Report No. 35 of 1996 Date: 6 September 1996
This report includes: A) Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Tanzania B) Angola C) Iraq D) Former Yugoslavia
>From D. Morton, Acting for Director, Operational Policy and Support Division. For information regarding resources, donors are requested to contact Mr. F. Strippoli/Mr. M. Crosthwaite, WFP Rome (Ph. 39 6 5228 2504 or 5228 2004). Transmission problems should be reported by fax to 39 6 5228 2837.
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS (Details below in Part II)
A. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE AND TANZANIA
1. Burundi (information as of 6 September)
a) UN humanitarian operations in Burundi in jeopardy unless fuel exempted from current embargo.
b) Shelling and shooting in outskirts of Bujumbura city on 5 September.
c) Clashes between army and armed rebels in Bujumbura Rural province. Road between Bujumbura and Kayanza closed due to attacks near Bugarama in Muramvya province; other security incidents reported in Bururi.
d) Repeated clashes between army and rebels in Kayanza province leave up to 30,000 newly displaced persons, concentrated at Rukatsho.
2. Zaire - Goma (information as of 6 September)
a) Camps relatively calm following boycott by refugees of verification exercise needed to establish accurate numbers. Except for minor incidents in Katale, no violence associated with boycott. Non-emergency services in camps suspended for three days.
b) Further deterioration in relationship between camp population and nearby Zairian village population.
3. Zaire - Bukavu
a) Transfer of refugees on Idjwi island from southern camps to Karama camp completed.
b) Anti-personnel mines near Panzi camp injure three persons.
4. Zaire - Uvira
a) Tightening of security by the Zairian army results in drop in refugee inflow from Burundi. Rate of arrival now 150 to 200 refugees per day.
b) WFP and UNHCR temporarily suspend use of escarpment road after anti-tank mine found on the road on 27 August.
5. Tanzania
a) New arrivals in the refugee camps include officials of the Government of Burundi.
b) High levels of anaemia reported among many of newly arriving children and pregnant women.
6. Rwanda
a) WFP Management Review Mission to Rwanda to take place 9 to 29 September.
B. ANGOLA
1. Update
a) Rehabilitation of the Caxito-Canacassala road, supported by WFP food-for-work, and a de-mining project funded by the German government, expected to facilitate return of 45,000 people from Caxito camps to their homes in Nambuangongo.
b) Demobilisation of under-age soldiers delayed. Total number of quartered UNITA troops now 49,000.
C. IRAQ
1. Update
a) UN puts implementation of Security Council Resolution 986 on hold, for security reasons.
b) WFP emergency operation distributions in the Governorate of Erbil start 4 September, delayed only slightly by recent events and the change in the governorate's administration. Transport of food on Dohuk-Mosul-Erbil road also resumes.
c) Movement to Sulemanyia from Erbil limited because of insecurity, but September distributions in some sectors of the governorate begin on schedule. No delays in WFP operations in other areas.
D. Former Yugoslavia
1. Update
a) Security and other issues affecting WFP operations in Republika Srpska resolved in meetings between WFP and Commissioner for Refugees.
b) Tension grows in Bosnia and Herzegovina as the general elections of 14 September approach. IFOR and IPTF put security measures in place to deal with possible problems.
PART II - DETAILS
A. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE AND TANZANIA
1. BURUNDI (information as of 6 September 1996)
1.1 The embargo by neighbouring states continues to isolate Burundi. The first meeting of the Regional Co-ordination Committee on sanctions, initially scheduled for 28 August in Nairobi, has been postponed to next week and will be held in Arusha.
1.2 UN Agencies in Bujumbura declared on 26 August that UN humanitarian operations would be compromised if the embargo does not exclude fuel and other products necessary to the delivery of assistance to vulnerable groups in Burundi.
1.3 Shelling and shooting took place in the mainly rural outskirts of Bujumbura city on 5 September. The centre of the city remains relatively quiet. The potential volatile situation is being monitored closely.
1.4 Most parts of Bujumbura remain without electricity following rebel attacks on 24 and 27 August in Bubanza Province. The WFP office continues to function using generators and its limited fuel reserves. Ngozi also suffered power cuts from 27 August to 2 September.
1.5 Security in Bujumbura Rural remains troubled with reports of a rebel attack, and clashes between the army and armed rebels, in Mugongomango on 28 August. A military operation in Maramvya zone reportedly left 72 people dead on 29 August.
1.6 The road between Bujumbura and Kayanza was closed to traffic on 29 August owing to an ambush 27 km out of the capital and to an attack near Bugarama (Muramvya province) on a truck which left one dead. This road is also the main road to Rwanda.
1.7 Security remains unstable in Kayanza province where repeated clashes between the army and rebels have been reported. The number of displaced persons has increased, possibly up to 30,000, as of 6 September. The main concentration of IDPs is at Rukatsho, on the road from Kayanza to Ngozi.
1.8 In Bururi province, an incident on the road between Bururi and Rumonge left 4 dead on 29 August. The Bururi hospital also reportedly received military casualties during the week of 27 August to 2 September.
1.9 The opposition group the Conseil National pour la Defense de la Democratie (CNDD) declared on 28 August that organisations wishing to fly planes over Burundian airspace needed authorisation from them, or planes would become targets of attacks. The CNDD withdrew this threat on 31 August. As a result of the threat, flights by the WFP Twin Otter aircraft to the interior and Kigali scheduled for 30 August were cancelled. Flights resumed on 2 September.
1.10 WFP continues food distributions to internally displaced persons and vulnerable groups, with 135 mt being distributed during the period 27 August to 2 September.
2. ZAIRE - GOMA (information as of 6 September)
2.1 The verification exercise planned for 1 September to establish current numbers in the camps was boycotted by the refugees. Over a thousand staff members of agencies working in Goma, and some from neighbouring UNHCR offices, were mobilised for the verification exercise, however the refugees did not show up. The boycott was peacefully carried out except in Katale where minor incidents occurred; the night before the exercise, three of the five verification sites in Katale camp were damaged. Non-emergency services in the camps were suspended for three days. Food distributions have not been affected, since commodities were distributed in advance.
2.2 Following the boycott, WFP issued a press statement on 5 September urgently advising refugees and their leaders to allow the count to take place, as donor countries had warned they would not fund further food supplies to the camps until an accurate count of the refugees is carried out.
2.3 The security situation in the camps remains relatively calm; some NGOs received threats in relation to their plan to assist with the verification exercise. The relationship between the inhabitants of the refugee camps and Zairian villages is worsening.
2.4 In Kahindo camp, a curfew from 18:30 to 06:00 was implemented from 31 August to the end of the attempted verification exercise, in order to prevent movement in and out of the camp.
2.5 Due to continuing pipeline problems, the ration is being temporarily set at the reduced rate of 1,074 kcal. WFP is making every effort to move some 5,000 mt of food commodities to the camps. From 25 August to 1 September, 785 mt of food stuffs were received and 302 mt were dispatched to Bukavu.
2.6 Some 200 refugees were repatriated to Rwanda last week.
3. ZAIRE - BUKAVU
3.1 The transfer of the population of the southern camps on Idjwi island to Karama camp was completed during the week of 26 August to 1 September. The new caseload figure for Karama camp is 24,300 refugees.
3.2 Two anti-personnel mines at a water source near Panzi camp exploded severely injuring three women. After the incident four other mines were found in the area.
3.3 Stock levels continue to drop as deliveries via both northern and southern routes are low.
3.4 Repatriation figures remain low, with 32 refugees returning to Rwanda last week.
4. ZAIRE - UVIRA
4.1 A total of 1,220 arrivals registered in the new Kahanda refugee camp from 27 August to 2 September. The refugee inflow diminished to 150 to 200 refugees per day during the week owing to a tightening of security by the Zairian army.
4.2 An anti-tank mine was found on 27 August on the escarpment road. WFP and UNHCR have temporarily suspended use of this road.
4.3 UNHCR hopes to consolidate the Uvira camps, from the existing twelve to six, by moving the Burundian population from camps where they represent a minority, to the new Kahanda camp (opened on 28 August).
5. TANZANIA
5.1 Refugees continue to arrive in Tanzania from Burundi. >From 26 August to 1 September, 971 new arrivals entered the Kigoma and Kagera regions.
5.2 Of the 971 new arrivals, 605 refugees entered the Kigoma region, with 71 percent entering the recently established Mtendeli camp and the remainder entering Mtabila camp. The new arrivals included many officials from the Government of Burundi. Deterioration of security and fear of continued and intensified unrest were given as causes for departure.
5.3 Many of the newly arrived children, especially those under five years of age, as well as pregnant women, are suffering from high levels of anaemia. Attendance at therapeutic and supplementary feeding centres is increasing. A large number of the children with anaemia are unable to fight malaria.
5.4 WFP and UNHCR are strengthening their contingency plans in the region to ensure preparedness for any sudden increases in new arrivals resulting from increased unrest in Burundi. WFP is pre-positioning two months rations in all camps in Kasulu and Kibondo.
5.5 The refugee population as of 1 September is reported at 653,228.
6. RWANDA
6.1 Between 9 and 29 September, the Country Office will host a WFP Management Review Mission which will assess the effectiveness of WFP assistance in Rwanda in the post-war period and recommend the future direction of WFP operations in the country in the coming years.
6.2 Some 104,084 Rwandans have returned from Burundi since the beginning of 1995, 15,449 during 1995 and 88,635 in 1996. During the last two months, 71,704 people repatriated (15,387 in July and 56,317 in August). Communes which received the highest numbers of returnees from Burundi are Kigembe, Kibayi, Nyaruhengeri, Muganza, Gishamwu and Muyaga, all located in Butare prefecture.
6.3 Zairian refugees continue to arrive in Rwanda, but in smaller numbers, with 80 new asylum seekers from 25 August to 2 September.
B. ANGOLA
1. UPDATE
1.1 The Government of Germany has confirmed a donation of USD 450,000 to fund a de-mining team, the German NGO Menschen Gegen Minen, to work in Nambuangongo municipality, and a further USD 450,000 donation to fund a second de-mining team through the NGO Saint Barbara Foundation.
1.2 USD 32,000 from a recent donor contribution to WFP for road rehabilitation will be used towards the rehabilitation of the Caxito-Canacassala road. The funds will cover administrative and support costs of the NGO Angolan Action for Development, as well as rental costs of heavy machinery. As part of the road rehabilitation project, WFP provides hand tools, food rations and transport for food-for-work on the road. This project and the newly funded de-mining project in Nambuangongo municipality mentioned above will facilitate the resettlement of 45,000 people, presently in camps in Caxito, who are unable to return to their home areas in Nambuangongo.
1.3 Demobilisation of under-age soldiers, previously scheduled to start on 26 August, has been delayed due to administrative technicalities. Given the delay, original estimated requirements will be reviewed and WFP will appeal to donors for any additional contributions needed to cover the period of the delay. The first group of under-age soldiers to be demobilised will come from the quartering areas of Vila Nove, Londuimbali, N'gove and Negage. Total number of quartered UNITA troops as at 2 September stands at 49,000 soldiers with 90,117 dependants.
1.4 From the period 19 August to 1 September, WFP delivered a total of 3,860 mt of food (2,860 via road and l,000 mt via air).
C. IRAQ
1. UPDATE
1.1 For security reasons, the UN has decided to put on hold the implementation of Security Council Resolution 986, which provides for the export of limited quantities of Iraqi oil to procure essential food and medical supplies.
1.2 Under its current emergency operation WFP is targeting 2.15 million people in desperate humanitarian conditions, of which 666,000 are in the north and 1.5 million in the centre and south.
1.3 In the Governorate of Erbil, because of the events of this past week, and the change in the governorate's administration, distributions planned for this month started on 4 September, a few days later than scheduled. On the same date transport of foodstuffs along the Dohuk-Mosul-Erbil road was resumed.
1.4 Insecurity continues to limit movement between Erbil and Sulemanyia. Distribution for selected sectors of the governorate of Sulemanyia for the month of September began, as scheduled, on 1 September, while for other sectors distributions were postponed to 5 September. WFP operations were carried out as planned in the northern governorate of Dohuk and in the centre and south of the country.
1.5 During the month of September, available food stocks amounting to 14,000 mt will allow for the distribution of a full ration to 300,000 core beneficiaries out of the total caseload of 666,000 people in the north. Stock shortages will considerably affect WFP distributions in the centre and south from October onwards. 1.6 Net WFP emergency food aid requirements for period October to December are estimated at 6,560 mt, or USD 2.4 million for the north, and at 47,350 mt, or USD 16.7 million for the centre and south.
D. FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
1. UPDATE
1.1 WFP met with the Commissioner for Refugees, Republika Srpska, and successfully resolved a number of issues relating to security for WFP personnel and property, perceived shortages of food aid and criticisms of WFP operations in the local press. As a result WFP staff returned to Banja Luka during the week of 25 August. Throughout the crisis there was no interruption to WFP programmes in Republika Srpska.
1.2 With one week to go before the general elections of 14 September in Bosnia and Herzegovina tension is growing in many areas of the country. Bosniak and Serb opposition parties are subject to political harassment, ranging from pulling down posters to violent attacks.
1.3 There is continuing harassment of remaining minorities, in particular Serbs in Sarajevo and Muslims in some areas of Republika Srpska. The aggressors tend to be displaced persons who have moved into these areas.
1.4 Security: IFOR and IPTF are putting into place security measures to deal with anticipated problems over the election period. In particular these relate to possible disruptions at political rallies over the next week and to the movement of voters travelling to polling stations, especially across the Inter-Entity Boundary Line (IEBL). WFP is liaising with IFOR to ensure that food aid deliveries are not interrupted.
1.5 A survey to implement the recommendations of the WFP/FAO/HCR Joint Food Needs Assessment Mission throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina has been completed. The survey will provide direction, strategy and implementation of WFP operations over the next year.
1.6 WFP provided a contribution to Muslim Aid, a British based NGO, to enable them to continue an egg-production programme that provides nearly 36,000 eggs weekly to needy children and hospitals in the Sarajevo area.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 35 of 1996 - September 6, 1996)
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