LADUE LD

LADUE LDCURRENT AID SITUATIONS

Current Aid Events(courtesy of Shira)Resolved: Placing political conditions on humanitarian aid to foreign countries is unjust.

Table of ContentsBulgaria3Nigeria4Central African Republic5Chad6Colombia7North Korea8Democratic Republic of Congo9Italy10Syria11Malawi12Mali13Myanmar/Thailand14Palestine15Pakistan16Afghanistan17Somalia18South Sudan19Turkey20EU Relations21

Bulgaria

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/3/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/bulgaria/bulgaria-shamed-over-asylum-seekers)Asylum seekers in Bulgaria, including many fleeing from war-torn Syria, are being held in appalling conditions, sometimes for months on end. They lack access to food, sanitation or basic medical care. They are also at risk of arbitrary detention and face lengthy delays in registration and are routinely deprived of access to fair and effective asylum procedures. The [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] argues that due to systemic deficiencies in the reception conditions and asylum procedures, EU Member States should not return asylum-seekers to Bulgaria even if it is the first country of entry. Under the EU regulation the first country of entry is responsible for the determination of their status. "The position of the UNHCR must be treated as a serious criticism of the failure of Bulgarian authorities to provide adequate access to food, shelter and healthcare for asylum-seekers. In the next three months the Bulgaria must take immediate steps to improve these deplorable conditions, said Barbora Cernusakova. The Bulgarian authorities are failing their international obligations to take adequate measures to respond to the large number of people arriving at the borders of the country. According to government statistics 11 606 entered the country in 2013. As a result, hundreds of people in need of protection have ended up living for months in appalling conditions and without timely and unimpeded access to asylum procedure.

Nigeria

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/24/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/some-5500-nigerians-flee-cameroon-and-niger)Nigeria's northern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe have been under states of emergency since May 2013. The continuing violence has displaced thousands of people. Of those who have fled to Cameroon, most are in the Logone-et-Chari area of Far North Region. With this new influx, there are now 12,428 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon, according to local Cameroonian authorities. Of that number 2,183 have so far been moved to a UNHCR camp at Minawao, 130 kilometres further inland. Together with partner agencies we are providing refugees with shelter, health, sanitation, education, food, and other help. In Niger, the new refugee arrivals have been in the Diffa region of south-east Niger. Refugees say they fled a January 16 mosque attack in the village of Gashagar just across the border. Seven people were reportedly killed during the attack, and seven cars were burned as well as 60 shops. The refugees are being hosted by local communities and most are women and children. UNHCR is sending relief aid. A government census released last November showed that some 37,000 people including 8,000 Nigerians and 30,000 Niger nationals who were living in Nigeria have been displaced into the Diffa region since May 2013. In early December, the Niger government issued a decree granting temporary refugee status to Nigerians who fled the three states under states of emergency in Nigeria.ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/30/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/niger/displaced-boko-haram-nigerians-risk-invisibility-niger)Up to 37,000 people - both Nigerians and Nigeriens - have fled Boko Haram violence in northeastern Nigeria since early 2012, and most are sheltering with families in neighbouring Niger, but the aid response thus far has been patchy. Government efforts to register the displaced have been slow, and the refugees among them have yet to be given refugee status. But aid agencies and the government have struggled to reach all of the displaced. Because they are staying with host families in some 20 villages, they are less visible. "They are so dispersed, it's very hard to respond or to reach them," said Daniel Hadji Abdou, the director of Diffa's registry office (DREC), which is charged with registering the displaced.

Central African Republic

In Garoua-Boula , a small village bordering eastern [Central African Republic], local authorities have reported receiving around 3,000 new refugees during the past few weeks, and an additional 1,500 have been registered in the Adamaoua region. The refugees are fleeing conflict in CAR that escalated in December 2013...In the upcoming year, WFP plans to assist over 60,000 refugees from CAR through a recently-launched relief and recovery operation. Targeted beneficiaries will include new refugees living in camps as well as refugees scattered in villages along the CAR border that have been in the country for several years. Relief assistance is provided to the most vulnerable refugees through general food distributions and nutritional assistance to malnourished children and women. Recovery assistance is also provided to refugees living in Cameroon on a more long-term basis in order to increase their self-sufficiency.ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/31/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/un-calls-donors-close-massive-funding-gap)Unless additional funding is secured for the Central African Republic (CAR), nearly two million desperate people will be forced to go without food and basic necessities, the United Nations said today, as regional leaders attending an African Union summit in Ethiopia discuss ways to stop the ongoing fighting. UN and humanitarian organizations urgently have requested $551 million to provide vital relief and protection to 1.9 million people across the country over the next three months, but the appeal is only 11 per cent funded, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Briefing journalists in Geneva, OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke estimated that about half of the countrys population is in urgent need of basic aid, Funding is a big issue, and because of the developments on the ground, the initial appeal had been doubled. UN considers [Central African Republic] as a crisis of the highest priority, along with Syria and the Philippines in the aftermath of the typhoon, he added. The lack of proper transport infrastructure is a major obstacle for the more than 4,000 aid staff operating in the country on behalf of at least 76 humanitarian organizations. The crisis in the CAR which began when the mostly Muslim Slka rebels launched attacks a year ago, and has recently taken on increasingly sectarian overtones as militias known as anti-Balaka (anti-machete), who are mainly Christians, take up arms is the focus of todays discussion at an African Union (AU) summit.

Chad

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/24/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/chad/influx-returnees-raises-humanitarian-needs-chad)The Chadian Government has established an air bridge and [a] humanitarian corridor between the two countries to facilitate the repatriation of Chadian citizens based in the Central African Republic. As of 20 January, more than 41,700 persons had been repatriated more than eight out of ten of them women and children.

Colombia

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/30/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/colombia-moving-tragedy-development-0)Internal displacement as a result of ongoing armed conflict continues to occur in Colombia. Almost 3.9 million IDPs have been recorded since 1997. The search to resolve the situation of this huge population has become a priority for the Government and there are many needs for the displaced, including humanitarian aid, protection and opportunities for working towards more permanent and sustainable livelihoods. Realistically speaking, many of Colombias IDPs cannot hope to return to their homes in the near future.

North Korea

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/13/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/republic-korea/1500-n-koreans-escape-south-2013-ministry)More than 1,500 North Koreans fled to South Korea last year, maintaining a recent fall in the number of escapees that coincided with a clampdown by new leader Kim Jong-Un. Five years ago the annual number of escapees was close to 3,000, but the number dropped sharply after Kim came to power in December 2011, following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il. The number of North Koreans fleeing to the South -- most of them via China -- slumped to 1,502 in 2012, while last year the figure was slightly higher at 1,516, Seoul's unification ministry said. Under Kim Jong-Un, the isolated state tightened border security and stepped up diplomatic campaigns to have refugees hiding in China repatriated. The majority of refugees secretly cross the border to China before travelling to a neighbouring Southeast Asian country, where they arrange to fly on to Seoul for resettlement. China -- the North's sole major ally -- typically considers them illegal economic migrants and repatriates them despite criticisms from human rights groups. Many face severe punishment including, rights monitors say, torture and a term in a prison camp once they are sent back to the North. A rare repatriation in May of nine mostly teenage North Koreans arrested in Laos -- previously considered a relatively safe transit point -- was condemned by South Korea and the United Nations. In total, about 26,1000 North Korean defectors have resettled in the South since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, mostly after the great famine in the 1990s.

Democratic Republic of Congo

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/30/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/civilians-still-suffering-north-kivu-and-katanga)The deterioration in the security situation and the arrival of the rainy season have made it more difficult for the [International Committee of the Red Cross] to carry out its activities in the north-central part of Katanga [in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]. It has not yet been possible to complete the distribution of essential supplies to 33,000 people that began in October. Entire communities are dispersed, exposed to the elements and vulnerable to disease. This is a matter of concern for the ICRC, which stands ready to deliver the planned assistance as soon as the security situation permits.

Italy

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/28/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/italy/migrants-risking-lives-mediterranean-topped-45000-2013-iom)Over 45,000 migrants risked their lives in the Mediterranean to reach Italy and Malta in 2013. The arrivals are the highest since 2008, with the exception of 2011 the year of the Libyan crisis. More than 42,900 landed in Italy and 2,800 landed in Malta. Of those who arrived in Italy, over 5,400 were women and 8,300 were minors some 5,200 of them unaccompanied. Most of the landings took place in Lampedusa (14,700) and along the coast around Syracuse in Sicily (14,300). This year migration towards Italys southern shores tells that there has been an increase in the number of people escaping from war and oppressive regimes, says Jos Angel Oropeza, Director of IOMs Coordinating Office for the Mediterranean in Rome. Most of the migrants came from Syria (11,300), Eritrea (9,800) and Somalia (3,200). All of them were effectively forced to leave their countries and they have the right to receive protection under the Italian law, he notes. Landings are continuing in January 2014. On 24 January, 204 migrants were rescued by the Italian navy in the Straits of Sicily and landed in Augusta, close to Syracuse. The real emergency in the Mediterranean is represented by those migrants who continue to lose their lives at sea. They disappear and their loss simply remains unknown. The identification of the bodies is still a humanitarian issue to be resolved. Numerous relatives of the victims are still waiting to know if their loved ones are among the bodies collected after Octobers shipwrecks, says Oropeza. Over 20,000 people have died in the past twenty years trying to reach the Italian coast. They include 2,300 in 2011 and around 700 in 2013.

Syria

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/31/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/jordan/winter-weather-exposes-syrian-refugees-jordan-more-hardship)Thousands of Syrian refugee families now living in Jordan share the fate of Manal's family escaping the violence of civil war to save their lives and left with nothing, a home reduced to rubble, a lifetime of hard work erased in a flash. Winter weather only heightens their misery as they struggle at night against the cold desert winds with little protection. International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is responding to thousands of Syrian refugee families with urgently [need] humanitarian relief to get them through the winter. Working with community based partners, IOCC, an ACT Alliance member, is distributing warm clothing, winter blankets, food, hygiene kits, mattresses, insulating rugs, and school kits to Syrian refugee families living in the capital city of Amman and the Jordanian governorates of Irbid, Mafraq, Ajloun, Jerash, and Madaba. IOCC is also providing winter relief items as well as household items such as cookware and food parcels to vulnerable Jordanian families to help ease the burden of those hosting Syrian refugees or indirectly affected by this humanitarian crisis. Since 2012, [International Orthodox Christian Charities] has assisted 890,000 Syrian refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Armenia, as well as to Syrian families displaced in their own country by civil strife.ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2/1/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syria-death-toll-tops-136000-future-talks-uncertain)The death toll in Syria's civil war has topped 136,000 after January saw one of the conflict's bloodiest months, an NGO said Saturday, as violence claimed yet more civilian lives. The prospects of a peaceful outcome looked dim after 10 days of talks in Geneva yielded no tangible results and the regime said it was unsure whether it would return to the negotiating table.ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/31/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/starving-access-syria-s-yarmouk-camp)The refugee camp of Yarmouk represents one of the most severe examples of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, with foreign aid agencies unable to enter the opposition-controlled area that been effectively besieged since December 2012. Responsibility for the plight of the primarily Palestinian Yarmouk population has been almost exclusively directed toward the Syrian government, whose forces control the periphery of the camp. Approximately 18,000 residents are besieged within Yarmouk as fighting continues around and sporadically within in the area. The people of Yarmouk face what [Christopher Gunness, United Nations Relief and Works Agency spokesperson] describes as unimaginable human suffering. Children are experiencing various symptoms of malnutrition, such as rickets and anaemia, women have died in childbirth because of a lack of medial care, there is no clean water nor electricity, and aid deliveries have slowed to a trickle. At present, reports indicate that at least 49 people have died of malnutrition and government snipers have targeted people foraging for food in nearby areas.

Malawi

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/22/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/malawi/unhcr-pilots-new-biometrics-system-malawi-refugee-camp)UNHCR experts are currently reviewing the results of the pilot exercise and making recommendations for improvements, with the aim being to produce a biometrics system for the refugee agency that is fast, intuitive, secure, durable and easy to use in varied and challenging environments across the world. It should be ready for rollout to the field in the second half of this year. "The experience in Malawi will inform our decision on further development and roll-out of the new biometrics tool in our operations around the world," said Steven Corliss, director of UNHCR's division of programme support and management. "Improving the accuracy of registration data is a priority for [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] in our efforts to make a positive impact in the lives of the people we serve. It is also of significant importance to host governments," he added. When rolled out, the integrated biometric solution will support all standard registration activities, playing a leading part in the implementation of the policy on biometrics in refugee registration and verification, issued by the agency in 2010. Over the month-long exercise in Dzaleka, the nearly 17,000 refugees reported to UNHCR staff in the camp's registration centre to have their individual data verified and to enrol their biometric data, scanning their fingerprints, face and iris images into the new system. "It has always been a challenge for the government to establish who is who in the camp; this is one way of solving the situation," said a Malawi government official.

Mali

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/31/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/mali/mali-s-displaced-still-have-nothing-return)In January 2012, a Tuareg rebellion triggered a series of events that led to the fall of almost two-thirds of Malis territory. The Tuareg rebels were soon ousted by Islamist movements, several of which are linked to Al Qaeda. But military intervention from French, and later African, troops, liberated the north in January 2013 and led to elections here in July of that year. But hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and refugees have still not returned to their homes. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Mali says that, as of January, there are 217,811 displaced persons, mostly in the southern part of the country and in Bamako. It is a reduction from the 353,455 IDPs recorded in June 2013. In addition, about 167,000 refugees remain in camps in neighbouring countries.

Myanmar/Thailand

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/29/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/thailand/us-wraps-group-resettlement-myanmar-refugees-thailand)In addition to the US departures, some 19,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand have gone to other resettlement countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland and Japan, in the last nine years. "The end of this chapter does not mean that resettlement is closed completely," said Mireille Girard, UNHCR's representative in Thailand. "UNHCR will continue to identify and submit refugees with specific protection needs on an individual basis to various countries. We are also working with the Thai government and resettlement countries to reunite families and make sure family members can be resettled together." There are an estimated 120,000 Myanmar refugees remaining in the nine camps in Thailand, including more than 40,000 not registered by the Thai authorities.

Palestine

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/31/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/nowhere-go-palestinian-families-left-without-homes)Nowhere to go: Palestinian families left without homes The negative psycho-social impact also extends to the thousands of Area C Palestinian residents threatened with outstanding demolition orders. They live in fear that their homes or other structures could be demolished by the Israeli authorities at any moment. According to humanitarian organizations working in Palestine, the number of structures demolished by the Israeli authorities in the Jordan Valley in 2013 more than doubled, from 192 in 2012 to 393 in 2013. UN OCHA in Jerusalem reported that, in 2013, the Israeli authorities demolished 663 Palestinian-owned homes and livelihood structures, displacing over 1,000 people, 25% more people than in 2012. In addition, OCHA reported that 122 out of the total demolished structures in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, were donor-funded, of which 49 structures were funded by the EU and/or its Member States. Fourteen agencies, part of the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) and other regional networks of human rights, had asked the international community to put pressure on the Israeli Authorities to cancel the order of eviction against the families in Jiftlik, before the demolitions took place. We are writing to urge you to take action to halt the imminent eviction of Palestinian families, including 15 children, from their homes in the Jordan Valley village of Jiftlik.

Pakistan

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/31/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/situation-report-north-wazinstan-pakistan-displacement)Following a series of armed attacks across the country by government-identified political militants this month, the Pakistan government has been cracking down, including performing small-scale air strike operations in the northern area of North Waziristan. Thousands of families have reportedly fled because of the escalating tensions. At least 6,000 families have moved out of North Waziristan. The government has maintained that forces are targeting only the militants hideouts. However, the fear of being hit even unintentionally by both military and militants has forced local residents to vacate their homes. The exact number of displaced families cannot be assessed at the moment as the figures being reported by authorities vary, CWS staff in Pakistan report. An official from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority has confirmed that around 6,000 families had been displaced but half of them have returned to their homes. But local people report that perhaps more than 70,000 individuals have left their homes.ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/30/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/nowhere-come-cold)The government [of Pakistan] launched a military operation against the Taliban in Khyber Agency in April 2012. Around 200,000 residents fled and took refuge in Jalozai camp. The camp hosts 12,580 families, or 60,765 people. As if leaving their homes and hearths behind were not enough, winter is now making life miserable. Doctors say 90 percent of people at the camp are suffering from cold-related illnesses such as chest congestion, sore throat and fever. Their continuous exposure to dry and frosty weather coupled with the absence of gas and firewood for heating has left them at the mercy of the unrelenting cold. The icy water isnt usable at all, Dr Samiullah Khan says. Women and children are the worst hit, he says. We examined 7,548 children and 6,587 women from Jan. 1 to Jan 22. Extreme winter is responsible for their condition, he says.

Afghanistan

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/31/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/life-end-world-s-largest-refugee-repatriation)Millions of Afghans fled over the border to Pakistan following the communist takeover in the late 1970s. Now, the majority have returned, transporting their belongings, and hopes, back home in overloaded trucks up the Khyber pass and across the Torkham border post. The overthrow of the Taliban brought with it the promise of peace and billions in development money, while in Pakistan the closure of certain refugee camps persuaded many Afghan families to return. But for returns to be sustainable, humanitarians say refugees need a number of key things: land, jobs and basic services, all in the right place. So far, the returnees - who make up around a quarter of Afghanistans current population - have been struggling. While official refugee returnees are generally thought to receive more support and have stronger coping mechanisms than the countrys 620,000 conflict-affected internally displaced people (IDPs), in reality their situations can be quite similar. Around 1.6 million registered Afghan refugees continue to live Pakistan, waiting for land and livelihood solutions that will offer them a reason to leave their host country.ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/31/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/uncertainty-delays-afghan-refugee-return)Last year, just over 31,000 registered Afghan refugees, or 6,318 families, voluntarily repatriated to Afghanistan with UNHCR support from Pakistan down from 86,000 in 2012. From 2002 to 2010, following the overthrow of the Taliban government, voluntarily repatriations from Pakistan averaged more than 400,000 each year. More than 8,000 Afghan refugees returned from Iran in 2013.

Somalia

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/28/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/international-protection-considerations-regard-people-fleeing-southern-and-central)Southern and Central Somalia remains a very dangerous place. While there are no complete statistics on conflict-related casualties, data compiled by ACLED, a research group, shows there were more casualties [in Somalia] in 2012 and early 2013 than in 2011. Monthly fatalities fluctuated between 100 and 600 people. In June 2013, fierce fighting resulted in 314 casualties in Kismayo alone. Civilians are at risk of being killed or wounded in crossfire between government forces and Al-Shabaab militants as well as by bomb attacks and as bystanders in targeted attacks. Even in Mogadishu, nominally under government control with the backing of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Al-Shabaab has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to stage deadly attacks. As a result of the ongoing fighting and human rights abuses, thousands of civilians continue to be displaced both within and outside of Somalia. More than 57,800 people were newly displaced in Southern and Central Somalia between January and September 2013. As of 1 October 2013, the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in this part of Somalia was estimated at 893,000, out of a total of 1.1 million IDPs countrywide. Displaced women are particularly vulnerable with consistent reports of widespread rape and perpetrators remaining unpunished. Between January and November 2013, 21,517 Somalis sought asylum in neighbouring countries. In addition, Somalis filed 20,600 asylum claims in 44 industrialized countries in 2013, compared to 18,701 claims in 2012. While more than 33,000 spontaneous returns were recorded between January and November 2013, many may not have been permanent. As of end 2012, the number of Somali refugees worldwide was 1.136 million.

South SudanReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/31/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/we-must-not-fail-protection-south-sudan-s-idps-un-expert-warns-amid-ongoing)The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, today urged the UN system and the international community to give total priority to the safety and security of South Sudans displaced populations. The armed conflict in South Sudan has resulted in a widespread displacement and protection crisis, and violence continues unabated despite the agreement to cease hostilities reached on 23 January, Mr. Beyani noted. In attending to this crisis, we as a whole system must ensure that protection is up front, and not fail in protecting South Sudans internally displaced. Targeted attacks against civilians, including women and children, are not acceptable, the expert stated with concern over the ethnic politicization of the armed [the] conflict that has uprooted almost 650,000 South Sudanese. Some 80,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) sought refuge in protected areas of the UN Mission in South Sudan, while the majority fled elsewhere within the country.ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 2/2/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-says-red-cross-worked-outside-mandate)Sudan on Sunday said it suspended activities of the international Red Cross because it violated guidelines for working in the war-torn country. "We observe[d] that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is doing activities outside of its mandate under international law and the agreement with the government of Sudan," said a statement from Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commission, which confirmed it suspended ICRC's activities as of February 1. It is the latest restriction on foreign aid workers in the country, where rebels are fighting the government in Darfur, the Kordofan region and Blue Nile state.ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/30/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/south-sudan-crisis-situation-report-30-january-2014-report-number-15) An estimated 740,000 people are displaced inside South Sudan, with the largest increase in Unity State. Another 123,400 people have fled to neighbouring countries. Clashes were reported in Jonglei, Lakes and Unity states, with displacement increasing in Koch and Leer counties. People displaced are hosted in over 100 locations, with 18 sites hosting over 10,000 people each. Aid organizations have assisted nearly 300,000 people so far; the majority outside UN bases in rural areas.Turkey

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/24/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/turkey/iom-aids-syrian-refugees-turkey-winter-relief-items)[International Organization for Migration] has delivered winter relief items to over 3,160 Syrian refugee families in Kirikhan in Turkeys Hatay province since Christmas to help them to cope with freezing weather and harsh living conditions. The project, which is funded by the European Commission (ECHO), is primarily targeting Syrians living in Hatays Kirikhan area, which borders Syria. An estimated 25,000 Syrian refugees live in Kirikhan, most of them in appalling conditions. Many are living in abandoned homes, unfinished construction sites and farm buildings. Some are in tents and makeshift shelters. Those that are able to rent homes can usually only afford the worst, damp buildings, badly in need of repairs.

EU Relations

ReliefWeb 14 (run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 1/30/14 http://reliefweb.int/report/world/eu-law-interpretation-be-given-concept-internal-armed-conflict-must-be-independent)An EU Directive protects not only persons who can qualify for recognition as refugees, but also persons who do not qualify for this status but in respect of whom substantial grounds have been shown for believing that, if returned to their country of origin or country of former habitual residence, they would face a real risk of suffering serious harm (subsidiary protection regime). Serious harm consists, inter alia, in a serious and individual threat to a civilians life or person by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict.