Sudan - Urban Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Sudan

2020

COVID-19 movement restrictions, particularly in the first half of the year, posed a serious challenge to protection and access. Refugee reception centres were closed although UNHCR maintained 5 hotlines that refugees could dial in to seek support. In October 2020, joint counseling for Syrian, Eritrean, Ethiopian and Yemeni refugees at the COR/RCS office resumed on a rotational basis. Limited access to livelihood opportunities and loss of sources of income also constituted a challenge for many. In order to help people of concern meet their basic needs, UNHCR through its partner continued to provide persons with special needs, including unaccompanied and separated children, women at risk, gender-based violence survivors, older persons without family support, single parents and those with serious medical conditions, monthly multipurpose cash assistance. UNHCR supported some 1,600 households with one-time emergency cash assistance. All urban refugees were targeted with this assistance.

The prevention of and response to gender-based violence incidents were key protection activities in 2020. UNHCR continued efforts to identify survivors and refer them for medical assistance, psychosocial support and legal aid based on their consent. Efforts were also made to continue awareness raising while also taking the necessary precautions to prevent transmission of COVID-19. During this period, meetings with the 2 community-based protection networks in Khartoum were held. Committee members were trained on the different forms of gender-based violence, the services available to survivors and on the rights of refugees in general. These committee members played a key role in disseminating the information in their communities and in identifying gender-based violence cases.

In addition, 150 Yemeni, 225 Syrian and 1195 Eritrean, Ethiopian and Congolese refugee students were supported with school fees to ensure their access to education.

Activities aimed at protecting children at risk were also key in 2020. UNHCR and partners were able to conduct 24 best interest assessment (BIAs) for unaccompanied and separated children (unaccompanied and separated children), where all but 4 were supported with finding suitable care givers. Monitoring is ongoing. Moreover, there was a reduction in arrests and detentions during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no reported cases of refoulement in 2020. Legal aid partners continued with detention monitoring activities. Two legal aid partners provided legal aid and counseling to 474 people of concerns to UNHCR, of which 184 who were in detention and were successfully released. Many of them were arrested and detained due to lack of documentation. COR continued to conduct refugee status determination in 2020 although the activities were interrupted at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Appeal Board membership remained unchanged and met to adjudicate on cases at appeal level. 223 cases were adjudicated at first instance of which 212 were recognized. The cases were mainly Ethiopian and Eritrean with the former being the majority of the cases adjudicated at appeal level. Some 202 cases were reviewed of which 152 were rejected.

UNHCR also continued to engage with the urban refugee community and encourage and promote their participation in decisions that affect their lives. This was mainly through community outreach volunteers, community leaders and the people of concern at large. UNHCR engaged 27 community volunteers who were also instrumental in disseminating COVID-19 prevention messages in the community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, education was negatively impacted in 2020 such as in school closures. Nonetheless, schools were opened in July-August to facilitate exams. cash assistance support to 11,570 scholars continued. Provision of PHC, secondary and tertiary referrals continued during the period. Multipurpose cash provided to vulnerable people of concern in Khartoum during the period.