OCHA Situation Report
Ethiopia
12 December 2005


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

FAO/WFP Crop and food supply assessment mission reports good production 
Preliminary findings from the 2005 FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply 
Assessment Mission indicate good production in the country, with the 
exception of some pocket areas.  This increased production is attributed 
to good rains and increased use of fertilisers.  The mission also 
reported good livestock condition and steady prices in most areas 
assessed. The mission covered 62 zones and special woredas assessing the 
performance of the current Meher season to prepare an estimate of 
production and food needs for the year 2006.  The mission debriefed 
government, UN agencies, donors and NGOs on 8 and 9 December providing 
an overview of the mission's findings, which will be published after 
being compiled.

For more information contact:  wfp.addisababa@wfp.org & 
fao-ethiopia@fao.org

Food security concerns persist for Somali region

The Federal Disaster Preparedness and Response Agency (DPPA) has 
allocated food aid for 221,500 beneficiaries in the Somali Region. For 
the past two months DPPA has allocated food only to identified areas of 
concern as the region has not submitted a complete report on the use of 
previously allocated food.  The food security situation in most of the 
seven deyr-rain-receiving zones of Somali Region is worrying, with poor 
pasture and livestock conditions emerging due to poor rainfall. The deyr 
rainy season, which usually starts in early October and extends to at 
least the end of November, has so far been below normal in most of the 
rain-receiving areas. The situation is worse in the woredas that had 
poor rains during the last gu season, including Fik, Gode, Afder, Liben 
and parts of Korahe zone. Access to pasture and water is currently 
insufficient to sustain both human and herds needs until the main rainy 
season starts in March-April 2006. Unusual livestock migration has also 
been observed within the Southern zones of Ethiopia and across the 
border to and from Kenya and Somalia.

For more information contact: wfp.addisababa@wfp.org

First movement of IDPs from Fafan camp, Somali region

A caseload of 313 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Fafan camp 
moved to Degehabur zone on 6 December 2005. The United Nations Country 
Team Recovery Programme aims at reintegrating 6,000 IDPs from Hartisheik 
and Fafan to their place of origin. Since October, the programme has 
moved a total of 1,337 IDPs in two rounds from Haritshek camp. WFP and 
the FDPPA have allocated three months food rations for the returnees, 
while UNICEF has allocated non-food items for the whole case load of 
6,000 people to be provided when each round of return movements are 
initiated. The next caseload is planned to be moved on 12 December 2005. 
FAO has completed its assessment on livelihoods for the IDPs which it 
presented at the UN IDPs reintegration technical working group meeting 
on 9 December.

For more information contact: takele.teshome@undp.org

Fifth round of Polio campaign targets 15.5 million children

The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WHO and UNICEF, carried 
out the fifth and final round of the house-to-house polio campaign from 
25-28 November 2005.  The campaign targeted 15.5 million children 
under-five; preliminary results indicate 96 percent coverage.

For further information: contact: mapted@unicef.org

Debriefing of the multi-agency Meher and Pastoral Areas Assessment 
Mission

Teams from the multi-agency Meher and Pastoral Areas Assessment mission 
will debrief humanitarian partners on 13 December 2005. The mission (19 
November ?  10 December) has assessed emergency food aid requirements 
for the 2006 Humanitarian Appeal. The debriefing will be held at DPPA, 
0900hrs. The early Warning Department at the DPPA is also planning to 
arrange a special briefing program on the result of the pilot exercise 
on the new methodology used for emergency needs assessments in SNNPR.

For more information contact: ewd@dppc.gov.et

Emergency Food Security Reserve status

The Emergency Food Security Reserve (EFSR) reports 293,274 MTs stocks on 
hand, 39,522 MTs stock under withdrawal, and 72,208 MTs outstanding 
loans. These figures are as of 9 December 2005.

For further information, please contact UN OCHA -Ethiopia Tel: 251- 11- 
544 41 86/251- 11- 544 41 62 Fax: 251- 11- 5511292 email: 
ocha-eth@un.org Website: www.ocha-eth.org

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