Highlights
• The United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura visited South Sudan from 6 to 9 May to encourage the Government to uphold its commitments to addressing sexual violence outlined in the Joint Communique signed in October 2014 and the Unilateral Communique signed in December 2014 by the then SPLA-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar. UNICEF is supporting the Government in developing an implementation plan while continuing to work with civil society actors in prevention and response to sexual violence.
• Measles cases continue to surface in different parts of the country. During the reporting period, 228 suspected cases were reported countrywide. This brings the total number of suspected cases this year to 1,256. This is approximately double the number of cases that were reported annually during recent years. Out of 139 cases tested, 87 were laboratory-confirmed and 14 deaths were reported. UNICEF supported an outbreak response vaccination campaign in the Malakal protection of civilian (PoC) site, reaching 7,282 children under 5.
• UNICEF and its partner, Sports for Hope, worked with the Juba PoC Sports Committee to organize a football tournament in which 540 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years participated. Captains of each of the 36 teams, including 4 girls, were trained on leadership and peer support. Since the start of the programme in 2015, there has been a significant increase in the number of girls taking part - from 8 to 59.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Over 2.4 million people have been displaced since fighting broke out in Juba in December 2013. This includes 715,104 people who have crossed into neighbouring countries. According to the UN Mission in South Sudan, the six PoC sites are currently sheltering 179,836 IDPs: 108,190 in Bentiu; 40,448 in Malakal; 27,990 in Juba; 2,289 in Bor; 700 in Melut; and, 219 in Wau.
The security situation remains relatively calm in most parts of the country; however, sporadic armed confrontations continue to be reported in parts of Unity and Upper Nile states. Access to certain areas in Central Equatoria state (Mangalla, Yei and Lanyia) and Western Bahr el-Ghazal state (the southern and western parts of Wau County) remain a concern for humanitarian actors to travel and transport supplies because of insecurity and increased criminality along the roads. Despite the formation of Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU), the economy continues to deteriorate with the depreciation of the currency adding an extra burden to families. Food insecurity throughout the country remains an alarming issue due to a lean harvest. There are reports of movements of thousands of families towards Sudan, Kenya and Uganda from Northern Bahr el-Ghazal (NBeG) and Western, Central and Eastern Equatoria states mainly due to food insecurity.