OCHA Situation Report
Eritrea
Report for February - March 2006
28 April 2006


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

HIGHLIGHTS

United Nations has been developing a regional appeal for $426 million to 
support the urgent needs of more than eight million people severely 
affected by drought in the Horn of Africa. Poverty-stricken and 
conflict-affected people living in parts of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, 
Kenya and Somalia have been suffering from water shortages and declining 
access to food resulting from several years of successive rainfall 
failures and the rapid erosion of assets and livelihoods.

The United Nations has granted just over $1.8 million from the Central 
Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to the World Health Organization and 
UNICEF for urgent, life-saving programmes in Eritrea. With this 
disbursement for the drought-stricken region, the WHO and UNICEF will 
work to strengthen nutrition, water and sanitation projects, 
immunization campaigns, epidemiological surveillance and training of 
health professionals in the most drought affected regions of Eritrea, in 
order to reduce suffering and death from the crisis.

The regional administrators of the six regions of Eritrea presented 
reports on their efforts being made to achieve food security and 
development plans for 2006 in a meeting chaired by President Isaias 
Afwerki on 13 March in Massawa. The plans include construction of 
micro-dams, water diversion schemes and embankments, road renovations, 
laying irrigation infrastructures, provision of potable water supply, 
boosting diary products, construction of health centres and schools.

In parts of Anseba, livestock are in critical condition due to drought 
conditions. FAO reported in February that the herds in Northern Red Sea 
suffered mortality as a combination effect of the Bahri Rains failure to 
grow enough pasture and animal diseases. It was reported that the 
conditions of livestock in Gash Barka has been generally in good 
condition.

In response to the measles outbreak in bordering Ethiopia and Sudan, 
UNICEF in collaboration with WHO supported the Ministry of Health to 
develop a plan of action to implement a measles mass vaccination 
campaign targeting almost half a million children between 6-59 months of 
age. Vitamin A capsules will be simultaneously distributed.

FAO Emergency Unit highlights

During the month of February and March 06, the Emergency Unit carried 
out monitoring activities of seed multiplication project in Tesseney 
Sub-zone in Gash Barka Region. The total Hectares under seed 
multiplication is 200ha of which 100ha of sorghum and 100 hectares of 
pearl millet. Small agricultural tools mainly 9000 sickles, 18000 hoes 
have been distributed to Northern and Southern Red Sea Regions. In 
addition, 100 quintals of Maize seed (Katumani variety) has been also 
delivered to Gash Barka Region. The Zonal and Sub-zonal Ministry of 
Agriculture Office will provide the tools and the seed to needy farmers 
in both Regions.

FAO Emergency Unit is providing assistance to the Drought affected areas 
of North and South Red Sea Regions. Livestock rearing is the mainstay of 
livelihood in this part of the country and in continuation to the on- 
going relief operation the agro-pastoralist communities have received 
1044 quintals of wheat bran during the month of February and 7000 
quintals in the last week of March.

UNICEF: Completes Water Supply Projects in Anseba and Supports 
Malnourished Children

During February and March 2006 and in response to the deteriorating 
nutritional status of Eritrean children and women as indicated by the 
preliminary results of the National Nutritiona l Surveillance System, 
UNICEF procured 119.5 MT therapeutic and Supplementary food (1,000 MT 
UNIMIX). In addition, 325 MT of UNIMIX, 200 MT of DMK and 391 MT of CSB 
was delivered to health facilities in March 2006 for distribution to 
malnourished children and women.

The water supply projects for Wazintet and Awenjli in Anseba region were 
completed and are providing clean water to 5,300 people aiming at 
maintaining the incidence of water borne diseases, in particular 
diarrhoea among young children at the lowest possible level. The two 
additional components of the project; community and school hygiene and 
sanitation are put in place. The project was funded by USAID/OFDA 
through UNICEF in cooperation with the Government.

UNMEE MACC Highlights

The commercial contractor of the MACC for route clearance and integrated 
demining, MECHEM, conducted its clearance operations in the Shilalo and 
Shambiko areas in Sector West. Operations concentrated on areas where 
there had been recent reports of mine/UXO incidents. The teams also 
cleared roads in Tsorena, Zelambessa, Kellely and Agerehes areas in 
Sector Center. In total, MECHEM's teams cleared an area of 257,321 sq.m. 
and 432 km of roads.

The MACC Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team conducted UXO demolition 
tasks in the Shambiko area in Sector West and in the Tsorena, Senafe and 
Adi-Quala areas in Sector Center, destroying 765 UXO.

The two MACC Mine Risk Education (MRE) Teams operated in villages and 
Internally Displaced Persons' camps in Sector West and Sector Center. 
The teams provided MRE to 6,227 people.

Mine/UXO Accidents

In February 2006, the MACC received three reports of anti tank (AT) mine 
incidents. The first incident occurred near the village of Tselim Reusu 
in Sector West when a military truck hit an AT mine. Two passengers were 
wounded.

The second incident occurred near the village of Chila in Sector Center, 
outside the southern adjacent areas, south of the TSZ when a civilian 
truck, hit an AT mine. There were no casualties. A third AT mine 
incident occurred in the village of Adi Nebrid in Sector Center, outside 
the southern adjacent areas. Again a vehicle hit an AT mine. The driver 
of the vehicle was killed.

There were two reports of UXO incidents in March 2006. The first 
incident occurred in the area of Ella Sherif, in Sector West and 
involved an 18-year-old resident of the area who was injured from the 
explosion. The second UXO incident occurred in an area known as Shewit 
Lemlem, in Sector Center, south of the Temporary Security Zone. Two 
children tampering with the UXO were injured from the incident.

The MACC conducted investigations into all above noted incidents and 
released Preliminary Investigation Reports (PIR).

For Further Information Related to the Humanitarian Update, Please 
contact:

OCHA - Eritrea Public Information Section at 291-1-151666/151888, Fax- 
291-1-151999, e-mail: gebrehiwots@un.org

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