This report includes: A) General: Resourcing Situation B) Democratic People's Republic of Korea C) Liberia and Sierra Leone D) Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Tanzania
>From B. Szynalski, Director, Operational Policy and Support Division. For information regarding resources, donors are requested to contact Ms. B. Karlstrom Dorph, Director, Resources Division, WFP Rome (Ph. 39 6 5228 2500)
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS (Details below in Part II)
A. GENERAL
1. Resourcing situation - selected WFP operations a) As of May 1996, USD 557 million (representing 913,000 mt) confirmed for WFP relief operations for 1996. Remaining needs for WFP relief operations in 1996 are 806,000 mt (USD 436 million). Details of selected operations given below.
B. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA (DPRK)
1. A United Nations Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued 6 June. USD 43.6 million is required for emergency assistance for July 1996 to March 1997. Food aid needs are USD 26.8 million, to cover emergency requirements of 33,750 mt cereals for distributions, 11,810 mt fortified cereal mix for children under five, and 25,000 mt of cereals for emergency food-for-work. C. LIBERIA AND SIERRA LEONE
1. Liberia a) ECOMOG deployment complete in Schiefflin although minor clashes reported between government and faction forces. b) First phase of the WFP expanded feeding programme in Monrovia completed with 64 communities served.
2. Sierra Leone a) Peace talks between the Sierra Leone Government and the RUF, suspended at the end of May, expected to resume soon. b) Cease-fire violations continue with attacks by rebels in southern Sierra Leone on 2 and 6 June.
D. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE AND TANZANIA
1. Burundi a) Following the death of three ICRC staff members, NGOs suspend non-emergency activities for one week in a measure of solidarity and mourning. Remaining ICRC staff leave Burundi. b) Humanitarian activities outside of the city centres of Bujumbura, Ngozi and Kirundo halted. WFP Gitega staff briefly re-deployed to Bujumbura. In other parts of the country, WFP is continuing emergency work when possible. c) Security incidents result in further deaths. A number of priests and nuns have been killed or injured in several different incidents.
2. Zaire - Goma a) Threats against humanitarian agencies result in suspension of all services to the camps and increase in presence of Zairian Contingent soldiers along northern axis route. b) All access to Rutshuru area prohibited by the military.
3. Zaire - Bukavu a) Attempted registration exercise meets with violence; shots fired and stones thrown at registration staff in nearly all camps.
PART II - DETAILS
A. GENERAL 1. SUMMARY OF RESOURCING SITUATION FOR SELECTED WFP EMERGENCY OPERATIONS AS OF MAY 1996 1.1 As of 30 May 1996, USD 557 million (representing 913,000 mt) of contributions had been confirmed for WFP relief operations for 1996. The remaining needs for WFP relief operations in 1996 are estimated at 806,000 mt (USD 436 million). 1.2 The food resourcing pipelines for the following relief operations are currently of significant concern to WFP and unless contributions are confirmed in the near future, serious gaps in food distributions will occur during the coming months. 1.3 WFP resourcing situation (in metric tons): 1996 Estimated 1996 Con- 1996 Needs Availability tributions Shortfall Afghanistan 180,000 43,442 79,142 57,416 Ethiopia PRO 86,000 - 53,032 32,968 Georgia 25,920 7,675 - 18,245 Iraq 321,461 50,059 45,529 225,873 Liberia PRO 192,578 30,712 129,673 32,193 Rwanda Reg. 463,133 163,188 206,539 98,706 Sierra Leone 41,467 - 2,000 39,467 Sudan PRO 44,567 10,246 21,900 12,421 Sudan EMOP 50,865 25,207 2,290 23,368 Tajikistan 36,850 6,935 8,216 21,699 Uganda PRO 54,625 15,000 26,182 13,443 Former Yugo. 313,037 36,852 189,815 86,370 Definitions: Estimated Availability: WFP in-country stocks as at 31 Dec 95 plus 1995 contributions being delivered in 1996. 1996 Contributions: contributions confirmed by donors in 1996 1996 Shortfall: outstanding 1996 WFP relief needs to be resourced (1996 requirements minus 1996 availability minus 1996 contributions.) PRO: Protracted Refugee/Displaced Person Operation 1.4 Details of operations: Target Group People to be assisted Afghanistan conflict victims & vuln.gr. 1,600,000 Ethiopia PRO Som/Sud/Djb/Ken refugees 419,850 Georgia IDPs and vulnerable groups 300,000 Iraq vulnerable persons 2,151,000 Liberia PRO regional Liberian refugees 1,832,000 Rwanda Regional conflict victims 2,382,000 Sierra Leone IDPs 609,000 Sudan PRO Ethiopian, Eritr. refugees 200,000 Sudan EMOP Displaced & Drought victims 2,100,000 Tajikistan IDPs and war affected 400,000 Uganda PRO Sud/Zair/Rwa refugees 250,000 Former Yugoslavia refugees/IDPs/war victims 2,246,600 IDPs: Internally Displaced Persons
B. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
1. UPDATE
1.1 A United Nations Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was issued on 6 June. The concerned UN Agencies are appealing for a total of USD 43.6 million for emergency assistance to the DPRK for the period 1 July 1996 to 31 March 1997. The major portion of the funds requested, USD 26.8 million, is for the priority need, food aid, and for related logistics, management and NGO support.
1.2 Food aid and related requirements as described in the Appeal are as follows:
a) Emergency food aid needs: (1) cereals - 33,750 mt, for distribution to 500,000 people, comprising collective farmers and their families and other most vulnerable people severely affected by the 1995 floods, for five months; (2) fortified cereal mix - 11,810 mt, for distribution, primarily through nurseries and kindergartens, to 25 percent of the children under five in the most vulnerable areas, for five months; (3) cereals - a further 25,000 mt, for emergency food-for-work, to cover rehabilitation activities.
b) Programme Food Aid: deliveries of programme food aid or balance of payments support for commercial imports totalling 857,000 mt will be required before the harvest in October. (The deficit for the whole 1995/96 crop year was estimated at 978,000 mt cereals in the FAO/WFP Special Alert of 13 May 1996. The WFP Emergency Report no. 19 of 17 May 1996 inadvertently indicated that this left a balance of 400,000 mt of needs to be met through programme food aid or budgetary support for commercial imports.)
c) WFP NGO Food Aid Liaison Unit: USD 132,000 to strengthen NGO/DPRK coordination of food aid.
d) Food aid handling and logistics: USD 766,700 for essential logistics equipment.
C. LIBERIA REGIONAL OPERATION (LIBERIA, COTE D'IVOIRE, GUINEA) AND SIERRA LEONE
1. LIBERIA
1.1 The deployment of ECOMOG troops has been completed in Monrovia and along the Schiefflin highway. However, the major obstacle to a peaceful settlement of the crisis has not been removed as the Krahn fighters have not left yet the BTC barracks. Minor clashes have been reported between NPFL and AFL (Armed Forces of Liberia) near the ELWA junction. Meanwhile, negotiations continue between the Special Envoy of the ECOWAS Chairman and the Krahn factions.
1.2 On June 11, some 400 Krahn fighters surrendered their weapons to ECOMOG but refused to board ECOMOG provided trucks, instead simply walking out of BTC into the city streets.
1.3 In up-country areas, fighting is reported in Tubmanburg, Bomi county, between the two ULIMO factions with consequent fleeing of the civilian population towards Monrovia and Suhen.
1.4 Fighting is also reported between NPFL and LPC in Grand Gedeh county, 40 kms from Zwedru, and in parts of Sinoe county.
1.5 A serious incident took place near Toulepleu in Cote d'Ivoire, as NPFL elements made a raid across the border looking for food. Following a clash with the Ivorian army, a village was attacked and 14 people killed. 1.6 During the period 5-11 June, WFP delivered over 875 mt of food to 220,000 beneficiaries, to communities in Bushrod Island, displaced persons and refugees in Samukai Town, VOA-1 and Po River area, as well as orphanages and homes for the elderly in Monrovia.
1.7 Six orphanages in Monrovia were visited last week and 170 children found in desperate need of food assistance. A delivery plan was prepared for early distribution this week.
1.8 A verification exercise by WFP and implementing NGOs is under way in Monrovia, to be followed by a coordination meeting, so as to shift from the expanded feeding to targeted programmes and food-for-work activities (for garbage collection, hospital workers, the electricity corporation and the White Plains water facility).
1.9 WFP has opened a new extended delivery point in Vonjama, upper Lofa; a first convoy with 380 mt of food is scheduled to depart Monrovia on 13 June. A 3-day inter-agency assessment mission to that area ended on 10 June: the general condition of the population (including integrated Sierra Leonean refugees) does not appear desperate. Food assistance is needed mainly to support hospitals, clinics and schools as well as for immediate rehabilitation activities.
1.10 Via the cross-border operation from Cote d'Ivoire, 400 mt of WFP food have already been delivered through LWS in Nimba and Bong counties, of which 300 mt was for some 50 school canteens in Nimba and 100 mt for vulnerable groups. Under preparation is the further delivery of 500 mt of bulgur wheat along with an equal quantity of rice seeds for farmers.
1.11 The WFP-chartered vessel M/V Hollgan Star sailed on 11 June from Monrovia to Freetown with 75 Sierra Leonean orphans. In addition 42 light vehicles from UNOMIL were loaded on board the vessel.
2. SIERRA LEONE
2.1 There are hopes that the peace talks between the Sierra Leone Government and the RUF will resume soon. The talks were stalled because of two RUF demands: the departure from Sierra Leone of military personnel from the South Africa based company, Executive Outcomes, and the formation of a national commission to oversee decision making on national debt and budget issues.
2.2 On 2 and 6 June kamjors (local hunters who are in effect self-armed local community security forces) attacked villages in the Bumpeh and Kamajei chiefdoms in the Bo district in southern Sierra Leone. An influx of about 300 new returnees arrived in Bo following these attacks. The increased number of kamjors in southern Sierra Leone and their continued attacks on rebel bases has become a worry for civilians in the region.
2.3 The May and June distribution has been completed for a caseload of 61,568 IDPs in Kenema. The next distribution is expected to take place in July.
2.4 In Bo, the present distribution is in progress to the old caseload. A verification exercise is presently being carried out of the re-registered caseload.
2.5 In Segbwema/Daru, ICRC has started distributing seeds and tools to 120,246 IDPs. The first distribution of food to these people will start on June 15 and continue for 2-3 weeks.
D. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE AND TANZANIA
1. BURUNDI
1.1 The International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, announced a suspension of their activities in Burundi following the incident of 4 June in which three of their staff were killed. Many international staff members working for the organization left the country soon after. Remaining members of the ICRC delegation left Burundi on 11 June, following further threats to staff. The ICRC and the UN have appealed to the Government of Burundi to lead a thorough inquiry into the tragic event of 4 June. In a measure of solidarity and mourning, all operating NGOs suspended non-emergency activities between 7 and 14 June. UN agencies halted activities for an official day of mourning one week following the tragedy, on 11 June.
1.2 The UN Humanitarian Coordinator has halted humanitarian activities which take place outside of the major city centres of Bujumbura, Ngozi and Kirundo, for the present time. WFP Gitega staff were re-deployed to Bujumbura over the weekend of 7 June as a security measure and in anticipation of the observance of the day of mourning. Elsewhere in the country, WFP is continuing its emergency work where and when possible.
1.3 Serious security incidents continue. In Ruyigi province, a government official, a priest and a nun were killed on 4 June. An ambush on the Bugarama road some 15 km from Bujumbura resulted in the death of four persons (two of them priests) and the severe injury of a fifth person on 5 June. On 8 June, on the same route some 5 km from Bujumbura, a military convoy was attacked by armed assailants. One soldier and three assailants were killed in the incident. Three nuns were injured when a grenade exploded at a church in Mushasha in Gitega province on 7 June, close to WFP Gitega sub-office where staff were present at the time. Further grenades exploded in Gitega town centre the same day. 1.4 Shooting was heard in the Zeimet area of central Bujumbura on 6 June. Military presence around Bujumbura increased early in the week of 10 June. Electricity failure continues in the capital. 1.5 The second round of the Mwanza peace talks took place in Tanzania last week but ended with no new developments. Discussions were held between representatives from Burundi's two main political parties, UPRONA and FRODEBU. Scheduled participation by representatives from neighbouring Great Lakes countries did not occur. Talks are expected to resume in the coming weeks. 1.6 The WFP Assistant Executive Director, Mr. Jean-Jacques Graisse, is on a visit to Burundi and other countries in the region this week. Mr. Graisse will meet with high level Government officials as well as representatives from the international donor community and humanitarian agencies. 1.7 WFP Ngozi distribution team terminated distribution to 15,815 IDPs living in sites in the northern provinces of Muyinga, Kayanza and Kirundo over the month of May. IFRC, WFP implementing partner for food distribution in the refugee camps, has agreed to continue distribution so as not to interrupt food delivery cycles. 1.8 WFP has distributed rations to some 15,000 persons in need in Karuzi province. In total, WFP is expected to distribute food aid to 61,896 persons.
2. ZAIRE - GOMA
2.1 Shooting broke out in Goma on 10 June at 1830 hours and continued into the early morning of 11 June following the death of a Gendarmerie soldier in Goma.
2.2 Due to the threat of a possible attack on an unspecified humanitarian agency between 8 and 9 June, all services to the camps were suspended and Contingent soldiers were stationed along the northern axis route every 1 km. During this time, WFP lost two days turn around time for 24 trucks. Following this and the intermittent main corridor closure between 1-4 June, in-country stocks remain critically low.
2.3 The military has prohibited all access to Rutshuru area. ICRC will attempt to send staff to Beni via Uganda in order to assist the displaced who are fleeing northward.
2.4 Nine refugees were arrested in Kibumba camp for carrying grenades. 14 refugees were sent to Rwanda by the Zairian Government 6 June for trafficking in arms. Intimidators attempting to block repatriation were arrested in both Katale and Kibumba camps. Curfews have been re-imposed in Kibumba and Kahindo camps for security reasons. Food distributions in several camps were delayed due to security problems in Goma.
2.5 For the most part calm has returned to southern and central Masisi area permitting the re-opening of commercial activity between Goma and that area.
2.6 The UNHCR has requested a redefinition of the role of the Contingent to include patrols outside the camps. Eight mobile patrols are being established which will include Goma airport to Rubare just past Katale EDP. As of yet, no escort is being provided for the WFP convoy route from Rubare to the Ishasha border.
2.7 A total of 67 trucks crossed the Ishasha border from 3-9 June. WFP-Goma received a total of 1,535 mt. Dispatches by barge to Bukavu included 380 mt of maize grain.
3. ZAIRE - BUKAVU
3.1 Registration exercises were attempted in all the camps as planned during the week of 3-9 June by UNHCR, WFP and NGOs.
3.2 The discovery of widespread cheating in all the camps during the census operation led to refugee protests which often turned violent. In Kashusha camp the first two days of the operation ended when gun shots were fired by the Contingent soldiers. Attempts by the soldiers to control cheating did not succeed, as even refugees beaten by the solders continued to go through the registration process over and over again.
3.3 WFP, UNHCR and NGO cars were damaged by rocks thrown by refugees as the cars left the camps in the Contingent-led convoys which were necessary at the end of each day. 4. TANZANIA
4.1 A daily influx of new arrivals continues into Keza camp in Ngara, increasing the refugee population in the camp from 30,393 to 40,689 during the week of 3-9 June.
4.2 While UNHCR continues to negotiate with the Government of Tanzania to allow new Burundian arrivals to enter Tanzania, the International Refugee Committee carries out health services to approximately 380 refugees at the border.
4.3 Agencies are preparing to open a new camp to accommodate possible new influxes from Burundi.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 23 of 1996 - June 14, 1996)