OCHA Situation Report No. 33
Cote d'Ivoire
11 October - 1 November 2004


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

1. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS/ HIGHLIGHTS

The SG of the Forces Nouvelles (FN), Guillaume Soro declared a state of
emergency on the 28th October and warned that civil war was imminent. He
immediately recalled all the FN members of government back to the FN held
territory and announced that the FN would be pulling out of the
disarmament process. The announcement came after the FN seized a truckload
of arms being smuggled into their zone from the government controlled
south on the 26th October. Checkpoints have been established and
reinforced throughout the zone; vehicles are systematically searched, with
no exception to humanitarian agencies. In Bouake there have been reports
of house-to-house raids in certain communities and a number of arrests. A
curfew has also been declared throughout the FN zone from 6am to 9pm. The
political and security situation has in general deteriorated during the
month of October due to the failure to meet important deadlines of the
Accra III agreement. Recent developments have cast serious doubt over the
peace process in Cote d'Ivoire.

French peacekeepers (Licorne) exchanged fire with Forces Nouvelles (FN)
troops in Dikodougou, Korhogo on the 26th October. The peacekeepers were
on an assessment mission to the village following the request of the local
authorities to rehabilitate the local school. The Force Nouvelles were
carrying out a training exercise in the same area and the Licorne mission
was caught in the middle. One soldier of the FN was seriously wounded and
one of Licorne's vehicles was completely destroyed before the French
peacekeepers pulled out. The Forces Nouvelles claim that the French troops
opened fire and that they had not been granted the right to access the
area. An open debate was broadcast on Korhogo television following the
incident, where the FN directly accused the French. It is feared that this
incident will foster further anti-French sentiment among the local
populations of the North as well as the Forces Nouvelles.

ACF has finalised a report on the water and sanitation situation in the
Northern area of Korhogo. Their survey revealed that 46% of the existing
water pumps are functional, which are only able to meet the needs of 26%
of the population.

On the 20th-21st October, OCHA led a joint multi-sectorial assessment
mission with UN-agencies and local and international NGOs, covering the
western axe of Guiglo?Blolequin. This zone is known for its hostility
towards foreigners and the difficulties of access due to the set up of
unofficial checkpoints by the village youth. Very little humanitarian
intervention has been carried out in this zone. Preliminary indications
from the mission are of great concern with identified vulnerability within
the sectors of food security, water and sanitation and protection.

2. POLITICAL SITUATION & SECURITY AND ACCESS

The political and security situation in Cote d'Ivoire has deteriorated
following the failure to fulfil a series of important deadlines of the
Accra III agreement.  The National Assembly's failure to adopt key laws
before the scheduled date of 30th September and the announcement by the
President that they would go ahead with the disarmament process
regardless, led to angry demonstrations between the 7th and 13th October
by the supporters of Force Nouvelles in Bouake and Man, targeting the UN
and French peacekeeping missions. The United Nations Secretary General,
Kofi Annan, issued a statement on 11th October expressing concern at the
deteriorating security situation in Cote d'Ivoire, in particular the
attacks against UNOCI in the FN-controlled areas.

On the 12th October, President Gbagbo stated that he would introduce the
key pieces of legislation as soon as disarmament commenced, a statement
which led to the further postponement by the FN of the DDR process, which
was due to commence on the 15th October.

All these recent events including the fire exchange between Licorne and FN
on the 26th October and the seizure of a truck smuggling arms into the FN
controlled zone, led the FN to declare a state of emergency on the 28th
October. Since then security has been tightened throughout the country
with the establishment of checkpoints and reinforcement of troops on both
sides. In the North, OCHA reports that twelve new checkpoints have been
established between Bouake and Yamoussoukro. In the South and Centre,
FANCI positions have been greatly reinforced along the main corridors
leading to the North through Tiebissou and Duekoue.

Despite the recent events humanitarian organisation have in general been
able to carry on with their activities, and have to date only been delayed
for a maximum of a few days. The international NGO, Action Contre le Faim
(ACF) was blocked for several hours by FANCI troops in Duekoue on the 1st
November, before being granted passage to Man. WFP has also experienced
long delays at checkpoints due to the tightened security measures by the
FN. On the 26th and 27th October WFP was unable to carry out their planned
distributions in the Bouake. For the time being Field Coordination
Security Offices FSCO has only advised UN staff in the North to remain
vigilant, limiting any unnecessary movement.

On the 13th October, ICRC's office in Bouake was broken into by armed
elements at 2pm. The criminals locked up the staff, and proceeded to steal
valuables from the office. ICRC immediately alerted the FN of the incident
and has sent a letter to the relevant authorities bringing their attention
to the problem of insecurity and their role in protecting humanitarian
actors. ICRC has also but in place an alert system for the humanitarian
community. In response FN have tightened security measures in this area
and now conduct daily patrols.

A mission led by the DPKO and UNSECOORD visited Abidjan and met with UN
country team and OCHA in late October to review and strengthen security
arrangements in the country.

3. HUMANITARIAN SITUATION & RESPONSE

3.1 Coordination

The Prime Minister's office has established a task force on Humanitarian
Action. The first meeting was convened on Tuesday 12th of October, where
the head of Office, OCHA, briefed on latest humanitarian developments.
This Task Force is scheduled to meet once a week.

UN organisations celebrated the UN-day on the 25th October. UNOCI
organised several events in collaboration with the UN agencies, including
an information exposition, which was open to the public. A ceremony was
held during the evening where a presentation on the project "Corridors de
la Paix" was given with the intervention of the newly appointed young
ambassadors of peace.

In Guiglo, the local radio station took the initiative to meet with UN
agencies and international NGOs to discuss the development of new radio
programmes. The local station, which used to broadcast politically biased
propaganda, now broadcasts a series programmes developed, with the support
of IRIN and OCHA, covering humanitarian activities and the consolidation
of peace. In October, the radio broadcast two special programmes, one on
protection issues and one on the mandates and activities of humanitarian
actors.

3.2 Protection/ Human Rights

Preliminary results from the multi-sectorial assessment mission along the
axe of Guiglo and Blolequin reveal that local populations live in constant
fear. The fundamental priorities for the local populations are survival,
security and food. People reported that they wouldn't travel beyond 3 km
of their villages from fear of being attacked, harassed or robbed, which
keeps many from tending to their crops and plantations. They reported that
the bandits/ militias are often armed and claim that several people have
disappeared from their fields. FANCI rarely conduct patrols along this
route, which would provide more protection to these populations.

ICRC has conducted an assessment mission to the community near the
University campus of Cocody in Abidjan, which was attacked and set on fire
by the student group FESCI during the night of the 2nd October. Around 60
people have been left homeless and are currently sheltered by the local
church and host families. ICRC has provided non-food items to the
vulnerable populations, however more assistance is required including food
aid and materials to reconstruct the destroyed homes. The local
authorities have not yet responded to the situation.

According to the director of the orphanage in Bouke, the orphanage
receives on average one new orphan per month. The orphanage is unable to
care properly for the needs of this growing number of children and have
appealed to humanitarian agencies for assistance. The director also
expressed her concern with regards to the increasing number of child
mothers. Currently there is no structure to support and care for these
young mothers, who are at greater risk of complications during pregnancy
and birth.

IRC reports that an average of three cases of rape, abuse or sexual
violence are reported every month in Yamoussoukro. Also according to a
survey carried out in the hospital between January 2003 and May 2004, 2000
of the pregnancies recorded were among young girls under the age of 18.
IRC has established a committee to develop a plan of action for a better
protection of young girls. Other activities addressing young mothers
include training activities carried out by UNFPA and Red Cross in view of
developing income-generating activities. So far 35 girls have benefited
from this programme.

3.3 Population Movements (refugees, IDPs, returnees)

The spontaneous return of people, who fled to the neighbouring countries
due to the crisis, is becoming a serious concern. Last week humanitarian
organisations discovered that possibly thousands of Burkinabe and Maliens
have been returning to the coffee and cocoa plantations in the southern
and western part of the country, when a second convoy of over a thousand
people from Burkina Faso was blocked on the 4th October, in Ngattadolikro,
within the confidence zone. In the meanwhile it is well known that the
environment towards migrants in the West remains volatile. Local
communities have not been notified of this return and many are not ready
to accept returnees before the political situation has calmed.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that more
people, mostly Burkinabe, have arrived and continue to turn up at the IDP
transit centre (CATD) in Guiglo. In October alone, IOM registered 430 new
arrivals at the centre; some reported that they had just returned to Cote
d'Ivoire from Burkina Faso, after having fled the country during the
crisis, other said it was their first time in the country. The two IDP
transit centres in Guiglo only have the capacity to shelter 6000 people,
today there are close to 7000 people at the centre. Humanitarian
organisations are concerned that more people from Burkina Faso will return
to Cote d'Ivoire only to find that the local communities are hostile and
not ready to allow their return, creating further tensions and placing
them in a precarious and vulnerable situation. IOM and WFP are currently
putting in place a new strategy of intervention at the centre in view of
the increased population. OCHA has met with representatives from IOM and
the local NGO COMED to discuss the development of sensitization and
information programmes targeting Burkinabe and local communities in the
West of Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso to ensure that people are informed
of the tense situation and accept the need for a process of reconciliation

Local authorities have informed the IDPs residing at the Mie N'Gou centre
in Yamassoukro, that the centre will close by the 31st December 2004. The
Mie N'Gou management committee will meet on the 29th October to discuss
alternative actions. The Mie N'Gou currently shelters 479 people.

UNHCR has reported that it will not commence the Liberian repatriation
programme in Cote d'Ivoire before early 2005, due to the security
situation in the eastern part of Liberia, where the majority of the
Liberian refugees in CDI come from. There are currently around 70,000
refugees in Cote d'Ivoire.

3.4 Health

The populations living in the north-western part of Cote d'Ivoire continue
to suffer from the precarious state of the health sector in this region.
The majority of health structures remain intact, but serve little purpose
due to the serious lack of qualified health personnel. The hospital in
Odienne is currently run by one voluntary dentist, who is not able to
provide assisted deliveries, surgical interventions etc. The nearest
functioning hospital is 238 km to the east in Korhogo. Earlier this year
UNICEF completed an ECHO funded project covering Odienne, Tengrela and
Boundiali, for the rehabilitation of local health clinics, including the
provision of cold-chain equipment, medicines and vaccines. Despite efforts
to encourage the return of doctors, UNICEF reported that only a third of
the needed doctors returned. As mentioned before, medicines and equipment
are useless without someone to administer them. The government committee
for the redeployment of civil servants (CNPRA), has reportedly prepared a
list of health staff that are willing to return, however, the Ministry of
Health has yet to approve the list. A process that has been delayed by the
political impasse.

There are now fifteen confirmed cases of Polio in Cote d'Ivoire since
December 2003. There has been a drastic increase during the last four
months. In August it was reported that there were only eight cases. Before
the crisis, polio was thought to have been almost completely eradicated in
Cote d'Ivoire. The latest reported cases are from the Northern zone of the
country. UNICEF and WHO have carried out four NID campaigns in 2004, the
latest was in October and targeted 5.1 million children from 0-59 months.
Around close to 100% of the targeted population was vaccinated. Another
two campaigns are planned for the months of November and December.

Save the Children UK has noted a growing number of drug users in the area
of Guiglo. The NGO has remarked that many of the users are children and
mostly Liberian refugees.

WFP reports that there is a lack of health care facilities in Grabo.
Populations North of Grabo are particularly affected, as bad road
conditions prevent them from gaining access to health care facilities
outside their villages as well as preventing humanitarian actors from
entering this zone to provide the needed care.

In Man, western Cote d'Ivoire, UNICEF is currently working with 20
communities to rehabilitate their health centres, rendered non-operational
by the violence and insecurity experience in that region. Communities were
approached to participate in the rehabilitation process and have responded
positively by cleaning and clearing within and outside the structures.
UNICEF will provide small grants for minimal rehabilitation including
electricity and refrigeration for vaccines. The local communities will
carry out the labour.

3.5 Water and Sanitation

The majority of the approximately 300,000 people living in the Northern
area of Korhogo do not have access to drinkable water. In a recent survey
conducted by ACF it was revealed that only 46% of the existing pumps in
this zone are functional. Even with all the pumps functioning only 56% of
the population would have access to clean water, the current coverage rate
is 26%. Of the 1038 villages covered by ACF's evaluation, 280 (27%) did
not have any pumps at all. The humanitarian implications of this include
the exposure to parasites, diarrhoeic diseases and other water borne
diseases. According to data collected by ICRC between January-June 2004,
the average prevalence rate for diarrhoeic diseases in this zone is 11%.
Some villages, particularly in rural areas, had figures as high as 15% to
25%. Other implications include the burden on women and girls, who are
often charged with collecting water implying: a 50m to 1km walk, queuing
for several minutes or hours and transporting 30litres at a time. A
process that usually has to be repeated five times before the household
has enough water to cover all its needs.

There are only two organisations, ICRC and the local NGO Animation Rurale
Korhogo (ARK), currently intervening within the domain of water and
sanitation in the Northern zone. ARK is currently in the process of
rehabilitating 102 pumps in 51 villages across the North, while ICRC
supports SODECI (Public water utilities) in 35 towns with the supply of
purification products and spare parts. ICRC will soon organise a
bacteriological survey of the water supply in the North, to assess the
quality of the drinking water. Due to the humanitarian needs within this
domain, ACF has elaborated a project that will include the rehabilitation
of 250 water points and sensitisation on water management and hygiene
covering 1038 villages around Korogho.

The European Union has responded to the problem regarding the poor supply
of electricity in Bouna, north-eastern Cote d'Ivoire, through the donation
of two powerful generators. For a long time ICRC and various other
organisations reported on the effects that the lack of electricity was
having on the supply of clean drinking water and the running of the main
hospital. It is believed that the new generators will not only rectify
this problem, but will also be able to provide electricity to the whole
town.

UNICEF has begun the installation of latrines and hand washing points in
18 playschools/ kindergartens in the north-eastern departments of
Bondoukou and Tanda. UNICEF has also sensitised parent teacher
associations and village committees in 19 villages on better hygiene for
children and enlisted their local support for work to be accomplished.

3.6 Education

According to a recent assessment conducted by UN agencies and NGOs in the
western area between Guiglo and Blolequin, only 15% of the children attend
school and only 50% of the needed teachers have returned to their posts.
Many teachers report that they will not return before there is more
security. Parents are also reluctant to let their children go to school if
it entails walking to another village.

The international NGO Merlin continues to rehabilitate schools in the area
of Blolequin in the West, in coordination with the National Committee for
Redeployment CNPRA, who are charged with ensuring the return of publicly
employed teachers and administrative staffs who fled these areas at the
start of the crisis.

Teachers in Bouake and Korhogo have received the first portion of their
instalment payments following many months of delay. The lack of payment of
the promised instalment benefits for those teachers, who returned to their
posts in the FN-controlled zone, has been a key reason keeping teachers
from returning to the FN controlled zone. Teachers will receive the second
portion of the payment after they are effectively redeployed. The next
school year for pupils in the North is scheduled to start in January 2005;
exams will take place in November 2004.

UNICEF will provide school supplies to support the quality education of
111,000 particularly vulnerable school children, as well as teaching
supplies for approximately 2,500 teachers in the government ?controlled
south in the new school year, which started on the 4th October. The
priority zones include Abidjan, San Pedro and Bondoukou. WFP reported in
September that in the rural areas around Bondoukou, which is situated
close to the confidence zone, many children did not attend school. UNICEF
will conduct an assessment mission to this zone in November 2004.

In the FN controlled zone (regional education districts of Bouake,
Korogho, Odienne and Man) UNICEF has targeted 168,000 children and 2,000
teachers, who will receive educational kits for the start of the school
year in January 2005. This support will be complemented by the UNDP-UNESCO
rehabilitation project financed by the EU.

3.7 Food Aid/ Food Security/ Agriculture

There is concern that the North may face food shortages following a poor
agricultural season due to the lack of rain. The low level of production
of food crops paired with the lack of revenue from cash crops such as
cotton and tobacco, will place populations in a vulnerable situation where
they are no longer able to live of their subsistence farming and will lack
cash to buy food as well as other basic necessities including health care.
Before the crisis farmers in the North relied on their cash crops,
however, with the partition of the country the difficulties of accessing
markets and the problems of liquidity facing the main cotton buyers, many
have gone without receiving any revenue for several years (2001-2004).
Only a small number of cotton producers in the North have finally started
being paid by the LCCI-cotton society. OCHA and its partners are
evaluating the situation and will produce a more detailed report.

During the mission to the western area of Guiglo-Blolequin it was noted
that local populations do not have the capacity to produce enough food to
sustain themselves as well as the IDPs who arrived during the crisis. It
was reported that meals have been reduced from three to one a day. The
lack of labour, due to the departure of Burkinabe and Baoule also has had
an important impact on agricultural production, particularly cash crops.

The local NGO Femme de Salem, conducted a mission to the north eastern
zone of Bouna, where they distributed 12,000 USD worth of food and non
food items, including clothes, medicines and hygiene products to the
hospital of Bouna. While in Bouna, Femme de Salem in collaboration with
another NGO, Gedeon International, sensitised the Forces Nouvelles troops
on STIs/HIV and AIDS through the projection of a film, a mini conference
and the distribution of condoms and educational leaflets.

WFP distributed a total of 925 metric tons (MT) of various food
commodities to 84,394 people during the period of 20th to 26th October.
Among the distributions WFP handed out the final food distributions within
the food for agriculture project in Zouan Hounien, Man. A total of 8,640
persons have benefited from this project.

WFP and FAO and ANADER (government agency for rural agricultural
development) are collaborating on a "counter season" project for vegetable
farming in the western part of Cote d'Ivoire. FAO has already distributed
seeds and tools to villages around Blolequin and provided training on the
cultivation of vegetables in collaboration with ANADER.

WFP is also carrying out gardening projects in Bouake as well as lowland
rice production. While distribution seeds and agricultural inputs, WFP
also provides FFW rations.

                            WFP Food Distribution
                            (20th - 26th October)

|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|    Areas    |           |       Activities    |Beneficiaries|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|    South    |   Tabou   |Lowland rice project |          440|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|   Western   |   Guiglo  |Lean season          |       13 940|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Food for Work        |        1 350|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Food For Agriculture |          117|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |    Man    |Patients in Social   |           56|
|             |           |Institutions         |             |
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Refugees             |        1 370|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Food for Work        |          745|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Food for Agriculture |        8 640|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Returnees            |       11 965|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|  Northern   |   Bouake  |School feeding       |        4 874|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Supplementary Feeding|           64|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Patients in Social   |        2 189|
|             |           |Institutions         |             |
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Therapeutic feeding  |        2 500|
|             |           |(take home ration)   |             |
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Lean season          |        1 165|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Food for Work        |       18 090|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |  Korhogo  |Food for Work        |        4 720|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Food For Agriculture |        3 295|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Supplementary Feeding|        1 928|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Therapeutic feeding  |          109|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Therapeutic feeding  |        1 299|
|             |           |(take home ration)   |             |
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Mother and Child     |          863|
|             |           |health               |             |
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Food for Social      |        1 155|
|             |           |Workers              |             |
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Lowland rice project |          350|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |People living with   |          615|
|             |           |HIV/AIDS             |             |
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Food for training    |        1 050|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|             |           |Patients in social   |          765|
|             |           |institutions         |             |
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|   Eastern   | Bondoukou |Lowland rice project |          740|
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|
|TOTAL        |           |                     |       84 394|
|BENEFICIARIES|           |                     |             |
|-------------+-----------+---------------------+-------------|

Source: WFP weekly situation report 20 October- 26 October 2004


3.8 Mobilisation of Resources

UNICEF has received 72,000 USD from the Canadian Cooperation to continue
the training of educators in the peace education curriculum designed in
close collaboration with the Ministry of National reconciliation.

UNICEF is requesting 3 million USD for another two rounds of measles and
polio immunisisation campaigns before the end of the year.

Information sources include the Integrated Regional Information Network
(IRIN). With the exception of public UN sources, reproduction or
redistribution of the above text, in whole, part or in any form, requires
the prior consent of the original source. This situation report is posted
on http:/ochaonline.un.org/ochaci and www.reliefweb.int, an information
resource for humanitarian crises.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact:

Ms. Besida Tonwe, Head of Office
Ms. Carina M Sugden, Public Information Officer, tel. +225-2240-5175
e-mail: carina@ocha.ci

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