18 November 2014 - The United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) today contributed £1.6 million to for expansion of the UNMISS protection site in the Upper Nile state capital Malakal.

Making the announcement, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) noted that partners were taking
advantage of the onset of the dry season to complete expansion of the Malakal protection site, which provides emergency shelter and protection to over 17,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), as others continue to trickle in.

“Fighting in the area is ongoing and it is unlikely that residents will be able to leave in the near future,” the statement said. “Conditions on the site, which floods during South Sudan’s long rainy season, are congested and unsanitary.”

According to IOM, site planners as well as water and sanitation teams are currently digging drainage trenches, expanding the berm and raising the foundation of the site to provide a developed and dry base for emergency shelters.

The statement added that these improvements would ensure appropriate drainage and reduce the risk of future flooding.

“This is the first time IOM South Sudan has received bi-lateral funding from DFID since the country’s independence in 2011,” said IOM South Sudan Chief of Mission David Derthick. “This contribution in the last quarter of 2014 has come at a critical moment and is enabling us to directly address vital gaps.”

DFID will also contribute £2 million to the IOM-coordinated Shelter Cluster’s continued provision of tents and non-food relief items for IDPs throughout South Sudan, the statement said.

“The funding will allow the Shelter Cluster to pre-position items across the country as part of its overall dry season response planning and reduce the risk of a break in the supply pipeline,” said Mr. Derthick. “It will also allow IOM to procure and preposition items through the end of 2014 and into the beginning of 2015, while the Cluster secures more funding for the rest of 2015.”