Proposal for continuation of VSF-Belgium Fight Against Lineage One Rinderpest Virus Project for Southern Sudan, March to October 2004.

The last foci of lineage 1 rinderpest virus in Africa is believed to lie in the southern region ofSudan. The cattle populations in the border areas of southern Sudan move across internationalborders for pasture and trade. Identification and elimination of any remaining endemic areasin southern Sudan is therefore crucial for rinderpest eradication from the east and centralAfrica regions. Much progress has been made towards this during 2002-3 in the first twoyears of the Fight Against Lineage 1 Rinderpest Virus Project This project aims toconcentrate surveillance activities in the higher risk areas of southern Sudan in order toidentify and eliminate the remaining foci and contribute to the final eradication of lineage onerinderpest virus from Africa.Southern Sudan has a long history of underdevelopment and conflict. Since independencewas granted to Sudan in 1956 there has been civil war between south and north, apart from aperiod of peace between 1972 and 1983. Millions of people, mainly civilians, have beenkilled, displaced or are refugees. Southern Sudan is controlled partly by the Government andpartly by rebel groups. The prolonged conflict has created what is described as a chronic,complex emergency; development has been prevented, infrastructure has been destroyed,trade and transport routes have been disrupted, schools and health services are almost nonexistent, and administrative structures are minimal and have few resources. The effects of aseries of droughts and floods have been exacerbated by the conflict, causing periodicfamines. Internationally mediated peace talks are currently proving successful and there isgreat hope that a peace agreement will be signed in early 2004.Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) is a consortium of United Nations (UN) agencies and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) that is providing humanitarian assistance to the waraffected communities of southern Sudan. OLS activities include assistance for food relief,water, human health, education, fisheries, crop production, animal health and others. OLSsouthern sector (OLS-SS) operates in the areas of southern Sudan that are controlled by rebelgroups, and gains access to these areas via Kenya and Uganda. The largest rebel group ofsouthern Sudan is the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), which forms the defacto government in the areas under its control. Other smaller rebel groups control parts ofUpper Nile and Jonglei regions. The relief sections of these movements, SRRC (Sudan Reliefand Rehabilitation Commission), and FRRA (Fashoda Relief and Rehabilitation Association)are the counterparts of the southern sector livestock programme.OLS northern sector (OLS-NS) works in the areas of southern Sudan that are under thecontrol of the Government. The Government, specifically the Department of Animal Health.and Epizootic Disease Control (AHEADC), which includes PACE Sudan, is the counterpartof the northern sector livestock programme.