This paper tells the story of SOS Sahel UK, an international non-governmental organisation (INGO) registered in the UK in 1983 in response to the devastating drought and famine that impacted much of the Sahel in the early to mid-1970s. Despite these origins, SOS Sahel UK was set up as a development rather than a humanitarian… Read more »
Country: Sudan
Sudan and Yemen: why strengthening collaboration, fostering trust and sharing risk is key
Sana’a, Darfur and New York: you may wonder what connects these three places? Next week, Yemen and Sudan will be two countries – amongst others – on the agenda for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), New York’s annual arena for global dialogue. I and many others from the humanitarian community will be there to talk… Read more »
Market monitoring and trade analysis in Darfur: ‘localisation’ in practice
Between 2010 and 2016 a community-based Market Monitoring and Trade Analysis (MMTA) project in Darfur aimed to fill a critical information gap. Although trade is central to most livelihoods and to the economy of Darfur, there had been little analysis of how conflict since 2003 had disrupted trade and markets, and how they had adapted…. Read more »
Better not just bigger: reflections on the humanitarian response in South Sudan
At an estimated $1.6 billion, the UN-led response triggered by widespread violence in South Sudan was among the largest of 2014. Beginning in the capital Juba in December 2013, conflict quickly spread to other parts of the country. Long-standing political divisions and grievances within the ruling party underpinned the conflict, which divided communities largely along… Read more »
Building a web of protection in Darfur
Humanitarian workers can give a plethora of reasons why they do not prioritise addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in humanitarian crises. Unlike lack of food, water or shelter, GBV is often not seen as life-threatening. The reality, however, is that rape, sexual harassment, physical assault and murder are committed largely against women and girls in camps,… Read more »
The disappearance of cross-line aid in Darfur, Sudan
Ten years of conflict in Darfur between the Sudanese government and an array of rebel groups and militias have caused a humanitarian emergency. In the early stages of the conflict, between 2004 and 2009, some two dozen agencies provided cross-line humanitarian assistance in territory controlled by rebel movements. Although urgent humanitarian needs persist in these… Read more »
Rift Valley Institute: Sudan and South Sudan Course 2013, Jinja, Uganda, 6-12 July
The 2013 Sudan and South Sudan Course, under direction of Dr Justin Willis, covers all areas of Sudan and South Sudan and the borderlands between the two countries. It will offer analyses of the history, politics, economics, and geography of the two Sudans, providing the understanding needed to work in this complex environment. This year’s… Read more »
Working it out on the ground: coordination between UNAMID Police and humanitarian actors in Darfur
International police and Formed Police Units (FPUs) are deployed in a range of contexts and by a range of actors, including the UN, the European Union and the African Union (AU). Their tasks include substituting for national law enforcement actors, empowering or building their capacity and monitoring their performance, as well as joint patrols and co-location… Read more »
Humanitarianism: Imperatives and Principles in Southern Sudan
The events that have unfolded in southern Sudan in recent weeks represent some of the increasingly stark and difficult choices faced by humanitarian agencies. In January, all NGOs working in southern Sudan under the umbrella of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) received a letter in which the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement, or SPLM, required them to sign a… Read more »