WFP EMERGENCY REPORT
Issued weekly by the United Nations World Food Programme
Report No. 09 / 2001 - Date 2 March 2001


This report includes:
A)  West Africa: (1) Guinea, (2) Sierra Leone, (3) Liberia,
    (4) Guinea-Bissau
B)  West and Central Asia: (1) Afghanistan, (2) Tajikistan, (3) Iran
C)  Great Lakes Region: (1) Burundi, (2) Rwanda, (3) Uganda
D)  Kenya
E)  Palestinian Territory
F)  El Salvador
G)  Laos
H)  Southern Africa: (1) Angola, (2) Namibia


>From Francesco Strippoli, Senior Humanitarian Adviser; available on the
Internet on the WFP Home Page (www.wfp.org), or by e-mail from
Zlatan.Milisic@wfp.org.

For information on resources, donors are requested to contact
Valerie.Sequeira@wfp.org at WFP Rome, telephone 39 06 6513 2009. Media
queries should be directed to Trevor.Rowe@wfp.org, telephone 39 06 6513
2602. The address of WFP is Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, Parco dei Medici,
00148 Rome, Italy.



(A)  West Africa: (1) Guinea, (2) Sierra Leone, (3) Liberia, (4)
Guinea-Bissau

(1)  Guinea

a)  The accessibility to the rural Gueckedou (also know as Parrot Beak)
has been confirmed and a number of NGOs have started their assistance
programmes in the camps of Kamayan, Nongo and Temassadou, at the end of
last week.

b)  Food aid distribution has been completed in Kissidougou, for 20,000
internally displaced persons (IDPs), and in N'zerekore, for 13,000 newly
registered IDPs. Complementary registration in Kissidougou is still under
way. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is ready to undertake
second food distribution only in the event that the nutritional and
households surveys confirm the necessity to assist the IDPs. A meeting was
convened to harmonise the approach and eventually define vulnerability
criteria.

c)  Some 13,000 refugees have been relocated by UNHCR to the camp of
Albadaria and have received WFP food aid assistance through implementing
partners. Distribution to 10,000 people in the camp of Katkama, expecting
to be transferred to the Albadaria camp, has started.

d)  WFP has completed a field mission to Mamou, in order to prepare the
registration process in this region. A planned caseload to be assisted in
April is 11,000 IDPs. In the camp of Massakoundou, the registration is
under way, with an estimated number of refugees around 30,000 persons.

e)  WFP has supplied to Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) and Action Contre
la Faim (ACF) 2,000 rations of High-energy biscuits to be distributed to
undernourished children and pregnant women for the Colomba and Koundalingo
camps.

f)  As of 27 February, WFP and ICRC have assisted 146,000 IDPs in Guinea.

g)  The general security situation in the country is relatively calm. An
incident in the camp of Katkama, between Guinean military and the
Kamajors, has caused panic among the refugees and the withdrawal of
humanitarian teams.


(2)  Sierra Leone

a)  During the last week, implementing partners distributed a total of
1,100 tons of WFP-provided food commodities to 80,476 beneficiaries in
Freetown, Lungi, Bo, and Kenema.

b)  In Lungi, WFP is completing food distribution to 17,784 resettled
refugees who returned from Guinea. Food distributions will continue until
the start of the agricultural season in May, after which time they it will
be replaced with Food for Agricultural Support activities.

c)  Fighting in the Kambia district, along the Guinea border, has
intensified, resulting in an additional displacement of people into the
Lungi districts and its surroundings. WFP is currently verifying the IDPs
numbers in the Lungi area, ahead of an intervention. Initial findings
suggest that the figure will be over 30,000.

d)  Food distribution to IDPs in camps in the Western area has started. A
total of 655 tons was distributed to more than 50,000 IDPs in the camps in
Freetown area. WFP is currently coordinating with implementing partners
the planning process for the resettlement of IDPs, originating from areas
considered to be safe. The process is due to start in mid-March, after
which time the IDPs will receive food assistance for two months.

e)  Some 30 refugees had arrived by foot from Guinea to Kenema and were
transferred to the new transit camp Jembe, assisted with food by WFP. The
refugees claimed that at least another 100 returning refugees are due to
arrive by foot to Kenema.


(3)  Liberia

a)  WFP, together with other humanitarian organisations, continues to
provide relief assistance to IDPs who have converged in towns in Gbarpolu
County. During the week, WFP agreed with ACF the modalities to deliver and
distribute food to these IDPs.

b)  Continued fighting in Lofa County is worsening the conditions for the
civilians. Rebels coming out of Guinea have attacked several large towns,
including Foya, Kolahun and now Voinjama. Thousands of residents have fled
the area and are heading for safe locations. Latest count by aid
organisations working in the county put the number of IDPs who arrived in
the past two weeks at around 1,750 persons.


(4)  Guinea Bissau

a)  The total number of beneficiaries reached by WFP in January was 4,300,
of whom 3,100 were women and girls. School canteen programme resumed in
January, after the end of over five-month-long strike of teachers.

b)  Confirmed contributions towards the PRRO amounts only to 31 percent of
the total operational requirement. Hence, further contributions are
urgently needed.

c)  During January, seven field trips took place, mainly for school
selection. Some of the field visits were adequate occasions to sensitise
parents about the importance of education for girls, the role of WFP's
school feeding programme and its take-home ration for girls component.
Following the visits, 207 schools were selected for the project, in the
districts of Bafata and Gabu (two of the five regions involved in the
school canteen programme). Some 20,830 students are expected to benefit
from this programme (37 percent girls). Other visits had the purpose of
monitoring project implementation and discussion of outstanding issues
with partners and potential beneficiaries.

d)  The security situation remains calm overall, despite clashes occurring
on the northern border.



(B)  West and Central Asia: (1) Afghanistan, (2) Tajikistan, (3) Iran

(1)  Afghanistan

a)  WFP has launched a new Emergency Operation (EMOP) to assist drought
victims and appealed to the international community for USD 76,6 million
needed to provide 176,936 tons of food to an estimated 3.8 million people
over a period of 12 months, starting 1 April. WFP believes that the
effects of the drought are so severe that hundreds of thousands of people
are facing the risk of starvation.

b)  WFP has accelerated the implementation of the on-going EMOP, given the
severity of the current situation. WFP intends to fully distribute all
pledged resources by the end of March, instead of July, as a means of
preventing further loss-of-life and large-scale migration of people.

c)  Drought-induced situation in Afghanistan is not expected to stabilise
at least until the middle of this year, when the harvest starts to come
in. Despite the snowfall already being reported in some areas, the harvest
is unlikely to meet domestic consumption needs because of the shortness of
time before the planting season, shortage of quality seeds available from
the Autumn planting and the migration of many farmers from rural to urban
areas. The farmers who have been forced to move are unlikely to be able to
return to their places of origin in time for the next planting season.

d)  A primary objective of the proposed WFP assistance is to ensure food
for the most severely affected people over the coming year, including
IDPs. The other WFP operation in the country, Protracted Relief and
Recovery Operation (PRRO), will be suspended upon the activation of the
new EMOP. After 22 years of war, the impact of the extended drought has
caused severe stress on a very weak economy and vulnerable population.
Most vulnerable PRRO beneficiaries will be incorporated under the umbrella
of the new operation, in order to ensure a more efficient and transparent
management of relief activities.

e)  While implementing operations, WFP staff will take all possible steps
under the prevailing circumstances to ensure that WFP food aid directly
benefits vulnerable women.


(2)  Tajikistan

a)  WFP has not received any new pledges for the EMOP since last November,
with only 24 percent (31,245 tons of food) of the total food requirements
(127,000 tons) covered to date.

b)  WFP implementing partner, International Federation for the Red Cross
(IFRC), started the first round of Vulnerable Group Feeding on 23 February
in Ghonchi, one of the drought-affected districts in northern Tajikistan.
A total of 29,300 people have received food assistance so far and WFP is
monitoring the distribution process.  Another implementing partner of WFP,
CARE, has started distribution of food to 24,350 people in the Shahrinov
district of the Region of Republicans Subordination.

c)  WFP, in collaboration with the district administration, is preparing
to distribute food aid to some 15,000 vulnerable people in Ainee district,
another drought-affected area in the northern Sughd region. To ensure
consistent targeting of beneficiaries, WFP is working on the logistics
set-up and cross-checking beneficiary lists prepared by district and
village authorities.

d)  Food distribution continues in the southern district of Dangara, one
of the worse drought-hit districts of Khatlon, where some 8,000 people are
receiving WFP food this week.

e)  Under the joint WFP-UNHCR Land-Lease projects, WFP distributed a total
of 103 tons of fertiliser to 883 farmers who lost their main crop last
year due to the drought. WFP had earlier distributed wheat seeds to the
farmers, under the same projects, in four districts of Khatlon.



(C)  Great Lakes: (1) Burundi, (2) Rwanda, (3) Uganda

(1)  Burundi

a)  WFP continues distribution of Seeds Protection Rations (SPR)
throughout the country. In view of the urgency to assist the vulnerable
population in the five provinces most affected by drought, WFP has further
increased the number of SPR beneficiaries. In Karuzi province, a 15-day
ration has been planned for 250,000 people. In the provinces of Muyinga,
Muramvya, Mwaro and Kayanza, also seriously hit by drought, more than
320,000 people will benefit from a ten-day ration. WFP also plans to
supply the remaining twelve provinces, less affected by drought, with some
1,500 tons of food, distributed as family packages. The total number of
SPR beneficiaries in the country is almost 800,000 people and the food
requirement is almost 6,200 tons.  In addition, WFP has already supplied
1,216 tons of food to partners in nutritional projects during February, of
which 426 tons to MSF-Belgium for distributions in Karuzi province.

b)  In an attempt to efficiently combat malnutrition, WFP aims to reach
1,351,000 people (151,000 under nutritional programme and 1,200,000 under
targeted feeding), but the actual implementation and number of
beneficiaries will depend on the availability of additional resources,
food commodities and logistics capacity.

c)  The Second Vice-President responsible for socio-economic matters met
with humanitarian agencies operating in the country, including WFP, FAO,
UNICEF, UNDP, WHO and international NGOs, to discuss nutritional situation
in the northern areas. He appealed to donors to increase their medical and
food assistance, in order to meet urgent needs in the northern provinces
seriously affected by drought, malnutrition and malaria epidemic.


(2)  Rwanda

a)  WFP completed distribution of emergency food rations to 54,850
drought-affected people in Bugesera region of the southern Kigali Rural
prefecture. A total of 470 tons of relief food was provided to some 11,634
households, 66 percent of all households in the communes of Gashora and
Kanzeze. Recent assessments report confirmed continuous high food
insecurity in these two communes as a result of drought and consecutive
crop failure. WFP will continue emergency assistance in this area until
the next expected harvest in July.

b)  The food security situation in other drought affected areas in the
south-east, including the Mayaga region in Butare, eastern Kibungo and
Umutara, continues to be closely monitored, to determine whether
continuation of emergency food distributions would be needed. The
distributions in these areas were suspended in January and February, due
to the harvest period.

c)  WFP continues to face critical food shortages for its drought
assistance and other relief activities implemented under the Great Lakes
Regional PRRO and the Rwanda EMOP (which has received only some 25 percent
of the required resources).


(3)  Uganda

a)  Some 6,434 refugees, fleeing ethnic clashes in eastern parts of the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have been registered by UNHCR in
Bundibugyo district, on the border with DRC. The situation in the transit
camps is reported to be volatile, due to insecurity, poor sanitation and
the lack of shelter. All registered refugees have been assisted with WFP
food rations. UNHCR is planning to relocate the refugees to the existing
Kyaka II refugee camp, in Kabarole District. WFP continues to assist
97,000 IDPs in Bundibugyo through general distributions and Food-for-Asset
Creation (FFA) activities.

b)  WFP also continues to support 425,000 IDPs in Gulu and Kitgum
districts in Northern Uganda. A grasshopper infestation in Gulu has
resulted in a widespread crop failure. WFP is currently assessing the
situation. The Government is planning to decentralise larger IDP camps
into smaller units, located closer to the villages and fields of the IDPs.
WFP is following this development closely and is ready to facilitate the
recovery process through (FFA) interventions.

c)  In the West Nile region, a joint WFP/UNHCR/Government and implementing
partners Food Assessment Mission has presented findings, indicating that
refugees settled along River Nile have been hit by unfavourable changes in
the weather pattern, leading to crop failures. UNHCR has begun voluntary
relocation of some of the refugees residing in these areas. WFP is
assisting some 151,000 refugees through general distribution and FFA
activities.

d)  Overall, WFP's PRRO is currently assisting 673,000 IDPs and refugees
in Northern and Western Uganda, along the borders with Sudan and DRC
respectively. The operation is currently resourced only by 37 percent and
is in urgent need for additional resources. given the continued volatility
in the area.



(D)  Kenya

a)  Additional funding for WFP's EMOP assisting 4.4 million
drought-victims in the country is urgently needed, as the food stocks will
run out as early as May if new food arrivals are not secured. The stock
levels or beans, oil and special fortified food for children under five
years of age, pregnant women and nursing mothers, are particularly
worrying.

b)  The plea comes despite the arrival this week of 34,000 tons of US
donated maize and the expected arrival in March of 19,000 tons of maize
donated by Japan.

c)  In the worst hit drought areas in north and north-east, milk and meat
prices have increased sharply, pushing more people into begging, as
families have less and less each day to survive on. There has been so
little pasture re-growth that virtually no cattle can be seen as they have
either died or have been moved out of the region for grazing.

d)  To date, WFP has not received any contributions against its February
appeal to the donor community for 196,000 tons of food aid, valued at USD
89 million, to cover the needs until June.

e)  The Government of Kenya has made a substantial contribution to the
operation by donating a total of 30,000 tons of cereal since January.



(E)  Palestinian Territory

a)  WFP urgently needs donor support for the EMOP assisting 250,000
Palestinians, who have been pushed into destitution by the resurgence of
the conflict in the region. The poverty rate in the Territory has
increased from 21 percent to 32 percent, and the number of people living
on less than USD 2 per day has increased from 650,000 to one million,
according to recent UN statistics.

b)  Last November, under an immediate response strategy, WFP drew on its
emergency food reserve to distribute a one-month supply of wheat flour to
13,000 families badly affected by the crisis and subsequently approved an
EMOP to continue assisting those most-affected. At present, WFP is
urgently seeking funds for the three-month operation, since the donor
response to the appeal (first announced late last year) has been rather
weak.

c)  For the last three years, WFP has been running an ongoing social
welfare programme for some 100,000 widows, divorced women, disabled,
mentally handicapped and the physically ill, who constitute the worst
hardship cases in the Territories.

d)  In another initiative, some 6,000 families, the poorest of the rural
poor, are assisted with a variety of Food for Work (FFW) projects. About
3,700 farmers will get help with land rehabilitation in order to make
their farms start producing again, and women with little education will
get training in health, nutrition and agricultural activities.



(F)  El Salvador

a)  WFP has been calling on the international donor community to act
quickly by providing funds for the EMOP that is assisting victims of the
two earthquakes that recently hit El Salvador. It is critical to re-supply
the food stocks before the rainy season starts in May.

b)  In less than 24 hours after the first quake hit, WFP was able to
distribute food to the 50,000 most affected victims (10,000 families) and
has since reached a total of 90,000 affected families with the use of
pre-existing in-country food stocks. Following the immediate response, WFP
launched an EMOP worth USD 10 million to feed the most vulnerable 200,000
people for six months. To date, the donor response towards this operation
has been very slow with only confirmed pledges of USD 2 million.

c)  WFP recently made a local purchase of over 3,000 tons of corn, oil and
beans that will provide food to the most vulnerable for only the next few
weeks. Unless more pledges are made rather promptly, WFP will be unable to
feed the worst hit victims in three weeks time.

d)  WFP is working in close coordination with the government for
logistical support and in partnership with NGOs, to ensure that the food
reaches those most in need. Next month, WFP will conduct a comprehensive
household food security survey of over 1,000 families, to better target
the location and needs of the most vulnerable.



(G)  Laos

a)  During February, WFP distributed 1,219 tons of rice to more than
46,000 people in the areas worst hit by the floods, in the southern
provinces of Champasak, Attepeu, Saravane and the central provinces of
Savannakhet and Khammouane.

b)  Out of the approved 8,680 tons of glutinous rice for the EMOP, a total
of 4,125 tons has been purchased so far and currently being delivered and
distributed. WFP is seeking donor pledges for the remaining 4,555 tons,
which are to be used in the most affected villages to implement FFW
projects to rehabilitate damages caused by the flood.

c)  The joint FAO/WFP Crop Food Supply Assessment mission has been
conducted in February and the report is currently under preparation.



(H)  Southern Africa: (1) Angola, (2) Namibia

(1)  Angola

a)  Arrival of new IDPs was reported in Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Huila,
Malange and Moxico, with a particularly high number of new arrivals in Bie
(9,102). The IDPs who arrived in Bie came from the Camacupa municipality.

b)  A mission involving FAO and WFP visited Huambo to assess the food
security situation in the province, in view of the new WFP strategy to
increase the FFW component of the PRRO commencing in April. WFP also held
a meeting with the provincial authorities to discuss the progress of the
School Construction Project and possibilities for road rehabilitation
through FFW. So far, WFP and its partners have completed 30 of the 100
classrooms targeted for construction through the School Construction
Project.

c)  In Kuando-Kubango, a joint UN/NGO/Government mission visited the towns
of Dirico, Mucusso, Catuitui, Cuangar and Calai along the Namibian border,
with the objective to assess the reported critical needs for humanitarian
assistance there and to assess the security situation relevant to
implementation of humanitarian activities.

d)  A nutritional study carried out by the Ministry of Health (MINSA) in
the municipality of Cangandala, in collaboration with NGOs, found global
malnutrition at 2.4 percent and severe malnutrition at 0.4 percent. This
represents a significant decrease in comparison to previous surveys and
confirms that targeted feeding projects in the area have been successful.

e)  In Ndalatando, WFP has been constrained with the implementation of
proposed projects and activities, due to a lack of implementing partners.

f)  Security situation remained precarious in most provinces. In Huambo,
two military men were assaulted and an assault on the MSF-France feeding
centre in Santa Teresa was reported.


(2)  Namibia

a)  WFP operation in Namibia continues to face a food pipeline crisis due
to inadequate funding. The operation is expected to face pipeline breaks
for salt and sugar in March, and for other commodities in April, unless
additional donor funding is secured quickly.

b)  The Government confirmed its agreement to allowing imports of blended
food (i.e. CSB), notwithstanding the maize meal import ban. A delayed
regional consignment of CSB is now being imported for urgent distribution.

Note: All tonnage figures in this report refer to metric tons

(End WFP Emergency Report No 09)

distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International Disaster Information
Volunteers in Technical Assistance
                                          web: www.cidi.org
                                     listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
World Food Program Reports                www.cidi.org/humanitarian/wfp