Sudan crisis – MAF steps up disaster response

MAF pilot Jonathan Pound relocates refugees from Renk (credit: Jonathan Pound)

As thousands of people continue to pour into neighbouring South Sudan to escape Sudan’s conflict, MAF is stepping up its response to support them. Since 19 June, MAF has been relocating the most vulnerable refugees from Renk’s transit camps and delivering much needed medical supplies and food aid. MAF’s Jenny Davies reports

Three months on, over 3 million people have been displaced and thousands have been killed or wounded since fighting broke out in Sudan on 15 April.

To date, over 175,000 refugees have entered South Sudan with more than 40,000 new arrivals in Renk – a cluster of transit camps near the border, which aim to relocate refugees to safety across South Sudan as quickly as possible (source: UN).

MAF is focusing its efforts in Renk because – unlike other South Sudanese border towns – it lacks onward overland transport options.

MAF is currently flying to Renk at least once a week, relocating refugees and delivering much needed medical supplies and food aid. To date, MAF has delivered over 1.2 tonnes of aid including 500kg of medicine.

MAF’s delivered over 1.2 tonnes of aid including food & medicine (credit: Jenny Davies)

MAF’s Global Disaster Response Director Vaughan Woodward sums up MAF’s response so far:

‘The situation in Sudan is forcing more and more people to flee. MAF is providing excellent support for NGOs who are responding to the build-up of refugees in the north. We’re devoting more resources and personnel to help meet the needs on the ground.

‘We’re working with NGOs to assess the needs in this crisis and in response, we’re flying in supplies and flying out the most vulnerable. We’re making good use of our aircraft and the skills of the MAF team. The scale of the crisis is large, but there is opportunity for MAF to meet some of those needs.’

Vaughan Woodward – MAF’s Global Disaster Response Director

MAF is making good use of its aircraft during the crisis (credit: Jenny Davies)

MAF is focusing on the most vulnerable

MAF is one of several flight operators relocating refugees from Renk. Around 1,000 refugees are reportedly arriving in Renk by truck from Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, every day. MAF is focusing on the most vulnerable people.

1,000 refugees are reportedly arriving in Renk by truck every day (credit: Tobias Meyer)

On 4 July, MAF pilot Jonathon Pound relocated 16 refugees to South Sudan’s capital, Juba and on 19 June, MAF’s Andy MacDonald relocated 11 refugees.

Refugees are relieved to land in Juba after their double ordeal (credit: Jenny Davies)

MAF’s three-hour journey from Renk to Juba including mandatory refuelling via Malakal, is the safest and easiest travel option to relocate refugees to the capital.

Travelling to Juba with MAF avoids 600 miles of difficult terrain, whether it’s many hours of dangerous driving on pot-holed ridden dirt tracks or precarious boat crossings.

MAF is also flying refugees to Malakal – en-route to Juba – where they can access good transport links to other parts of South Sudan. MAF pilot Jonathan Pound is only too happy to help:

‘I find it very rewarding. I’m just overjoyed to be part of the process of bringing refugees to safety. Flights like these are part of the reason I became a pilot in the first place. I love the fact we can fill the plane right up with people. No spare seats!’

Measles and flooding

Housing refugees is not without its challenges.

Renk’s transit camps are reportedly battling a measles outbreak, with many refugee children already infected with the disease before they crossed the border at Jodda.

The rainy season is also hampering relief efforts. The transit camps have flooded and dirt tracks to Renk Airstrip with vehicles carrying refugees, have turned into mud sighs Jonathan:

‘It’s been raining a lot. The four-wheel drive was just sliding all over the place. I’m sure it was a very muddy, slippery, slow journey to the airstrip. Thankfully they managed to get through. They all look very happy to be on the plane.’

The rainy season in South Sudan can make roads impassable (credit: Scott Larkin)

Fellow pilot Tobias Meyer agrees:

‘Two days ago, it rained really hard and flooded the camps. The UN’s International Organisation for Migration and ACTED brought murram (road surface material) into the camps to try and raise the levels. The transit camps are literally flooded by both people and water.’

Living conditions at the camps are appalling

The transit camps at Renk are chaotic (credit: Tobias Meyer)

Many refugees are fleeing Sudan with little more than the clothes on their back.

After their ordeal of escaping conflict, new arrivals in Renk are then faced with appalling living conditions such as limited food supplies, not enough clean drinking water and inadequate healthcare and sanitation.

Substandard shelter is a huge problem says Tobias:

‘We saw one of the big tents set up to house refugees – it’s currently home to 23 families!

‘Then there’s the area outside the transit camps – people are just camping under bushes using every available space. They’re staying in some pretty challenging conditions.’

One official camp tent housed 23 families in Renk (credit: Tobias Meyer)

Other families are forced to make their own shelter elsewhere (credit: Tobias Meyer)

There is much suffering in the camps – children and the elderly are reportedly dying from preventable causes like hunger and dehydration. Those living in makeshift camps outside of the main transit centre are susceptible to catching pneumonia given the cold nights and poor protection from the rains.

Akoch Manheim, Chair of Citizens’ Call and his team, recently witnessed the death of a child right in front of them.

As rain engulfs the region for the next five months making roads increasingly impassable, getting food and medicine to Renk by air is more critical than ever.

Lifesaving supplies are loaded onto MAF’s plane destined for Renk (credit: Jenny Davies)

Andy MacDonald organises cargo before setting off from Juba (credit: Jenny Davies)

MAF delivers lifesaving food aid

Since 30 May, MAF has been working with Citizens’ Call to alleviate the suffering of refugees across Renk’s transit camps.

In partnership with Citizens’ Call, MAF has been delivering medical supplies and boxes of RUTF (ready-to-use-therapeutic food) from Juba to Renk to treat severe malnutrition within the camps.

Duku Richard loads boxes of RUTF onto plane for Renk’s refugees (credit: Jenny Davies)

One box of RUTF sachets will feed one acutely malnourished child (credit: Jenny Davies)

MAF pilot Andy MacDonald explains his cargo:

‘The ten boxes are equally split between medicine and therapeutic food that will meet people’s needs in some of Renk’s camps. The sachets will be given to children over 6 months old who are suffering from acute malnutrition. Each sachet is made from peanuts, milk and whey protein and will provide exactly 500 calories of nutrition for each child.

‘One box containing around 150 sachets will treat one child for 6-8 weeks – the time it takes for them to recover. It may not seem like much, but ten boxes will help ten vulnerable children survive a conflict that they are too young to understand.

‘The space required for ten boxes of RUTF is equivalent to ten refugees we can
evacuate on one flight.’

‘When you stop and reflect on the reality facing these people, you realise how much food and medicine are needed. This cargo will benefit refugees looking for a way to leave this nightmare behind.’

Families have fled conflict only to live in appalling camp conditions (credit: Tobias Meyer)

MAF’s Global Disaster Response team are closely monitoring the situation in Sudan. If and when demands from partner NGOs increase, MAF will look to increase the number of flights in the coming weeks subject to funding.