OCHA Situation Report
West Africa
Report for June 2007
1 August 2007


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Highlights

- 1500 persons victims of floods in Bandiagara, Mali

- Cholera resurfaced in five West African countries this year

- Good agricultural and foodsecurity prospects in West Africa, provided
a normal rainy season

- Concerns raised over security situation in Northern Niger

- Togo, the sixth West African country to be affected by the bird flu

- Launch of the Mid Year Review of the 2007 Consolidated Appeal Process
(CAP)

- 2.3 million dollars from the CERF allocated to Togo to respond to the
critical nutritional situation in the north of the country

- End of the operation for the voluntary repatriation of Liberian
refugees; return of Togolese refugees in progress and return of
Mauritanian refugees envisaged.

- Attempted attack against the Ivorian Prime Minister

1- SOCIO-POLITICAL AND SECURITY SITUATION

Niger

Persistent insecurity in the north

The security situation continues to be marked by the prevailing tensions
in the North, linked to attacks and hostage-taking by the MNJ (Mouvement
Nigerien pour la Justice). Following the attack against a detachment of
the army, on 22 June 2007, a team of the Red Cross Movement visited the
area to assist the soldiers who were taken prisoners as well as those
injured. The activities of humanitarian partners are being pursued,
despite a slight slow-down due to adopted security measures relative to
the limitation of movements. OCHA Niger deployed a mission to Agadez to
evaluate the possible humanitarian implications of the security
situation.

Cote d'Ivoire

Attack against the Prime Minister's plane in Bouake

On 29 June 2007, the plane carrying the Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire,
Mr. Guillaume Soro and his delegation was attacked at Bouake airport.
Four people were killed and more than ten others were injured. Rockets
are said to have been fired against the plane. The Prime Minister was on
a mission to Bouake within the framework of the redeployment of the
legal administration in the north of the country. On 11 July, the
Ivorian government entrusted the United Nations with the investigation
to shed light on the attempted attack against Prime Minister Soro.
Following the attack perpetrated on 29 June, UNOCI urged - all the
parties to remain calm and serene and to refrain from taking any action
that could jeopardise the undisputed accomplishments of the Ouagadougou
Political Agreement of March 2007?".

2 HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

2.1 Food security and nutrition

Good agricultural and food prospects announced

According to the experts of the Food Crises Prevention Network, there is
no risk of generalised food crisis this year. This projection is
substantiated by the good agricultural and food trends observed in the
country. However, there are still risks of food insecurity pockets.
Factors such as the delayed start of the rainy season and of the sowing
period, scheduled in July in many countries, the increase in the price
of cereals on the market, insufficient rainfall or even floods, may
jeopardise both the farming season and the food security of the
vulnerable populations in some areas.

Critical nutritional situation in Togo

The Togolese Health Minister has transmitted a request to the United
Nations system for an emergency intervention to find a solution to the
critical nutritional situation prevailing in the country's northern and
Maritime regions.

The results of the recent joint evaluations conducted by WFP, UNICEF and
FAO on the nutritional situation in Togo agree on the following points:

- 12% of children die before the age of 5;

- More than 50% of child deaths are related to malnutrition ;

- The regions that are most affected by acute infant malnutrition are
the Savannah region, the Kara region and the Maritime region excluding
Lome.

The main causes of this harsh nutritional situation are poverty,
difficulty to accede to a food ration, poor access to services and women
and child feeding.

In response to the Togolese Health Minister's request for assistance,
the United Nations applied for support through the Central Emergency
Relief Fund (CERF) for implementation of food and nutritional assistance
projects in the most affected zones. On 3 July 2007, the CERF allocated
2.3 million dollars to the United Nations for emergency assistance to
malnourished children.

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