Five years after South Sudan declared independence from Sudan, it is in a worse situation than ever. The return of the opposition leader Riek Machar to the country and his reinstatement as vice-president in April 2016 restored hopes for the 2015 peace agreement, but disagreement and tensions continued within the new government. Factional fighting broke out in Juba in July and spread quickly to previously less affected areas and groups.
Urgent protection needs
Helping our partners to protect extremely vulnerable people and meet their basic needs was a priority for NORCAP during the year. The exodus from South Sudan has created Africa's largest refugee crisis. Almost 500,000 people fled South Sudan for Uganda in 2016, and the country's refugee population stands at its highest level ever. To support UNHCR in its operations for South Sudanese refugees, we deployed two field protection officers to Yumbe in Uganda.
Almost 2 million South Sudanese have also been internally displaced since 2013. Protection concerns increased in several locations in 2016 as food security, livelihoods and nutrition were severely weakened. To bolster the response, we deployed logistics experts to UNICEF in Aweil and Malakal. Child protection specialists supported the agency's efforts to trace and reunify families and educate people about the risk of mines. ACAPS experts conducted a nationwide assessment of the impact of the current crisis on children's schooling, to help resume education in a safe and sustainable way.
Focus on disaster risk reduction
The ongoing conflict has reduced South Sudan's ability to build institutions that will contribute to recovery, stabilisation and development. It also complicates work on long-term-initiatives as insecurity hinders and interrupts activities. Increased competition over already stretched resources and donors' prioritisation of humanitarian assistance mean that long-term development goals have often had to take a back seat. Balancing the response to urgent needs with efforts to build peace and strengthen resilience has been NORCAP's aim.
In close collaboration with national ministries, our deployees have helped to build capacity in the education and disaster management sectors. They supported the development of a national disaster risk management policy, which by the end of the year was ready for final approval. Our disaster risk reduction specialists trained government officials in disaster and climate risk management, emergency needs assessments and the development of early warning protocols. A NORCAP education expert helped to develop a nationwide education sector analysis that incorporated conflict and disaster analysis for the first time.
Protection of journalists
The UN has reported widespread human rights violations and violence targeting civilians in South Sudan. Conditions for the media remain repressive. Our experts have worked with UNESCO since 2014 on the safety of journalists in an effort to improve accountability, information and the protection of civilians. A monitoring system for media violations has been developed, and deployees have helped to raise awareness of the importance of press freedom among the authorities, police and local journalists. There is need for continued support for institutions that will play key roles as and when the violence abates.