Action points based on findings:

• Implement the 2017 Persons with Disabilities Act.
• Implement and financially support the Victim Assistance Strategic Framework (2017–2019).
• Finalize the establishment of new rehabilitation centers in five states.

Victim assistance commitments

The Republic of Sudan is responsible for a significant number of landmine survivors, cluster munition victims, and survivors of other ERW who are in need. Sudan has made commitments to provide victim assistance through its membership in the Mine Ban Treaty.

Sudan ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 24 April 2009.

Victim Assistance since in 2015

Victim assistance in Sudan is practically implemented as two separate programs: one in the central and eastern parts of the country run by the government and various national and international NGOs; the other in the states of Darfur run by the African Union/UN mission.

The continuing conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile has reduced the availability of emergency care and all other victim assistance services in those states.

In central and eastern Sudan, all victim assistance services are provided by international and national organizations and NGOs; no specific victim assistance services are offered by the government of Sudan. The National Mine Action Center (NMAC) leads the inter-ministerial, inter-sectoral coordination mechanism for victim assistance, with the exception of programs in Darfur targeting explosive remnants of war (ERW) survivors and other persons with disabilities, which are coordinated by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Assistance for landmine survivors in Sudan has been irregular and insufficient to address the size of the problem. There had been some improvements in the legislation and policies setting, along with an expansion in the physical rehabilitation centers in Sudan. The government of Sudan recognizes the problem, but continues to prioritize mine clearance over victim assistance. Overall, there is a lack of adequate support for services, and a lack of awareness of persons with disabilities of what services are available. In rural areas, the availability of services is almost nil outside of Darfur.[1]

The establishment of the National Disability Council along with counterpart state-level councils in 18 states of Sudan as the key actors for all disabilities matters, regardless of the disability types or causes, was planned to contribute in the inclusion of survivors’ rights as the rights of persons with disabilities.

Victim Assistance in 2016

Needs assessment

No needs assessment was reported for Sudan in 2016.

Victim assistance coordination[2]

The National Strategic Framework of Victim Assistance and the Victim Assistance Multi-Year Plan 2007–2011 had expired by 2012. In August 2016 the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR Japan), supported by UNMAS, hosted the first Development of National Victim Assistance Strategic Framework Workshop in Khartoum.[3] AAR Japan continued to facilitate the development of a national framework and work plan for victim assistance by conducting four workshops and eight task force meetings to develop the revised national strategy. AAR Japan submitted the Victim Assistance Strategic Framework and National Multi-year Work Plan to NMAC in March 2017.[4] The objectives of the plan include: the development of a system for data collection and management of victim data; effective and sustainable services, including enhancing medical services coverage of affected areas; promoting psychological rehabilitation; establishing a psychological support system; development and implementation of economic inclusion programs; and promoting of effective coordination, advocacy, legislation, and policies.[5]

In addition to the Victim Assistance Work Plan, the Sudan National Council for Persons with Disabilities has a five-year workplan to respond to the main focus areas in the CRPD, including legislations and policies, legal assistance, health, education, family empowerment and social protection, and participation in political and public life.

Participation and inclusion in victim assistance

In order to develop the capacity of persons with disabilities, advocacy workshops on integrating the rights of persons with disabilities in the plans of the various relevant states ministries were conducted in Khartoum, Gadreif, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile states. The workshops were organized in coordination with councils for persons with disabilities. Nine states held celebrations on the International Day of Persons with the Disabilities, with events including workshops and training courses, exhibitions, group marriages, and other cultural and sporting events.[6]

The UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)-Ordnance Disposal Office (ODO), through its advocacy support activities, printed booklets on the CRPD and conducted training and awareness sessions for participants from State Legislative Council, civil servants, and persons with disabilities unions in the five states of Darfur.[7] 

Service accessibility and effectiveness

Victim assistance activities[8]

Emergency and continuing medical care

ICRC provided ongoing support to emergency and medical care for war-wounded persons. A hospital in Khartoum and an international organization that operates clinics in Darfur received medical supplies and equipment in 2016.[9]

Physical rehabilitation, including prosthetics

NAPO cooperated with the Al-Neelain University to open the Prosthetics and Orthotics Sciences College in December 2016.[10] NAPO operates eight rehabilitation centers and a mobile prosthetics workshop, with support from the government of Sudan. A ninth center, in North Kordofan state, was opened in 2016 with support from the ICRC in the form of machinery, equipment, and raw materials.[11] The government of Sudan has also supported the construction of another four rehabilitation centers. Those were not yet in operation as of April 2017.[12]

With support from the Ministry of Finance, NAPO imported raw materials for prosthetics and orthotics for the first time in the amount of US$500,000.[13]

In addition to the government run rehabilitation centers, some privately-run centers operate in Khartoum, including the Hope City center and the Cheshire Home for Disabled Children.[14]

Economic inclusion

Some 600 persons with disabilities in 12 states received interest-free loans for small projects through the fund of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security. The fund was managed through the Saving and Development Bank and the states councils for persons with disabilities.[15]

UNAMID-ODO supported the establishment and the enhancement of vocational training facilities for persons with disabilities in several states of Darfur. UNAMID partnered with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Union of Persons of Physical Disability to provide vocational training classes.[16]

Psychological support and socioeconomic inclusion

AAR Japan implemented Mine Risk Education and Victims Assistance project in Kassala state in Sudan from the first of June 2016 to the end of March 2017, funded by UNMAS. All of the 35 beneficiaries received psychosocial support including counseling. Five people received prosthetics and rehabilitation, 10 received mobility aids (tricycles), and 20 received small business grants. The project also supported the NAPO Kassala center by placing one physiotherapist in the center for seven months.[17]

Laws and policies

The Sudan Act for the Persons with Disabilities for the year 2017 was adopted by the National Assembly in January 2017 and signed by the president in February 2017.[18]

The labor law of Sudan reserves 5% of all government jobs for persons with disabilities, but it is unclear how well this measure is enforced or what the actual rate of employment for persons with disabilities in the government is.[19]

The Sudan National Council for Persons with Disabilities hosted 15 conferences with specific federal ministries in November 2016. Each ministry discussed the inclusion of persons with disabilities within its mandate. Outcomes from the conferences were submitted to the president’s office and the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security.[20] In addition, the National Council for Persons with Disabilities conducted a national conference for disability issues on 30 November 2016.