Congo - OCHA: 01-31.Mar.98
Congo - OCHA: 01-31.Mar.98
REPUBLIC OF CONGO
UN Humanitarian Situation Report
March 1998
HUMANITARIAN OVERVIEW
1. While the Republic of the Congo has timidly embarked on the road towards
normality, it will be necessary to carefully monitor developments in the
coming months to help guard against the potential reemergence of acute
humanitarian crisis. In particular, the food-security situation for a
significant portion of the population is precarious in view of insufficient
income-earning opportunities, deepening poverty and inadequate living
conditions, among other factors. In addition, health, education and other
basic social services throughout the country are still struggling to
overcome the debilitating and traumatic effects of the June-October 1997
civil war.
2. Donor countries' bilateral development assistance programmes that were
in place before the war have not resumed. Also, with the exception of the
oil industry, there has been virtually no international commercial and
economic activity or investment in the Congo since the war. The fact that
these potentially important contributions to socio-economic recovery remain
absent negatively impacts the capacity of populations to overcome post-war
hardships and to regain or maintain their physical as well as psychological
and moral strength. On-going discussions with the World Bank and the IMF
provide some promise of amelioration. In addition, UNDP has recently
allocated about USD 500,000 to assist the Government, in collaboration with
the Bretton Woods institutions and key development partners in the Congo,
to define its policy strategies and priority actions for rehabilitation and
reconstruction.
3. At the same time, most international NGOs involved in purely
emergency-type activities have finished their activities and closed their
operations in the country. During the month of March, two more
international NGOs, Medical Emergency Relief International (MERLIN) and
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), left the Congo in view of the end of the
acute emergency phase in the country. With these and earlier agency
departures, there is a need to ensure that no gaps are created between the
provision of humanitarian assistance and the resumption of regular
development programmes -- gaps in which children, the poor, the displaced
and other vulnerable groups would be the first to fall through.
4. To help address the current situation in the country, the UN launched an
appeal on 11 March to provide humanitarian and rehabilitation assistance
aimed at supporting the country's transition from crisis to recovery
through the end of the year. The UN 1998 Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal
for the Republic of the Congo (which is an Addendum to the UN Appeal for
Countries of the Great Lakes Region and Central Africa) requests USD 23
million for the activities of 10 UN Agencies in the areas of agriculture,
food production, food security, health, nutrition, shelter, community-based
infrastructure, education, advocacy, children in difficult circumstances,
coordination and capacity-building.
5. As a follow-up to the UN Flash Appeal for Congo-Brazzaville (which
covered the period November-January), the UN 1998 Appeal is based on a
transition strategy with a four-pronged approach: support to the recovery
process, enhanced assistance to most-affected vulnerable groups,
strengthening of reconciliation efforts, and empowerment of local and
national administrations. The Appeal was formulated in close collaboration
with the Government, the ICRC, and other national and international
humanitarian organisations operational in the country.
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
6. During the month of March, WFP in collaboration with its partners
distributed 700 MTs of food aid to 46,000 vulnerable Congolese people in
the country. Twenty percent of the beneficiaries were children, while women
made up 60 percent of the recipients. Other beneficiaries included elderly
people, hospital patients and conflict-affected persons living in temporary
centres. As part of its relief programme, WFP has pre-positioned food
supplies in Pointe-Noire for transportation to other areas of the country.
However, lack of train wagons and frequent interruptions in the train
service between Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville are hindering WFP's transport
and distribution operations.
7. WFP is planning to distribute some 2,500 MTs of relief food to
war-affected Congolese and refugees until June. Relief distributions are
being gradually phased out, while rehabilitation initiatives are being
expanded. WFP's rehabilitation programme includes small-scale projects in
the fields of sanitation, community infrastructure, agriculture and
income-generating activities for women.
8. Because of rising child malnutrition rates recently observed in
Brazzaville, the Government is planning a nationwide nutrition survey to
find out whether the negative trend is taking place in other areas of the
country. The survey is being planned in collaboration with UNICEF. Surveys
already conducted by MSF and MERLIN indicated that the acute malnutrition
rate among children under five years old in Brazzaville had increased from
5.5 percent in January to 9.3 percent in February. Due to the country-wide
effects of the civil war and the massive population displacements in
northern and southern Congo, there is concern that the nutritional status
of populations, particularly vulnerable groups, may have deteriorated
throughout the country.
9. The Minister of Humanitarian Action reported that a total of 213 million
FCFA (about USD 330,000) was generated in an initiative aimed at supporting
the reactivation of bakeries and at stabilising the price of bread in
Brazzaville down to its pre-war level. Under the project, 1,240 MTs of
flour donated by the French Government were provided at a reduced price to
bakers and women small-scale confectioners, in collaboration with l'Agence
d'Aide pour la Cooperation Technique et le Developpement (ACTED) and local
organisations. The money generated by the initiative has been allocated for
the rehabilitation of war-damaged schools in the city.
10. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) continues its assistance to
Talangai hospital in Brazzaville. In addition, two health centres in the
city have been rehabilitated by IRC during the month of March, with UNHCR
funding. MSF continued to support Makelekele Hospital in Brazzaville up to
the NGO's departure from the country at the end of March. MSF's support
included setting up a central pharmacy, supervising a therapeutic nutrition
centre and pediatric services, and helping the hospital to reactive its
cost-recovery system. MSF donated a supply of drugs to the hospital to
cover needs until the end of June. MSF in March also donated drug supplies
and logistical materials to Owando Hospital in northern Congo with a view
to assisting in the reactivation of basic health services for the area's
population. The director of the hospital has recently returned to his post
after an extended absence on account of the war. MSF's earlier support to
Owando Hospital immediately after the war had been suspended due to
insecurity in the area and the looting of MSF-donated materials from the
hospital.
12. Cholera patients continue to receive treatment at two reference
hospitals in Pointe-Noire. Over 1,800 cases of cholera have been reported
in Pointe-Noire up to around mid-March since the outbreak started in
November 1997. Assistance has been provided to local health authorities by
WHO, UNICEF, MSF, ICRC, the Congolese Red Cross, IFRC, Rotary
International, the Lion's Club and other agencies. In March, UNHCR
rehabilitated two water sources at Kondi-Mbaka near Pointe-Noire to help
prevent the spread of cholera at sites hosting Angolan refugees, which have
so far been untouched by the disease outbreak.
13. A total of 282 corpses have been exhumed from under schools, health
centres, streets and other public places in Brazzaville as part of an
initiative against soil and water-table contamination. The effort is
undertaken by the Government in collaboration with WHO and the Congolese
Red Cross. The bodies of some 1,000 war victims are estimated to have
buried in public areas during the conflict in inadequate conditions, posing
a public health hazard. The exhumation operation has been temporarily
stopped, however, due to logistical difficulties.
14. By the end of March, UNICEF teams in Brazzaville had identified over
900 children displaying signs of trauma, including eating disorders,
sleeplessness, aggressiveness and incoherence in speech, among others. The
house-by-house screening of children is continuing. The effort is part of a
project aimed at identifying all war-traumatized children in Brazzaville
and providing them with psychotherapy assistance to help in their
psychological recovery and health.
The Ministry of Youth has recently provided UNICEF with rent-free premises
for the setting up of a psychological reference centre, where the
psychotherapy services will be provided to diagnosed war-traumatized
children.
15. UNFPA and IFRC have signed a project agreement for the implementation
of a post-conflict reproductive health initiative in the Congo. The
project, implemented in collaboration with the Congolese Red Cross, IRC and
other organisations, will provide training in reproductive health issues
and will assist victims of sexual violence, among other activities.
SHELTER
16. The Congolese Red Cross and the ICRC during the month of March
distributed shelter and basic survival items for some 12,000 war-affected
people in the Poto-Poto and Moungali areas of Brazzaville. The
beneficiaries received jerry cans, plastic sheeting, blankets, soap and
cooking utensils. In addition, about 5,300 families in the neighbourhoods
of Ouenze and Mikalou in Brazzaville received shelter materials, as part of
a related initiative implemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
AGRICULTURE
17. FAO is initiating projects to provide seeds to war-affected rural
populations of the Congo with a view to improving the food-security status
of farming families and helping in the reactivation of agricultural
activities in the post-war period. These activities are funded by
contributions from the Governments of Belgium and Sweden. WFP is supporting
small-scale agricultural initiatives as part of its rehabilitation
programme. Activities include seed protection and rehabilitation of rural
roads in agricultural areas.
18. CRS in collaboration with ECHO and Caritas distributed agricultural
tools to people who were displaced from Brazzaville during the war and have
chosen to remain in their areas of displacement in northern and southern
Congo. Over 17,000 families in Owando, Kinkala, Dolisie and Nkayi have
benefited from this project since January.
EDUCATION
19. Between January and March, UNICEF donated basic education kits to 33
war-affected primary schools in Brazzaville to benefit about 4,000
students. The kits contain notebooks, pens, pencils, chalk, erasers,
rulers and other basic school items for pupils and their teachers.
Additional distributions of school supplies are planned.
20. Construction work has started on several primary schools in
Brazzaville, as part of an ACTED project financed by the French Government.
Twelve war-damaged primary schools are slated for rehabilitation under the
project (which benefits from funds generated through the
bakery-reactivation initiative described in the Health/Nutrition section,
above).
21. To improve access to basic education in affected areas of northern
Congo, the international NGO Atlas Logistique has started repairing or
rehabilitating 26 primary schools in the Cuvette Region. The project areas
in 1997 experienced an influx of internally-displaced persons and Rwandan
refugees, which negatively impacted schools and other social infrastructure
in the region. Some of the schools were also damaged by flooding in late
1997. About 5,000 students will benefit from this project, which is
supported by UNICEF.
REFUGEES AND REPATRIATION
22. UNHCR in collaboration with its partners continues to provide
multi-sectoral assistance to Rwandan refugees in the Congo, including
health, shelter, nutrition, education and other basic services. WFP is
providing food rations to the refugees, with a total of 140 MTs distributed
during the month of March. In view of the departure of MSF from the Congo,
Atlas Logistique has taken over as UNHCR's implementing partner in the
Rwandan refugee camps. Atlas Logistique is helping to distribute water
supplies and food rations to the refugees and is in charge of the general
maintenance and upkeep of the camps.
23. According to UNHCR, the latest census in the Rwandan refugee camps
indicates that there are some 6,300 refugees in the three northern camps at
Loukolela, Liranga and Ndjoundou and close to 2,900 at the Kintele camp
near Brazzaville. The Rwandan population in the Impfondo area of northern
Congo numbers about 800 people, who are not receiving assistance from
UNHCR. Because the three northern camps are geographically isolated and are
plagued by mosquitos and malaria, some Rwandan refugees have been moving
from there to Kintele. About 200 refugees from Loukolela, Ndjoundou and
villages located on the northern route were registered at the Kintele camp
during the month of March.
24. ICRC in collaboration with UNHCR has started registration of Rwandan
refugee unaccompanied children and is undertaking efforts to trace their
families in Rwanda. There are an estimated 400 Rwandan unaccompanied
children in Congo's refugee camps.
25. In the Kouilou region of southern Congo, UNHCR is providing shelter,
health, nutrition, water, sanitation, education, agriculture and other
assistance to some 6,000 refugees from the Cabinda area of Angola, who are
staying in camps at Komi, Mavoadi and Kondi-Mbaka. The refugee population
in these sites includes some 3,500 children, of which about 1,400 are under
five years of age.
26. Sixty-one Congolese refugees were repatriated from the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the month of March, bringing the total
number of UNHCR-assisted repatriations to Brazzaville to just over 17,000.
The operation was undertaken in collaboration with national authorities,
Atlas Logistique, IRC, WFP and other partners.
WOMEN
27. Celebrations were organised in Brazzaville on 8 March to mark the
International Day of Women. The events included a round-table discussion on
violence and women, which was broadcast on national radio and television. A
two-member delegation from UNIFEM travelled to Brazzaville to participate
in the events, with UNDP sponsorship. The Day's activities were supported
by UNDP and other organisations. IRC sponsored a theatre group to prepare
and present a sketch on the theme of sexual violence.
28. The Government and UNDP signed a project document for support to the
integration of women in development. Under the project, a
multi-disciplinary evaluation will be organised with a view to formulating
a comprehensive programme for the improvement of women's psychological,
social and economic conditions. The project will focus on the areas of
assistance to victims of sexual violence, small-scale credit schemes, and
national legislation in favour of women and gender equality, among other
things.
COORDINATION
29. The UN Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator for the Congo travelled to
Geneva to launch the UN 1998 Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for the
Republic of the Congo on 11 March. During the month, the UN Coordinator
also undertook missions to European capitals and the USA to hold
discussions with the Governments of the USA and France, as well as
Headquarters personnel of several UN Agencies and departments, the World
Bank, the IMF and the Elf oil company. The discussions focused on the need
to meet the humanitarian, rehabilitation and longer-term development needs
of the Congo in an effective and coordinated manner.
SECURITY
30. The security situation has improved in Brazzaville during this period,
although night-time thefts and banditry continue to be reported. Security
problems in north Brazzaville are linked to some extent to the conflict
between squatters and land-owners attempting to reclaim their properties.
Unexploded ordnance continues to pose hazards for the civilian population
of Brazzaville. Eleven children were killed on 10 March when an abandoned
rocket exploded in an under-construction house. In Pointe-Noire, a
Government operation to collect arms from unauthorized holders of weapons
has created a tense environment in the area, although no fatalities were
reported in connection with the operation as of end-March.
This report is available on the internet through RELIEFWEB:
http://www.reliefweb.int
Complex Emergency Response / Consolidated Appeal Process (CER/CAP) - Geneva
Mr. David Bassiouni - Chief
Mr. Thierry Delbreuve
Tel.: (41 22) 788.6384
Fax: (41 22) 788.6386
Registry E-Mail: Abu.Conteh@dha.unicc.org
Complex Emergencies Division (CED) - New York
Mr. Yvon Madore
Tel.: (1 212) 963.1627
Fax: (1 212) 963.1388
E-Mail : madore@un.org
Information Service
Ms. Therese Gastaut - Director
Tel.: (41 22) 917.2300
Fax: (41 22) 917.0030
E-Mail: tgastaut@unog.ch
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