Returnee populations in rural settlements, according to the GHSL urban classification, fare worse in terms of both protection indicators, while there are no differences for IDP populations
In six states, over 30 per cent of the IDP population lives in settlements with reports of conflict related incidents. These are Lakes  ( 61.0%, or 111,804 individuals ) , Upper Nile  ( 55.7%, or 110,805 individuals ) , Central Equatoria  ( 47.9%, or 96,899 individuals ) , Western Equatoria  ( 47.7%, or 27,043 ) , Jonglei  ( 42.1%, or 82,269 individuals )  and Eastern Equatoria  ( 35.5%, or 14,769 individuals ) . The same applies to the returnee population in eight states: Upper Nile  ( 59.5%, or 136,827 individuals ) , Jonglei  ( 55%, or 97,608 individuals ) , Lakes  ( 54.9%, or 36,607 individuals ) , Central Equatoria  ( 45,2%, or 65,227 individuals ) , Unity  ( 35.6%, or 52,474 individuals ) , Northern Bahr El Ghazal  ( 35.4%, or 44,120 individuals ) , Eastern Equatoria  ( 35.1%, or 33,566 individuals )  and Western Equatoria  ( 30.9%, or 46,933 individuals ) .
At the county level, in Mundri East  ( Western Equatoria )  and Ulang  ( Upper Nile )  over 90 per cent of IDPs live in settlements reporting conflictrelated incidents. The same applies to returnees in Mundri East  ( Western Equatoria )  and Awerial  ( Lakes ) . In absolute terms, Renk  ( Upper Nile )  and Bor South  ( Jonglei )  host over 50,000 IDPs/ returnees living in settlements reporting conflictrelated incidents.
31.7 per cent of IDPs, or 447,846 individuals, and 33.1 per cent of returnees, or 455,966 individuals live in settlements with areas avoided by women and girls, with the highest figures in Jonglei  ( 46.3% of IDPs, or 90,366 individuals, and 53.5% of returnees, or 94,900 individuals ) , Upper Nile  ( 53.3% of IDPs, or 105,960 individuals, and 33.0% or returnees, or 75,928 individuals )  and Central Equatoria  ( 43,4% of IDPs, or 87,889 individuals, and 36.0% of returnees, or 51,914 individuals ) .
Funding:  South Sudan Interim Country Strategic Plan  ( ICSP )  October 2020  March 2021: US$ 596m Net funding requirements. 2020 Level 3 response:  Requirement: US$ 931.2m, Contribution: US$ 688.2m  ( 74% ) .
At the state level, the share of IDPs and returnees living in settlements relying on donations or assistance as their main source of food was highest in Unity  ( 86.9% of IDPs, or 182,250 individuals, and 84.4% of returnees, or 124,554 individuals ) , Jonglei  ( 78.4% of IDPs, or 153,038 individuals, and 73.9% of returnees, or 131,096 individuals )  and Northern Bahr El Ghazal  ( 70.7%, or 51,710 individuals, and 47.6% of returnees, or 59,213 individuals ) .
Health guidelines from the Ministry of Health in South Sudan dictate that 1,5 meters physical distance should be taken to prevent the COVID 19 virus from spreading. This includes the space between people in public transport. Measures include that people travelling by public transport should always wear a facemask, to protect themselves and others. It is difficult to not get frustrated when you have to wait a long time for public transport that is not crowded, and sometimes it simply is not an option to not take a shared taxi, but try as much as you can to keep distance and wear your mask. With your actions you don't only protect yourself, but your family and your community.
At the county level, all IDPs in Guit  ( Unity ) , or 300 individuals, and Panyikang  ( Upper Nile ) , or 1,786 individuals, live in settlements that do not have onsite health care facilities/services and are further than three kilometres away from the nearest off site health service provider. The number of IDPs living in such settlements is highest in Tonj North, Warrap  ( 39,308 individuals ) , and Lainya, Central Equatoria  ( 27,320 individuals ) . In relative terms, Cueibet, Lakes  ( 76.3% of returnees, or 6,330 individuals ) , and Kajo Keji, Central Equatoria  ( 71.3% of returnees, or 23,480 individuals ) , fare the worst among returnees
Temporary shelters have been erected with old plastic sheets, clothes, and blankets under trees. The team observed that, and remaining unprotected and is not enough for households they only use to stay under there limited shelters at day time not enough to accommodate household members.
Old Fanagak and all the villages; RECOMMENDATIONS ; Water Hygiene and sanitation WASH. Community sensitization on hygiene and sanitation is critical needed to mitigate hygiene related diseases