U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR) OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA) INDONESIA - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet # 7, FY1999 September 28, 1999
Overview - Following an overwhelming UN-supported vote for independence from Indonesia on August 30, pro-integrationist militias in East Timor rampaged and plundered through several cities and towns. Hundreds of civilians were killed in the ensuing violence. Several homes and private assets on the island, including UN and NGO offices and equipment, were destroyed. - More than 350,000 East Timorese were displaced from their homes due to the violence, including 200,000 IDPs who fled to the surrounding hills and jungles of East Timor. As of September 28, the Government of Indonesia (GOI) has registered 236,424 IDPs in 37 camps at eleven locations in West Timor and nearby islands. (UN and NGO estimates range between 150,000 and 200,000.) Of the GOI figure, 33,100 are children under five, 13,200 are under two, and 6,300 are pregnant women. The GOI registered more than 100,000 refugees in Belu district, mostly in the towns of Atambua, Atapupu, Betun, and Besikama. - The UN World Food Program (WFP) estimates that 740,000 East Timorese, out of a total population of 890,000, will require food aid in the next six months. Of this number, 590,000 people (490,000 IDPs and 100,000 expected returnees) will require full rations, while an additional 150,000 IDPs will require half rations. - In addition, water/sanitation and health needs remain in IDP sites in East and West Timor. Specific humanitarian needs include potable water and supplemental food, as well as medical supplies. Logistical constraints and security problems remain key concerns for relief agencies in East and West Timor. - On September 27, the GOI handed over security of East Timor to the UN-authorized International Force for East Timor (INTERFET). To date, about 4,500 out of a total contingent of 7,500 INTERFET troops have arrived in East Timor to restore peace and security and to assist with humanitarian relief efforts. - On September 27, INTERFET troops launched a helicopter raid on a militia stronghold in Liquica, near the East Timor capital of Dili, forcing about 30 armed pro-integrationist militiamen to flee into the hills. About 15 armed men were also detained in subsequent helicopter raids in a militia stronghold located the eastern part of the territory. No deaths or injuries were reported during the INTERFET raids, which followed unconfirmed reports that nine people, including two nuns and a priest, had been killed by Indonesian troops in the eastern part of the island. - The security situation in Dili remains tense as looting and destruction of buildings continue. INTERFET is responding to requests for security by increasing patrols of key humanitarian assets and other vital installations. -In addition, the security situation remains extremely tense in West Timor due to a large militia presence, random shootings, and arson. The situation is particularly tense in Belu district, near the East Timorese border. The insecurity --combined with strong anti-western sentiments among pro-integrationist militia, GOI military, and some members of the IDP community -- have hampered humanitarian organizations from conducting assessments and carrying out relief operations. - The UN reports that relief assistance has not sufficiently addressed the needs of IDPs in some camps in West Timor, as well as IDPs scattered in villages or in camps in outlying areas. USG Assistance - To date, the US government (USG) has provided more than $10 million in response to the crisis in East Timor. USG assistance has focused on emergency food aid, as well as transportation of food and non-food items to needy IDPs. - Based on recommendations of a USAID/OFDA assessment team in early September, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) donated a total of 300,000 humanitarian daily rations, or HDRs, to meet immediate needs in East Timor. The rations, valued at $4.25 per unit, were dispatched to Darwin, Australia, via USAID/OFDA-funded comm ercial aircraft. - To date, USAID/OFDA has dispatched 500 rolls of plastic sheeting, 20,000 blankets, and 5,200 collapsible 5-gallon water containers. These items will benefit about 25,000 people. - A USAID/OFDA grant to an Indonesian NGO is supporting water/sanitation activities to assist IDPs along the West Timor border, including ongoing water projects in four sites. Water is a key problem in Timor, as this is the dry season. - USAID/Office of Food for Peace (FFP) has authorized the provision of 4,000 MT of corn and 5,900 MT of rice, valued at $4.9 million, to WFP for refugees and IDPs affected by the fighting in East Timor. These commodities are sufficient to provide the basic grain (carbohydrate) component needed to feed 360,000 people for two months. - In addition, USAID/FFP is currently supporting ongoing programs in Indonesia through Catholic Relief Services, CARE, Church World Services, Mercy Corps International, World Vision International (WVI), and WFP. Current food stocks of Title II partners in Indonesia are estimated at more than 8,000 MT, including 1,200 - 1,500 MT in East and West Timor. USAID/FFP staff in Jakarta are investigating the possibility of re-directing PVO food commodities to Timor from existing Indonesia programs. Title II commodities in cooperating sponsor pipelines amount to more than 29,000 MT. - USAID is considering rapid delivery of corn- or wheat- and soya-blended foods for vulnerable populations. Food security activities, such as seeds and tools and community gardening, are also under consideration to reduce the impact of displacement on the cropping cycle. CARE is coordinating agricultural assistance activities in East Timor. - Moreover, the USG is assisting INTERFET in intelligence gathering, communications, and airlift capability. US Military personnel will assist INTERFET in operating a Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC) in Dili. The CMOC will coordinate relief efforts and requests for security and logistical assistance. Relief/Coordination Efforts Food & Logistics - To date, WFP has airdropped about 190,000 HDRs provided by DOD, in conjunction with the Australian Defense Force. WFP and the Australian Defense Force have also airdropped more than 120,000 high protein biscuits to IDPs in East Timor. - Under the coordination of WFP, aid agencies are delivering 50 MT of relief supplies in East Timor daily. These supplies are mainly distributed in Dare, located near Dili, to sustain about 37,000 IDPs until they are able to return home. - According to the UN, thousands of IDPs are expected come out of hiding in the coming days as the security situation stabilizes in East Timor. In anticipation of a large IDP influx, the UN is developing a contingency plan to bring in food, potable water, and medical assistance to Dili. Aid agencies are also urgently trying to acquire trucks and water tankers, which are in short supply. INTERFET is reportedly prepared to provide protection to the IDPs if militia activities disrupt population movements. - According to the USAID/OFDA assessment team in Jakarta, the fleet of trucks available for humanitarian operations in East Timor is slowly increasing. As of September 27, a total of 15 trucks were available in Dili. ICRC, UNHCR, and WFP expect to procure about 40 trucks soon. - Several NGOs, including CARE, Action contre la Faim (ACF), and ICRC, are preparing to distribute standardized family survival kits in East Timor to meet the non-food needs of IDPs. Each kit contains plastic sheeting, blankets, and hygiene supplies, sleeping mats, kitchen sets, and water containers. About 120,000 family kits will eventually be distributed in pre-designated areas. In addition to survival kits, aid agencies plan to distribute timber and basic tool kits to persons whose homes were damaged or destroyed. - Currently, WFP is procuring about 2,300 MT of food commodities in the region for arrival in Dili in mid October. In addition, WFP will supplement current food stocks in East Timor with a shipment of 6,000 MT of GOI provided rice in Surabaya, Java Island. WFP also has requested the Australian government to ship 100 MT of emergency reserve rice to Dili. WFP has available a total of 16,000 MT of food for the East Timor crisis, which can feed about 500,000 people for about 2.5 months. Total GOI stocks of rice in Dili are estimated at 6,000 MT. - On September 25, an Australian-funded barge carrying 100 MT relief supplies and vehicles arrived in Dili. The commodities, the first to arrive by ship, will support relief efforts in Dili. The Australian government recently leased an airplane to make two runs per day between Darwin and Dili to transport relief personnel and supplies. - WFP has established an air shuttle service from Surabaya to Kupang and Dili and plans to begin operating a cargo vessel between Darwin and Dili on September 28. UNICEF is operating a shuttle between Darwin and Dili for transport of UNICEF personnel and relief supplies. -Aid agencies have begun securing warehouse space in Dili. Agencies also continue to pre-position relief items in Darwin. WVI recently distributed about 7 MT of rice in Dare, where an estimated 37,000 IDPs have gathered. WVI currently has four expatriate staff based in Dili and working in Dare. - On September 26, about 66,000 bags of coffee were reportedly looted from a warehouse in Dili by departing GOI forces. The coffee belonged to a farm cooperative involving 17,000 farm families. - The unstable security situation has hampered WFP food distributions in West Timor. WFP is working with Poskos (a consortium of local NGOs) to distribute food to IDPs in the province. - On September 27, INTERFET reportedly opened a warehouse containing about 1,500 MT of rice for distribution to residents in Dili. Community leaders assisted INTERFET in distribution of the rice. According to the GOI, the local government in Belu district has distributed 105 MT of rice to some 35,000 IDPs. Most assistance in the district has reportedly been focused in Atambua. Health and Water/Sanitation - According to UNICEF, all six medical facilities in the western and eastern sectors of Dili are ready to begin operations. The main hospital in Dili is now open, with medical and surgical staff provided by ICRC. Relief agencies in the health sector plan to assess medical facilities in the southern sector of Dili soon. - Health agencies in East Timor have established three way stations in Dili to screen IDPs as they return to Dili. MSF, MDM, and a health team from Portugal will operate the stations and hand out both food and non-food assistance. - A UNICEF-chartered recently delivered 120 tents, 20 water tanks, 14,500 water containers, and 800 cartons of baby food in Kupang from Surabaya, Java Island. UNICEF plans to procure additional non food assistance in the coming days. UNCEF's food assistance efforts will focus on complementary foods for children under two. - UNICEF recently assessed Oepoli city, located 240 kilometers from Kupang. About 2,000 IDPs from Ambeno district have gathered in the city. Most IDPs are sleeping in the open and have limited food supplies. UNICEF is assisting this population by providing relief supplies and meeting urgent water/sanitation needs. - The UN World Health Organization (WHO) currently has a staff of five in Darwin and will deploy personnel to Dili as soon as security conditions allow. In cooperation with MSF, WHO is establishing a database for control of medical supplies leaving for Dili. - The GOI has launched a vaccination program for IDPs to diminish the risk of an infectious disease outbreak, given poor sanitary conditions in shelter sites. The GOI Ministry of Health (MOH) plans to deploy 25 doctors to Atambua to assist in meeting health needs. The MOH has already dispatched 15 ambulances to Atambua to be used as mobile health centers. Protection/Security/Shelter - UNHCR plans to establish an office in Dili as well as offices in Kupang and Atambua to address protection of IDPs and coordination of relief assistance. UNHCR plans to assist 100,000 affected East Timorese, as well as an additional 100,000 beneficiaries in West Timor. - UNHCR will share the Kupang sub-office with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to serve as the coordination site for ongoing efforts by relief agencies. Coordination - A joint UN/NGO assessment conducted in East and West Timor has indicated that approximately $135.1 million is required to meet the needs of IDPs in East and West Timor from September 1999 through February 2000. OCHA has issued an appeal based on this assessment for $141 million, most of which will support activities in East Timor. - On September 23, UN OCHA conducted two aerial assessments over East Timor, with logistical support from INTERFET. The flight over the western region revealed damage to approximately 60-70% of houses. The towns of Ainaro, Cassa, and Gleno, located south of Dili, were extensively damaged. The East Timor port of Suay was also reported to be 95% damaged. Most of the damage was caused by fire. Small villages suffered the most damage - According to UNICEF, Baucau, located 70 miles east of Dili, will serve as the distribution point for relief operations in the eastern region. On September 26, a UN assessment team, escorted by INTERFET, assessed the city, the province's second largest. According to the assessment, Baucau suffered relatively less damage and has an airport capable of receiving heavy cargo aircraft. However, Baucau has no reliable means for securing potable water for 3,000 IDPs in the city. Fuel also is in short supply. A humanitarian convoy carrying relief supplies and fuel is expected to arrive in Baucau on September 28. - In contrast, the UN assessment found that Manatuto, which was previously home to 16,000 people, was completely destroyed and depopulated during the violent rampage. Food, water, and electrical power are in short supply. Seeds and tools are urgently needed to assist about 3,000 returning IDPs in the coming weeks. - UNOCHA and INTERFET are discussing the placement of a humanitarian aid liaison at INTERFET headquarters to further assist with coordination. Financial Support - To date, USAID/OFDA has provided nearly $3 million to respond to the East Timor crisis. This assistance includes $1.622 million to support the transport of HDRs, blankets, plastic sheeting, and water containers. USAID/OFDA is also contributing $1million to the WFP in response to a special operations appeal for the East Timor crisis. This assistance will support logistics and aircraft operations. - In addition, USAID/Office of Food for Peace (FFP) has provided $5 million for the provision of 9,900 MT of food commodities to WFP for refugees and IDPs affected by the fighting in East Timor. - USAID/FFP also anticipates a substantial contribution to the six-month WFP Emergency Operation in response to the East Timor crisis. The emergency operation is currently in the planning stage. - The DOD donated 300,000 HDRs to meet immediate food needs in East Timor. The value of the DOD donation is estimated at $1,275,000. - In addition, USAID/Jakarta has provided over $1.1 million to World Vision and a local NGO to support health and therapeutic feeding programs in East and West Timor. USAID/OFDA $2,622,950 USAID/FFP $5,000,000 US DOD $1,275,000 USAID/Jakarta $1,174,794 TOTAL USG ASSISTANCE $10,072,874 distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: www.vita.org/listsub.htm sitreps nat-dsr web: www.vita.org appeal fireline - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -