South Sudan: The SDF and “Protection of Civilians”

The Japan Engineering Groups (JEG) deployment to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) from 2012 to 2017 exhibited consecutive aspects of “integration” and “robustness.” During the first two years, Japan’s method of “integration,” or the “All Japan” approach, fit well with UNMISS’s focus on statebuilding. It yielded various outcomes, not only in the restoration of facilities and infrastructure (e.g., road construction) but also in the nonengineering support provided to the locals (e.g., job training). With the outbreak of de facto civil war in December 2013, however, UNMISS’s top priority moved from statebuilding to Protection of Civilians (PoC), thereby intensifying inclinations toward “robustness.” Afterward, the JEG mostly focused on the construction of a PoC site, that is, a shelter for evacuated locals and internally displaced people. While security in South Sudan continued to deteriorate, the amendment to the Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) Act as part of the 2015 Peace and Security Legislation enabled the Government of Japan (GoJ) to assign the JEG to partial security missions, such as the “coming-to-aid” duty. In the end, however, the GoJ abruptly withdrew the JEG in May 2017, thereby discontinuing the series of SDF deployments to United Nations Peacekeeping Operations since 1992.

Temporal trends of hepatitis C virus transmission in internally displaced people who inject drugs in Odessa, Ukraine

BackgroundDue to practical challenges associated with genetic sequencing in low resource environments, the burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in forcibly displaced people is understudied. We examined the use of field-applicable HCV sequencing methods and phylogenetic analysis to determine HCV transmission dynamics in internally displaced people who inject drugs (IDPWID) due to war in eastern Ukraine.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we used modified respondent-driven sampling to recruit IDPWID who have settled in Odessa, Ukraine. We generated partial and near full length genome (NFLG) HCV sequences using Oxford Nanopore MinION in a simulated field environment. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods were used to establish phylodynamic relationships.FindingsBetween June and September 2020, we collected epidemiological data and whole blood samples from 164 IDPWID. Rapid testing identified an HIV, anti-HCV, and HIV/HCV co-infection prevalence of 39%, 67.7%, and 31.1%, respectively. We generated 57 partial or NFLG HCV sequences and identified eight transmission clusters, of which at least two originated within a year and a half post-migration. Unstable housing post-migration was associated with more reports of injection drug use in the past 30 days (p=0.048).InterpretationLocal generation of viral sequencing data and phylogenetic analysis in rapidly changing low-resource environments, such as those faced by forcibly displaced people, can inform timely adaptation of prevention and treatment.FundingOxford University John Fell Fund, ISS Wellcome Trust, Branco Weiss Fellowship.

Challenges to the implementation and adoption of physical distancing measures against COVID-19 by internally displaced people in Mali: a qualitative study

Background For almost a decade now, Mali has been facing a security crisis that led to the displacement of thousands of people within the country. Since March 2020, a health crisis linked to the COVID-19 pandemic also surfaced. To overcome this health crisis, the government implemented some physical distancing measures but their adoption proved difficult, particularly among internally displaced people (IDPs). The objective of this study is to identify the challenges relating to the implementation and adoption of physical distancing measures and to determine the main mitigation measures taken by IDPs to adjust to these new policies. Methods An exploratory qualitative research was conducted in Bamako and Ségou, two of the ten regions of Mali. The study counted 68 participants including 50 IDPs, seven administrative and health authorities, and 11 humanitarian actors. Sampling was guided by the principle of saturation and diversification, and data was collected through semi-structured individual interviews (n = 36) and focus groups (n = eight). Analysis was based on thematic content analysis through NVivo software. Results The main challenges identified concerning the implementation and adoption of physical distancing measures include the proximity in which IDPs live, their beliefs and values, the lack of toilets and safe water on sites, IDPs habits and economic situation, humanitarian actors’ lack of financial resources and authority, and social pressure from religious leaders. Implemented mitigation measures include the building of new shelters or their compartmentalization, the creation of income-generating activities and food banks, psychosocial support, promoting awareness of IDPs, and nightly police patrols and surveillance to discourage IDPs from going out. Finally, a call for action is suggested for the actors involved in IDPs support and management. Conclusions The study demonstrates the difficulty for IDPs to follow most of the physical distancing measures and informs about the risk of disease spreading among IDPs with its potential consequences. It also shows the inability of mitigation measures to control the outbreak and suggests actions to be considered.

Contribution A L’amélioration De L’accès A L’eau, L’hygiène Et L’assainissement Dans La Commune Rurale De Zan Coulibaly Au Mali

Dans la perspective d’améliorer l’accès aux services de base en eau potable, hygiène et assainissement (EHA), le Mali a fait de ce secteur une priorité depuis 2006. Cette étude avait pour objectif de mener une analyse critique du diagnostic de l’accès aux services de base EHA et l’impact des déplacés internes de la crise politique et sécuritaire de 2012 sur ces services dans la commune de Zan Coulibaly afin de proposer des stratégies locales pérennes. Les données ont été collectées à travers une fiche de questionnaire semi-structurée, des observations directes sur le terrain et la consultation des documents administratifs. L’enquête a révélé que les forages (40%) et les puits traditionnels (28%) étaient les principales sources d’approvisionnement en eau. La collecte de l’eau est une activité exclusivement féminine. Pour traiter l’eau de boisson à domicile, la filtration sur linge était la technique la plus utilisée (71%). Malgré un contexte pandémique à COVID-19, seulement 24 % des personnes interrogées lavaient les mains au sortir des toilettes et 22% avant de manger. Aussi, 16% des enquêtés pratiquaient toujours la défécation à l’air libre. De 2016 à 2020, on note une persistance des maladies diarrhéiques et une réapparition des maladies dues aux vers intestinaux. Par ailleurs une éradication du trachome et du choléra a été observée. Néanmoins, les résultats relatifs au site des déplacés internes de la crise, sont alarmantes. Ces données constitueraient une base pour mieux orienter les politiques et les actions futures relatives aux services EHA dans la commune de Zan Coulibaly. To improve the access to the basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, Mali has made this sector a priority since 2006. This study aimed to conduct a critical analysis of the diagnosis of access to WASH basic services and the impact of internally displaced people from the political and security crisis of 2012 on these services in the rural commune of Zan Coulibaly in order to propose sustainable local strategies. The data were collected throughout a semi-structured questionnaire form, direct observations on the sites in the nine villages, and the consultation of executive documents. The survey revealed that the drilling (40%) and the traditional wells (28%) were the main sources of water supply. The water collection is an exclusively female activity. To treat drinking water at home, the filtration was the most commonly used technique (71%). Despite a pandemic context of COVID-19, only 24% of respondents washed their hands after leaving the toilet and 22% before eating. Also, 16% of respondents have always defecated in the free air. From 2016 to 2020, we note the persistence of diarrheal diseases and the reappearance of intestinal worm diseases. Otherwise, the trachoma and the cholera were eradicated. Nevertheless, the results relating to the internally displaced people from the crisis are alarming. These data could provide a basis for better guiding the future policies and actions in the provision of WASH services in the rural commune of Zan Coulibaly.

Social contacts and other risk factors for respiratory infections among internally displaced people in Somaliland

Background Populations affected by humanitarian crises experience high burdens of acute respiratory infections (ARI), potentially driven by risk factors for severe disease such as poor nutrition and underlying conditions, and risk factors that may increase transmission such as overcrowding and the possibility of high social mixing. However, little is known about social mixing patterns in these populations. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional social contact survey among internally displaced people (IDP) living in Digaale, a permanent IDP camp in Somaliland. We included questions on household demographics, shelter quality, crowding, travel frequency, health status, and recent diagnosis of pneumonia, and assessed anthropometric status in children. We calculated age-standardised social contact matrices to assess population mixing, and conducted regression analysis on risk factors for recent self-reported pneumonia. Results We found crowded households with high proportions of recent self-reported pneumonia (46% in children). 20% of children younger than five are stunted, and crude death rates are high in all age groups. ARI risk factors are common, but we did not find any significant associations with self-reported pneumonia. Participants reported around 10 direct contacts per day. Social contact patterns are assortative by age, and physical contact rates are very high (78%). Conclusions ARI risk factors are very common in this population, while the large degree of contacts that involve physical touch could further increase transmission. Such IDP settings potentially present a perfect storm of risk factors for ARIs and their transmission, and innovative approaches to address such risks are urgently needed.

Renaming and Reclaiming Urban Spaces in Ukraine: The Perspective of Internally Displaced People

For more than six years, Ukrainian society has been constantly searching for ideas as to how to write a new “national biography.” In a society divided by armed conflict, the so-called decommunization process is considered to be an idea capable of uniting a nation. This process started back in 2015, with the passing of a specific law that required not only the deconstruction of Soviet-time monuments in public spaces, but also a huge decommunization of place names. The article will explore the main practices of place (re-)naming during the different stages of the decommunization (but not de-ideologization) of spaces, as well as describing the problems that may emerge in society as a result of a rapid transition from one narrative to another. Based on a case study of spatial identities of internally displaced people, I am going to answer the question of how people perceive renamed spaces, and how they reclaim and re-appropriate these spaces in the midst of an identity crisis.

Obstacles to Education of the Children of Refugees and IDP: Lessons and Policy Options from the European Union’s ‘Education for Life’ Project in Uganda and South Sudan

The study documented the obstacles to the education of the children of refugees and internally displaced people (IDP), especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and policy options. While it reviewed the global situation, it substantially reported the experiences of the European Union’s Education for Life Project which provided Accelerated Education Programme (AEP) for the children of refugees and IDP in Uganda and South Sudan. It gathered data from three keys sources: UNHCR and related literature; reports of the Education for Life Project; and Focused Group Discussion (FGD) with key officials of the Project. It revealed the existence of 79.5 million people displaced world-wide (which include 26 million refugees and 45.7 million IDPs). About 7.1 million children of the refugees and IDP are of schooling age with only 3.4 million accessing education. Relying on the United Nations [1] Resilience Framework, the study recommended policies to ensure that the learners, teachers, and education system have the capacity to withstand the COVID-19 pandemic and future emergencies.