Aid groups launch health care operation in Darfur’s Jebel Marra
February 12, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – Aid groups begin have launched a large scale humanitarian operation to deliver health care and nutrition services to civilians in the war affected area of Jebel Marra despite the fund challenges they face.
After years of inaccessibility, the international and local humanitarian organisation working in various fields have conducted a number of interagency missions to assess the number of civilians in these areas and their needs.
Since mid-2016 following an secret agreement with the American administration to normalize relations, the Sudanese government, has allowed aid groups to reach the conflict affected areas in Jebel Marra and stopped air raids on rebels retrenched behind defensive lines at the top of the mountainous area.
In its latest weekly bulletin of 5 February dedicated to humanitarian activities in Jebel Marra, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that several aid groups have scaled up health services in the area.
The humanitarian action, which has aimed to meet the needs of displaced and resident populations alike, cover the Central, West and North Jebel Marra localities.
In Central Jebel Marra locality, the international NGO International Medical Corps (IMC) has operationalised health care and nutrition services in Boori and Jokosty villages. Also the group with the Sudanese health authorities now run Golo hospital’s out-patient department, dekivering helath and nutrition services.
The IMC has also started similar action in West JebelMarra locality in in Katti and Kurifal villages. While the international NGO Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is supporting health and nutrition services in Abunga.
In North Jebel Marra locality, the CRS is running the health Centre in Rokero since December 2016 and has also targeted the health centre at Fanga Suk for intervention. The aid group will provide outreach medical services to be run by Sudanese health ministry staff in Abunga, Niscome, Borgo and Wara through its mobile health clinic.
The three localities had been inaccessible for aid groups for several years. The government says the western Sudan region of Darfur is now free of rebels but attack on civilians continue to be reported as the government has failed to collect weapons.
OCHA on a related development reported that the World Vision International – Sudan (WVI-Sudan) is preparing to reduce the delivery of health and water, sanitation and hygiene services to IDPs in the Otash, Manawashi and Duma areas as well as Marshing and Kass localities in South Darfur State due to funding challenges.
In the interim, “WVI-Sudan Vision is putting in place transitional arrangements to ensure that assistance to vulnerable children and communities—especially in the provision of primary health care services and clean water—continues for the next few months as the organisation seeks new funding,” said the humanitarian bulletin.
(ST)