On April 3, inter-communal violence erupted in Ag Geneina town. Several IDP camps were destroyed, with IDPs fleeing to neighboring locations. The latest outbreak of violence further deteriorates an already dire situation for the internally displaced people in Ag Geneina whose number has now exceeded 169,000.

On April 19, inter-agency teams carried out an inter-sector rapid needs assessment in gathering points in Ag Geneina town that reported new arrivals since April 3. Before the events of April 3, there were 84 gathering sites around Ag Geneina town. After the most recent incidents of violence, 47 sites reported newly arrived people – with 13 sites having been newly established. The inter-agency teams found about 65,400 newly displaced people accommodated in the 47 sites.

On April 29, UN agencies including UNFPA, conducted an Inter-agency needs assessment in potential return areas in the Al Jabal neighbourhood where government security forces were heavily deployed. Security and protection are key concerns for the newly displaced population in Ag Geneina and Al Jabal areas. There have been reports of threats, including demanding money from women in exchange for not harming their children. More than 40 percent of gathering sites reported cases of gender-based violence (GBV). Sexual harassment/abuse is the most reported GBV concern, with most respondents indicating that such abuses happen outside the gathering site when collecting firewood, water or going to the market. There are reports that men do not feel safe leaving the gathering sites.

Furthermore, UNFPA estimates that 40,560 women and girls are of reproductive age (15-49 y/o); 4,040 women are pregnant, with 449 expected deliveries in May; 808 women will experience complications during childbirth; 87,000 persons will need immediate GBV response; and 811 persons will seek sexual violence response services .