UNHCR East and Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes Region Regional Overview - Internally Displaced Persons (July-September 2023) - Sudan

OVERVIEW

As of 30 September, the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes (EHAGL) region was hosting around 14.6 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in five countries – mainly in Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Compared to the last quarterly update, the estimated number has risen by 2.4 million essentially due to the fact that the reporting of IDPs in Tigray, Ethiopia has resumed and the conflict in Sudan continues to generate displacement inside its own borders.

Considering that a significant proportion of displacements in the region stem from conflicts - 10 of the 14 million - and many conflicts remain active in a very fluid context, the protection focus is mainly on life-saving activities informed by protection monitoring and ensuring the provision of shelters and core relief items (CRIs). At the same time, there is a strong focus in the region on the pursuit of durable solutions. While numerous IDP returns are taking place in the region, most are self-organized rather than facilitated, and therefore difficult to quantify.

In line with the Global tri-cluster leadership approach and revised UNHCR Policy on Engagement in Situations of Internal Displacement (2019), UNHCR is leading or co-leading the Protection, Camp Coordination and Camp Management, and Shelter/NFI clusters in most countries.