March 2011 - Sudan continues to face many serious humanitarian challenges. In the north, the conflict in Darfur continues, with the levels of violence and insecurity, once again, increasing. This has led to the new or continued displacement of nearly two million people, leaving them reliant on international assistance for food and other basic, life-saving services. In addition to this large internally displaced population in Darfur, more than 250,000 Sudanese are also still living in eastern Chad as refugees. In the south, the recent referendum decision to secede from the north (January 2011) has brought new challenges to a region already devastated by decades of civil war and beset by inter-tribal violence and chronic natural disasters (drought, flooding). Hundreds of thousands of southerners have now decided to return to a homeland that lacks even the most basic infrastructure in many areas, overwhelming local capacity to feed, shelter, and provide basic services to the population. CIDA's support of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is helping to provided multi-faceted support to displaced populations throughout Sudan and in eastern Chad. This includes the management of displacement camps and the provision, in cooperation with other humanitarian agencies, of food, water and sanitation, medical support, shelter, and protection to camp residents. In southern Sudan, UNHCR provides support to the returns process, ensuring that displaced and returning populations have access to basic life-sustaining services and shelter in order to allow them to re-establish their lives and livelihoods.
