Report No. 39 of 1996 Date: 4 October 1996
This report includes: A) Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Tanzania
B) Liberia and Sierra Leone C) Angola D) Afghanistan
From P. Ares, Chief, Programming Service. For information
regarding resources, donors are requested to contact Mr. F.
Strippoli or 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
a) WFP to import fuel into Burundi for UN and NGO community.
b) Attack on hospital in Butaganzwa commune, Kayanza province
where MSF Holland working; MSF switches to mobile clinics.
c) Information on situation in many parts of the country not
available; security problems reported in Muramvya, Cibitoke,
Bujumbura Rural and Bujumbura Ville provinces.
2. Zaire - Goma
a) No government services at Bunagana border post as area
still insecure; WFP office remains closed.
b) Fighting in the Rwanda National Park; general tension as
border clashes continue in South and North Kivu.
3. Zaire - Bukavu
a) Continued security problems on southern routes into Bukavu
and thus no change in very low stock level. Bukavu fully
dependant on food supplies through Goma.
b) Minimum camp activities outside food distributions, due to
security situation and relocation of some NGO staff.
4. Zaire - Uvira
a) Essential services only in all the camps.
b) Military reinforcements arrive in Uvira; vehicles
confiscated.
c) Further influx of 2,000 refugees from Burundi.
5. Rwanda
a) Fighting along Cyangugu/Bukavu border leads to temporary
suspension of relief activities.
b) Many of the 538 Tutsi Banyamulenge refugees arriving in
Rwanda from Zaire over the past week identify themselves as
"old caseload returnees" and are awaiting resettlement.
B. LIBERIA AND SIERRA LEONE
1. Liberia
a) Attack on village of Sinje in Grand Cape Mount County on
28 September, where previous day WFP had delivered urgently
needed food supplies; villagers flee to the forest and
neighbouring towns. UN/NGO team visits Sinje on 30 September.
b) Funding from Netherlands Government will cover air
transport of 30 mt of emergency WFP stocks from Pisa to
Freetown Sierra Leone for Liberia operation.
2. Sierra Leone
a) Rebel ambushes along Bo-Freetown highway halt delivery of
relief food along this route in late September.
b) Relief operations in Kenema temporarily suspended after
clashes leave 49 dead on 22 September. Tension remains high in
the area and some NGO staff relocate. Current stocks in Kenema
only enough for one month. September food distributions in Bo
incomplete due to lack of stocks in the area.
C. ANGOLA
1. Update
a) WFP road convoy arrives in Luena; all provincial capitals
except Cabinda now accessible by road.
b) Additional mine incidents around Kuito force WFP to
discontinue food-for-work projects in the area.
D. AFGHANISTAN
1. Update
a) The Taliban now control over half of the country,
including the capital.
b) WFP activities in Herat, Mazar, Faizabad and Kandahar
proceed normally. Activities in Jalalabad, interrupted by
fighting in September, expected to resume in the near future.
c) With opening of two major routes into Kabul, both
commercial food supplies and food aid are expected to move
more freely.
d) Advisory Group on Gender Issues in Afghanistan (UN
agencies, NGOs and donors) meets to discuss impact of Taliban
take-over on programmes for women and girls.
PART II - DETAILS
A. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE
AND TANZANIA
1. BURUNDI
1.1 Permission was obtained from the Rwandan Government for
WFP to import fuel into Burundi for the UN and NGO community.
As soon as modalities for payment, delivery, and storage are
finalised, this operation will be under way.
1.2 Arrival of fuel in the country will allow the resumption
of monitoring, delivery and distribution activities in areas
from which WFP has been absent for some weeks, including
Bubanza, Karuzi, and Gitega provinces. Fuel stocks at the WFP
sub-office in Ngozi, which have reached critically low levels,
will be replenished. In the meantime, the pooling of existing
fuel resources between the UN agencies in Burundi under the
coordination and management of WFP has proven to be effective,
with fuel consumption greatly reduced as a result.
1.3 As reported last week, while allowing fertiliser and
vegetable seeds to enter the country, the 25 September meeting
of the Regional Sanctions Coordinating Committee (RSCC)
disregarded WFP's request to import food aid. Following the
Committee's refusal, WFP will continue its present minimum
programme of distributing approximately 1,000 tons per month,
which will deplete the present in-country stocks in about four
months time. Also disregarded by the RSCC were requests
concerning non-food relief items, in particular water and
sanitation equipment, motor oil and spare parts; increasing
the number of passengers on the Nairobi-Bujumbura flights;
adding an air corridor to Kigali; and the pre-authorization of
a medical evacuation service for potential flights to Burundi.
The next Committee meeting is planned for 8 October in Arusha.
1.4 The RSCC also recommended to its member governments that
Burundian leader Pierre Buyoya and "other leaders of the
parties to the conflict" be "invited to be available" during a
forthcoming summit of regional leaders. This is presented as a
recognition of Major Buyoya's recent decisions restoring
political parties and Parliament.
1.5 WFP beneficiaries from 24 to 30 September totalled some
64,000 people, comprised of internally displaced persons and
vulnerable groups.
1.6 In collaboration with UNHCR, WFP is assisting 264
Banyamulenge refugees, who fled violence in Uvira, Zaire, over
the past two weeks. An additional 250 refugees reportedly in
Cibitoke province, will be assisted by WFP and UNHCR.
1.7 Reports of serious clashes have come from Kayanza
province, including an attack on a health centre and hospital
(Butaganzwa commune). MSF Holland was providing services at
the hospital but has since withdrawn, using mobile clinics
instead to assist the people in the area. WFP is to assess the
needs of the population affected by this fighting.
1.8 Unconfirmed reports indicate that security incidents have
occurred in Muramvya, Cibitoke, Bujumbura Rural and Bujumbura
Ville provinces. No information is available on the situation
in many other parts of the country.
1.9 Twice weekly Nairobi-Bujumbura flights by the WFP
regional aircraft, carrying humanitarian agency and diplomatic
personnel, continued from 24 to 30 September. This is the only
regular flight allowed by the RSCC. Owing to increased demand,
WFP is proposing to fly four rotations per week and awaits
clearance for this from the Kenya National Sanctions
Committee. Plans are being made by WFP to establish cargo
flights from Nairobi to Bujumbura using a Hercules C-130. No
flights were carried out in the interior of Burundi between 29
September and 5 October due to aircraft maintenance.
2. ZAIRE - GOMA
2.1 Following the postponement of the verification exercise
due to insecurity, Government officials expect that the
exercise may proceed mid-October.
2.2 The Bunagana border post is still unmanned by the
necessary Government services, and the area remains insecure.
The WFP office in Bunagana remains closed.
2.3 Fighting has reportedly flared up again in the Rwanda
National Park. Bandits broke into several homes in Goma on 30
September and killed two occupants. The rise in assault and
robbery reflects the general tension felt by local residents
as border clashes continue in South and North Kivu.
2.4 The International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC) has offered to contribute 800 tons
of cereals and 350 tons of pulses from its buffer stock for
use in the general distribution.
2.5 While it has been too short a time to expect to observe
clinical signs of malnutrition, some effects of the reduced
ration (ration has been below 1,100 kcal for five weeks) have
been noticed: sharing of rations within cells, with members
who do not have ration cards, has greatly reduced and an
increased level of petty banditry and theft has been noted
around food distribution sites.
3. ZAIRE - BUKAVU
3.1 Although a cease fire was agreed on 24 September by
Zairian and Rwandan authorities, shooting has continued.
3.2 A total of 870 tons of food commodities were despatched
to the refugee camps from the WFP Bukavu warehouse during the
week of 23 to 29 September. Other camp activities were kept to
a minimum due to the security situation and the limited number
of staff following some of their relocation.
3.3 Stock levels remain low as the southern route experienced
continued security problems, impeding the movement of the
trucking fleet. The Bukavu programme currently depends 100
percent on the northern route through Goma for the delivery of
its food requirements.
4. ZAIRE - UVIRA
4.1 Operations continue to be limited to only essential
services for all the camps due to the security situation. On
25 September military reinforcements arrived in Uvira and
started to confiscate passing cars; one UN vehicle was taken.
4.2 From 23 to 29 September, an influx of 2,000 refugees from
Burundi arrived in the new camp of Kahanda after medical
screening by MSF.
5. TANZANIA
5.1 New arrivals continue to cross the border into Kigoma and
Kagera regions. From 24 to 29 September, a total of 2,032
refugees were registered, of which 1,447 in Kigoma (mainly
Kibodo camps) with the balance in the Kagera region.
6. RWANDA
6.1 Heavy fighting along the Cyangugu/Bukavu border last week
on 22 and 23 September led to a suspension of most aid-related
activities. As the situation has been relatively calm this
week activities have resumed.
6.2 From 23 to 30 September, returnee transit centres
received 850 Rwandans. 544 returnees came from Zaire, which
represents an increase over previous weeks.
6.3 A total of 538 Banyamulenge refugees have arrived in
Rwanda from Zaire. Some 128 people arrived during the past
week. 164 refugees claim to be Zairian nationals and are
temporarily staying at the Bugarama transit centre until a
more permanent site is identified. The remaining 374 persons
identify themselves as "old caseload returnees" and are
awaiting resettlement - 175 of them have already been moved to
Kibungo for this purpose.
6.4 The number of Burundian refugees in Bugarama camp in
Cyangugu has decreased from 4,000 to 3,500 persons. UNHCR,
refugee representatives and the Governor of Cibitoke (Burundi)
are currently visiting Burundi on a fact finding mission
concerning their possible repatriation.
6.5 UNHCR reports that the repatriation of approximately
10,000 "old caseload returnees" from Uganda is expected. The
first group of returnees were scheduled to arrive in Rwanda on
2 October.
B. LIBERIA AND SIERRA LEONE
1. LIBERIA
1.1 The village of Sinje in Grand Cape Mount County was
attacked on 28 September, one day after WFP was able to reach
some 5,000 needy persons with 22 tons of emergency food
supplies. Attackers killed between 25 and 42 civilians, mainly
women and children, looted recently distributed food and
personal effects. Some civilians were reportedly taken by the
attackers. Most remaining villagers have since fled Sinje to
the forest or neighbouring towns. According to Sinje residents
speaking to UN personnel, the attack was not linked to the
recent WFP food distribution.
1.2 A mission of the UN Humanitarian Assistance Coordination
Office in Liberia (HACO) comprised of representatives from
WFP, UNICEF, UNDP, UNOPS, ACF and SC-UK, visited Sinje on 30
September. The mission brought several injured persons and
malnourished children back to Monrovia for medical treatment
and therapeutic feeding care. Humanitarian operations will
continue.
1.3 The Netherlands Government has agreed to fund two
Hercules C130 flights to transport a total of 30 mt relief
supplies from WFP stocks in Pisa to Freetown, Sierra Leone for
the on-going emergency feeding operation in Liberia. The first
flight is expected to leave Italy on 14 October.
2. SIERRA LEONE
2.1 Relief convoys to eastern and southern Sierra Leone have
been halted following rebel ambushes on food convoys along the
Bo-Freetown highway. Some 300 mt bulgur wheat was looted after
a WFP-contracted truck was attacked on 17 September. The
highway was closed from 18-25 September and WFP diverted food
commodities to en-route to Bo to Makeni. This is the second
such attack on a WFP convoy in the past month.
2.2 The last full round of food distributions in Bo took
place in August to 145,000 displaced persons. Due to
insufficient food available in Bo, WFP will not presently be
able to complete the recent round of distributions, which
began on 16 September to 50,000 persons.
2.3 Meanwhile, WFP temporarily suspended operations in Kenema
after clashes left 49 dead on 22 September. The British
medical NGO Merlin and Concern have both relocated their
international staff. Although fighting has reportedly stopped,
tension remains high in the area.
2.4 Previously stocked food in Kenema is expected to last for
another month. Cereals will be moved from Kenema to Bo if
security permits, but continued insecurity on the roads mean
up to 250,000 additional people in the southern and eastern
provinces may be affected by low food supply. Situation will
be monitored closely, as a similar situation earlier this year
forced WFP to use an airlift operation into Bo and Kenema.
2.5 The WFP/UNHCR annual assessment mission ended on 3
October after briefing Government officials, UN agencies and
NGOs on preliminary recommendations.
C. ANGOLA
1. UPDATE
1.1 WFP's first road convoy to Luena arrived on 1 October
with 753 mt food commodities. The convoy reached Luena without
incident only hours after the bridge over the Kassai river was
inaugurated. All provincial capitals (with the exception of
Cabinda) are now accessible by road. In Luena, Save the
Children (US) continues to distribute WFP food to an estimated
95,000 people. Area previously served only by air.
1.2 A further bridge on the strategic Luanda-Huambo road was
inaugurated on 26 September, and opens the road between
Quibala and Dondo.
1.3 The demobilization of under-age soldiers began on 24
September at Vila Nova quartering area, where 485 under-age
soldiers are to be demobilised and transported to their homes
by IOM. Demobilization will continue in Negage on 4 October,
N'Gove on 7 October and Londuimbali on 8 October.
1.4 WFP food-for-work mine surveying and clearance projects
have commenced in north-eastern Bengo province with the NGO
Menschen Gegen Minen (MGM).
1.5 WFP will discontinue food-for-work support of bridge
rehabilitation on the road to N'Harea following a second
recent mine explosion on the bridge (near Catabola). Two
additional mines recently exploded in the area, and a further
mine was de-activated. All mines are thought to be newly laid.
1.6 A special meeting of Southern African Development
Community (SADC) Heads of State took place in Luanda on 2
October with the objective of resolving remaining differences
between the Government and UNITA. Dr. Jonas Savimbi did not
attend the meeting as he has refused to accept the post of
Vice President on the grounds that it is merely ceremonial.
D. AFGHANISTAN
1. UPDATE
1.1 Within the past two weeks, the situation in Afghanistan
has changed dramatically and rapidly, leaving the country's
political landscape greatly altered. The Taliban have now
acquired control over half of the country, including the
capital. Prospects for peace are unclear.
1.2 WFP activities in Herat, Mazar, Faizabad and Kandahar (45
percent of total Afghanistan programme food resources) proceed
normally. Activities in Jalalabad (33 percent of WFP's
assistance programme) were suspended following the evacuation
of UN staff to Peshawar in September because of fighting in
the area, and are expected to resume in the near future.
1.3 WFP activities in Kabul may be affected by the political
situation. WFP will meet with the new Kabul authorities on 7
October to negotiate the continuation of on-going activities
including projects for women. Current stock levels stand at
4,600 tons and can feed 220,000 of the 1.2 million inhabitants
of Afghanistan's capital for two months. Under the present
programme, WFP is committed to make a total of 10,500 tons of
food available to Kabul over the next three months. Additional
stocks of food are being pre-positioned in Kabul in
preparation for the winter months. Both commercial food
supplies and food aid are expected to move more freely now
that the two major roads to the capital are accessible.
1.4 WFP is monitoring the situation in Kabul and if necessary
can intervene with additional targeted feeding programmes,
depending on resource availability and continued donor
support. Results of a nutrition survey in Kabul conducted in
collaboration with WHO expected soon and will determine WFP's
level of intervention in the capital. In Kabul, WFP programmes
provide food assistance daily to 192,025 beneficiaries under
bakery projects, institutional feeding, food-for-work and
food-for-training programmes. In the city suburbs, another
75,300 beneficiaries are assisted daily under the same
schemes. In mid-1996, a total of 1.8 million beneficiaries
were assisted by WFP throughout the country.
1.5 WFP will assess population movements resulting from
recent events and adjust food allocations to various areas if
necessary. It is not yet clear whether recent pronouncements
by the Taliban will have an impact on WFP activities in favour
of girls and women. WFP is consulting with the Advisory Group
on Gender Issues in Afghanistan (made up of UN agencies, NGOs
and donors) and will subsequently raise any WFP concerns with
the authorities.
1.6 Afghan situation is not expected to affect the content
and volume of WFP programmes in neighbouring countries with
the exception of Pakistan, where contingency plans for
possible major population movements are being drawn up.
1.7 Donors are urged to pledge additional quantities of wheat
to meet the unmet and additional 1996/97 requirements. Stocks
are being borrowed in the Region pending the arrival of
delayed shipments. Contingency stocks are required for
preparedness purposes, and many areas of the country are
inaccessible during winter months. Cash donations also
urgently required for WFP monitoring activities in 1996/97.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 39 of 1996 - October 4, 1996)
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