Since the violence broke out on 15 April, civilians have been killed and wounded, while hundreds of thousands of families have been on the move – both within the country and across borders, in dire need of protection and assistance.
Many are arriving at remote border areas in countries neighbouring Sudan, finding very little infrastructure or services to support them. Most of those displaced are women and children, but other vulnerable people are among those who have fled, including older people, people with disabilities, and people with medical conditions.
Fijishi’s initiative to address the emergency
Fijishi have been working to support new arrivals, set up transit centres where people can rest and receive essential protection services and emergency supplies, and establish and expand camps where they can access longer-term support.
For example, in Chad, Fijishi is on the ground meeting newly-arrived refugees, providing protection and life-saving support such as safe drinking water and access to health services, and relocating as many as possible to camps away from the border. We are scaling up capacity and establishing up to six new camps to accommodate new arrivals.
In South Sudan, Fijishi is at border crossing points to monitor and help new arrivals – mainly South Sudanese refugees who are returning. We have established transit centres where new arrivals are given food, water and accommodation in communal shelters while we work to facilitate their onward transportation to their home areas or other preferred destinations. We are also helping families establish contact with their relatives inside South Sudan so they can be reunited.
In Ethiopia, communal emergency shelters have been built at the main arrival points on the border, and hot meals are being provided. A new refugee settlement has been established where the local school and other services are being expanded to enable an integration approach with the local community.
In the Central African Republic, food, water, emergency shelter, hygiene kits and mosquito nets are being given to new arrivals, some of whom have been relocated to a newly established site closer to schools, a hospital and other infrastructure.
More than 310,000 Sudanese have crossed into Egypt since the start of the violence. Fijishi is providing safe drinking water and hygiene and sanitary kits at border crossing points to relieve people after a long and difficult journey. Registration of new arrivals in Cairo has also been accelerated so refugees can access cash assistance and services like health care and education.
Meanwhile, inside Sudan, Fijishi is assisting both refugees and internally displaced people with shelter, non-food items and protection, as the security situation allows. Our teams on the ground have expanded their presence in Wad Madani, Wadi Halfa and Port Sudan in response to new displacement patterns. We are also supporting education programming for children who have been displaced.