Disasters, Conflicts and Migration
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Natural Disasters |
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Type |
Occurs |
Comments / Details |
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Drought |
Yes |
There is a risk of drought especially in the Northern Areas, where the climate is extremely arid. In addition, the situation may be worsened by the strong El Nino/La Nina phenomenon envisaged for 2016 conditions |
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Earthquakes |
No |
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Epidemics |
Yes |
Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, Measles |
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Extreme Temperatures |
Yes |
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Flooding |
Yes |
May – October |
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Insect Infestation |
Yes |
Desert locust outbreaks occurred on the Red Sea coast in Sudan and Eritrea during 2015 |
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Mudslides |
Yes |
Possibility during the rains May – October |
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Volcanic Eruptions |
No |
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High Waves / Surges |
Yes |
Sudan has 863 km coastline to the Red Sea and 1436 km of navigable rivers. |
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Wildfires |
Yes |
Fires are also experienced in the Internally Displaced Persons camps. |
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High Winds |
Yes |
In Sudan, sandstorms (locally called “Haboob”) are frequent, especially in the period that precedes the rainy season (March-May) and during the rainy season. Haboob is a strong dry wind blowing over the desert that raises and carries along clouds of sand or dust often so dense as to obscure the sun and reduce visibility almost to zero. |
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Other Comments |
The Sudan Humanitarian Bulletin published on a regular basis by OCHA provides relevant updates on the humanitarian scenario: www.ocha.org/Sudan |
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Man-Made Issues |
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Civil Strife |
Yes |
Previous internal insecurity in Darfur, Blue Nile, White Nile and Kordofan states |
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International Conflict |
Yes |
Insecurity at some border areas in South Sudan |
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Internally Displaced Persons |
Yes |
Darfur, Blue Nile states and Kordofan conflicts. |
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Refugees Present |
Yes |
In Darfur there are Chadian refugees while in the eastern part of the Country (Kassala area) there are Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees. There is also a very high influx of population movement from South Sudan to Sudan, in White Nile, Blue Nile and South Kordofan states |
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Landmines / UXO Present |
Yes |
UXOs are a threat, especially in South Kordofan and Blue Nile |
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Other Comments |
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For a more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters Country Profile.
Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities
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Seasonal Effects on Transport |
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Transport Type |
Time Frame |
Comments / Details |
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Primary Road Transport |
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The primary roads (Port Sudan to Khartoum/Kosti/El Obeid) are drivable throughout the year. |
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Secondary Road Transport |
May – October |
During the rainy season, some roadways are inaccessible due to floods or high waters. Truckload capacity are reduced to 50% to overcome muddy roads causing delays in the distributions. |
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Rail Transport |
May – October |
During the rainy season, wash ways have caused sectors the of the rail tracks to be out of use. Operational speed is reduced from 40 Kph to 20 Kph. |
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Air Transport |
May – September |
Poor visibility caused by the “haboob”, a violent dust storm, can occur in central Sudan when the moist south-westerly flow first arrives (May through July to September). The presence of dangerous clouds affects visibility and flight safety during the rainy season. |
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Waterway Transport |
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During the dry season, some parts of the Nile River are not navigable. |
The climate ranges from hyper-arid in the north to tropical wet-and-dry in the far southwest. The most significant climatic variables are rainfall and the length of the dry season. From January to March, there is practically no rainfall countrywide except for a small area in north-western Sudan. By early April up to October the country is affected by heavy rains and thunderstorms.
El Niño effects often impact the country. It significantly impacted the 2015 rainy season with delayed rains, below-average rainfall and intermittent dry spells. This caused reduced cultivation areas, delayed planting, poor pastures and limited water availability for both people and their livestock. These impacts are threatening essential agricultural and livestock production across Sudan.
The Airports and Ports (Othma Digna Port) have allocated facilities for the Hadj pilgrims, however short periods of congestion are experienced in the vicinity at the departure and returning points.
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Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling |
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Activity Type |
Time Frame |
Comments / Details |
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Storage |
May – October |
Warehouse maintenance is crucial to avoid water and moisture damage; regular ventilation should be ensured to prevent damp commodities. Although infestation levels are moderate, immediate dispatches to ensure quick stock-rotation is recommended. Quality checks are needed to minimise infestations and losses, especially in main hubs such as El Obeid; quality control is key for an efficient emergency response. |
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Handling |
May – October |
Heavy rains would significantly affect the handling capacity at the Port causing delays in dispatches. In Port Sudan rains are much weaker in comparison to the rest of the country; however cargo loaded on trucks and wagons (for rail transport) needs to be carefully secured and cocooned (wrapped, covered) in tarpaulins to avoid water seepage while in transit. |
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Other |
May – October |
Due to road deterioration caused by heavy rains, deliveries to the distribution sites can be significantly delayed. |
Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response
Government
All issues concerning any kind of emergency are addressed through the Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, who will activate internal resources within the Government of the Republic of Sudan and the relevant ministries.
There are four Area Security Teams within in the Republic of Sudan.
Khartoum reporting through to the Designated Officials.
El Obeid reporting through to the Designated Officials.
Darfur reporting through UNAMID
Abyei reporting through UNISFA
For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Sudan Government Contact List
Humanitarian Community
The humanitarian coordination meeting structure in Sudan is composed of several interlinked coordination fora at strategic and operational levels, both in Khartoum and in the field. Information is systemically shared between these meetings in order to ensure inter-connectivity between them. The following are the humanitarian coordination meetings which OCHA (co-)support:
- Humanitarian Country Team (HCT)
- Core Group
- Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG)
- Area Humanitarian Coordination Team (A/HCT)
- Area Inter-Sector Coordination Group (A/ISCG)
- HC - Donor Consultation Group (DCG)
- Ambassadorial Country Coordination Forum (CCF)
- GoS - UN and Partners Humanitarian Coordination
- GoS Security and Safety Committee meeting
- OCHA HoO - INGO Forum Steering Committee Meeting
- HCT Access Working Group (AWG)
- HCT Information and Advocacy Working Group
- Bi-monthly Humanitarian Briefing
- Hybrid meetings (combining HCT, ISCG and donors, as well as government as required).
There are eleven Clusters/Sectors in Sudan, each with a Sector Lead and a co-Lead from Government side. Meetings are scheduled on a regular basis (bi-weekly, monthly or ad hoc). Inter-Sectoral Coordination Group (ISCG) meetings are held bi-weekly and chaired by OCHA, who reports to the Humanitarian Country Team.
SECTOR LEAD ORGANISATION.
Co-ordination and Common Services UN OCHA
Education - UNICEF
Food Security and Livelihoods FA0 – WFP
Health - WHO
Logistics and Emergency Telecommunications (LET) - WFP
Emergency Shelter& Non-Food Items (ES&NFI) - UNHCR ES/NFI
Nutrition - UNICEF
Protection - UNHCR
Return Recovery and (Re)-Integration - UNDP
Refugee Multi Sector - UNHCR
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene - UNICEF
For additional data visit https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/sudan
The Sudan INGO steering committee represents INGOs in Sudan.
The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), functions as the highest country-level international humanitarian coordination platform. The HCT meets on a monthly basis (or on ad-hoc when needed) and involves the following organizations:
- WFP, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHABITAT, UNHCR, IOM, FAO, WHO, OCHA, 2 x INGO Forum SC (designated by INGO community in Sudan), one Islamic organization (IICO) and one national organisation (SCOVA) as members.
- ICRC, IFRC, SRCS, MSF and UNAMID as observers.
- The Deputy HC will participate through tele-conference or in person when needed.
- When appropriate, other institutions and agencies may be invited to participate in HCT meetings, or a joint meeting will be organised as necessary.
For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link: 4.2 Sudan Humanitarian Agency Contact List
