Report No. 41 of 1996 Date: 18 October 1996
This report includes: A) Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Tanzania B) Somalia C) Angola D) Afghanistan E) Commonwealth of Independent States: Chechnya, Tajikistan F) Former Yugoslavia
>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).
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS (Details below in Part II)
A. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE AND TANZANIA
1. Burundi
a) Regional summit imposes a one-month deadline for negotiations between Government and rebels as condition for sanctions to be lifted. b) Ngozi WFP sub-office fuel reserves finished; UNHCR assists in transport of food to complete WFP distributions to displaced persons in Kayanza.
2. Zaire - Goma
a) Stocks in Goma increase as a result of lull in recent hostilities. b) Some 13,000 displaced persons fleeing violence in the Tongo and Bambu areas arrive at Katale camp on 10 October.
3. Zaire - South Kivu (Bukavu and Uvira) - information as of 17 October 1996
a) Kinshasa recalls South Kivu Deputy Governor responsible for issuing one-week ultimatum for expulsion of Banyamulenge. Government states it will continue to pursue those who have taken up arms against the military. b) In Bukavu, humanitarian organizations limit movement of staff after soldiers confiscate NGO vehicles. Military reinforcements are dispatched to the town, night patrols in the camps are stepped up. c) Bukavu stock levels remain low as the southern route (via Uvira) is closed most of the week due to insecurity. Despite security situation, distribution carried out in all camps. d) Attack on Runingo camp in Uvira area; 20,000 Burundian refugees from Runingo and nearby Kagungo camps flee as a result but return the next day; situation tense.
B. SOMALIA
1. Update
a) The main faction leaders in Mogadishu hold peace talks. b) Non-essential humanitarian operations in Mogadishu on hold since kidnapping of human rights worker on 19 September.
C. ANGOLA
1. Update
a) WFP convoy with seeds reaches Quibala and Waku Kungo (Kwanza Sul), cut off by road since 1992.
D. AFGHANISTAN - information as of 17 October 1996
1. Update
a) Massoud forces retake some territory from the Taliban. b) In Kabul, WFP food-for-work, institutional feeding and general bakery activities continue, along with some projects for women.
E. COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES
1. Chechnya
a) UN Inter-Agency Mission to North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Daghestan 21-30 October will review progress made under the 1996 UN Consolidated Appeal for Chechen IDPs.
2. Tajikistan
a) UN assessment mission visits Tavildara.
F. FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
1. Update
a) Meeting between Izetbegovic and Milosevic results in the announcement of mutual recognition between Bosnia and FRY. b) UN agencies discuss 1997 Joint UN Appeal for former Yugoslavia.
PART II - DETAILS
A. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE AND TANZANIA
1. BURUNDI
1.1 WFP has not yet received authorization from the Kenya national sanctions committee to fly a larger aircraft, to increase capacity to 50 passengers and 2 tons of cargo. Presently, only 20 passengers (one-way) per week are possible, compared to an average of 60 requests per week.
1.2 Following a regional summit in Arusha, Tanzania, which left in place the sanctions on Burundi, the Burundi government stated that it would not negotiate with the rebels until the embargo is lifted. Regional leaders imposed a one-month deadline for unconditional negotiations.
1.3 From 7 to 13 October, the WFP Burundi caseload totaled 47,172, including 8,500 people who recently fled their homes in southern Kayanza province. WFP food stocks at 13 October were 4,044 tons. WFP activities are continuing, however at a reduced level, in light of the regional sanctions limiting the importation of food aid, and would increase with a lifting of the sanctions. 1.4 Continued insecurity is reported in southern Kayanza province and northern Muramvya province, in the region of the Kibira forest, which is widely assumed to serve as a base for the rebels. Ambushes were reported on the main roads from Bujumbura north-east to Kayanza, and south to Rumonge.
1.5 News reports describe a rebel attack in Bururi province (Burambi commune), followed by a military operation in the area.
1.6 From 7 to 13 October, heavy gunfire was heard in the hills around Bujumbura and about 2,500 people fled the hills to Kamenge, a suburb of Bujumbura. The situation was relatively stable in the city itself.
1.7 In general, insecurity described as coming from sporadic rebel attacks in the countryside on local administrations, military posts, health centres, and vehicles, and from military operations mounted in defined areas.
1.8 Following a nutritional survey done by MSF-Belgium which found 14 percent global malnutrition among the under-five population of several displaced sites in Karuzi province, WFP sent an evaluation mission to the area during the past week. The mission found that while many of the "old-caseload" possess well-developed coping mechanisms, the populations of several sites have been cut off from their agricultural livelihoods and are therefore in need of food assistance.
1.9 WFP also participated in an evaluation mission, which included DHA, UNICEF and several NGOs, to the Gitega region. Local authorities indicate that some 27,000 displaced people are living in 26 sites in the province. Several sites were visited, and WFP found that food assistance is for the most part unnecessary. The northern part of Gitega province will be visited as soon as it is safe to do so.
1.10 The Ngozi sub-office exhausted its reserves of fuel during the week. In order to complete WFP distributions to displaced persons in Kayanza, UNHCR assisted in transporting the remaining tonnages. In preparation for the arrival of new supplies, a 25,000 litre storage tank was installed in the Ngozi compound.
1.11 VHF communications were improved with the installation of base stations in Ngozi and Bujumbura, allowing communications with much of the northern part of the country, significantly improving the security of WFP personnel doing distributions and assessments in the field.
2. ZAIRE - GOMA
2.1 Next week, WFP will be able to raise the ration slightly from the present 1,359 Kcal to 1,471 Kcal due to increased stocks in Goma resulting from the lull in hostilities that has prevailed over the past weeks.
2.2 A total of 864 refugees repatriated to Zaire from 7-14 October. The increase in the voluntary repatriation rate is believed to be directly linked with refugee security and safety conditions.
2.3 An estimated 13,000 displaced persons arrived at Katale camp, some 70 km north of Goma, on 10 October. This group is currently being assisted by MSF-Holland. Displaced are reportedly fleeing violence in the Tongo and Bambu areas.
3. ZAIRE - SOUTH KIVU (BUKAVU AND UVIRA) - information as of 17 October 1996
3.1 Regional
a) The South Kivu Deputy Governor who on 8 October gave 200,000 Banyamulenges a week to leave Zaire following clashes between the group and the Zairian army, has been recalled to Kinshasa. Military and civil authorities in Kinshasa have maintained that there is no order to expel the Banyamulenge, but that the Government will continue to pursue those who have taken up arms against the military.
3.2 Bukavu
a) The situation was tense over the week with shooting incidents both day and night. Most humanitarian organizations last week limited movements in and out of Bukavu town and to the camps after armed forces confiscated NGO vehicles along with other private vehicles.
b) Military reinforcements are being dispatched to Bukavu. Barricades of the National Guards have been set up throughout the town and night patrols have been stepped up in Bukavu camps to prevent infiltration. Reports indicate a number of people with Banyamulenge-like features have been arrested.
c) Stock levels have remained low as the southern route (via Uvira) was closed most of the week due to insecurity. A total of 154 tons arrived in Bukavu by the end of the week after the tentative opening of the Uvira/Bukavu escarpment road. Supply through the northern route has been stepped up, with a total of 1,032 tons received from Goma via Lake Kivu. Despite precarious security condition, distribution was carried out in all camps with no incidents reported.
3.3 Uvira
a) On 13 October, an attack on Runingo camp by a group of armed men resulted in the mass panic and fleeing of some 20,000 refugees from Runingo and Kagungo camps. Four refugees were killed and seven injured in the attack. By the following day, most of the refugees, who are mostly Burundian, returned to the camp, but the situation is tense.
b) All international humanitarian staff have been on stand-by for a possible evacuation due to continued insecurity in and around Uvira. The situation stabilized somewhat in Uvira after Zairian armed forces moved towards Bukavu. Non-essential NGO and UNHCR staff were temporarily relocated to Nairobi on 9 and 11 October via a UNHCR plane. Although WFP international staff presence in Uvira has not been reduced due to already low staff level (presently two), personnel movement was limited in Uvira to the office, with other restricted travel under military escort only.
c) Anti-Rwandan and anti-Tutsi demonstrations were held in the streets of Uvira by Zairian armed youths.
d) Food delivery for distribution was made to all Uvira camps with the exception of Kagunga, Kanganiro and Luvungi, which were not served due to security constraints.
e) Port activities, which were halted for several days due to insecurity, resumed on 12 October with the arrival of a barge from Kigoma and continue at near normal levels.
4. RWANDA
4.1 The President of Rwanda in a visit to Cyangugu prefecture last week reiterated that Rwanda would assist all refugees who might come from Zaire, but said that the Banyamulenge people are Zairians and should be allowed to stay in their homes in South Kivu.
4.2 During the week, returnee transit centres in Rwanda received a total of 1,570 Rwandans coming back from exile in neighbouring countries, which represents a progressive increase from the past 6 weeks.
4.3 The influx of refugees from Eastern Zaire continues, with 233 refugees coming from Masisi through Uganda last week, and 167 refugees coming from Uvira. Due to the continuous arrival of refugees in Umubano camp, the existing shelter facilities are becoming insufficient to house all refugees. Nkamira returnee transit centre may be re-activated as a temporary residence for some refugees.
B. SOMALIA
1. UPDATE
1.1 At the invitation of the Kenyan President, Mr. Daniel Arap Moi, the three main faction leaders in Mogadishu, Mr. Hussein Aideed, Mr. Ali Mahdi, and Mr. Osman Atto, are currently in Mogadishu for peace talks. A general cease-fire has been announced.
1.2 The Life and Peace Institute staff member, who was wounded during his kidnapping on 19 September, has not yet been released and information regarding his whereabouts and his health condition has not been made available. The international humanitarian aid community suspended all non-essential activities shortly after the kidnapping, pending the hostage's release and medical treatment. WFP operations continue as normal outside of the capital.
C. ANGOLA
1. UPDATE
1.1 A WFP convoy carrying 220 tons of seeds for Africare reached Quibala and Waku Kungo (Kwanza Sul) from Luanda via Dondo, marking the first time these areas have been accessible by the road since 1992, and a major WFP achievement. All convoys from Luanda to the central highlands will now utilise this route over much longer roads via Sumbe or Lobito.
1.2 Demobilisation of under-age soldiers continues. Higher than expected numbers of Military War Disabled and their dependants have resulted in pressure on WFP resources.
1.3 On 11 October, the UN Security Council renewed the mandate of UNAVEM III for a mere two months, through 11 December 1996. Disengagement of UNAVEM troops throughout the country is expected to begin by the end of the year.
D. AFGHANISTAN - information as of 17 October 1996
1. Update
1.1 Over the last week, the Taliban suffered setbacks in the war with Massoud's forces. The latter have recaptured two strategic towns north of Kabul and control the Salang Highway south of the tunnel. Negotiations off the battlefield, brokered by the Pakistan Government, have been intense. The UN in Kabul has warned the Taliban that humanitarian assistance might be stopped if human rights violations persist.
1.2 Total WFP in-country stocks amount to 32,107 tons equivalent to 2.5 months supply at current utilization rates. The suspension of WFP food shipments into Afghanistan, imposed by WFP on 9 October pending clarification by the authorities in Kabul on the recent pronouncements on women, is still in force.
1.3 Impact of Taliban rule on WFP projects for women
a) A key feature of Taliban rule in Afghanistan is the inconsistency with which Islamic law and socio-cultural regulations are applied. The situation varies from location to location and also changes over time. No unified policy of any kind yet exists, including those on women. b) WFP projects in Afghanistan directly targeting women total 79. Seventeen are in Taliban areas and 62 in non-Taliban areas in the north.
c) WFP staff visited WFP assisted projects this week in Kabul. Utilizing current stocks in Kabul (5,000 tons), WFP continues to provide limited food assistance to women's projects. Local authorities have requested WFP to resume assistance to the widows' bakery project. Pre-conditions for resuming assistance under this project are being discussed with the authorities. Food-for-work, institutional feeding and general bakery activities (under which 54,000 of the 120,000 beneficiaries are women) continue. WFP's national female field monitor is able to partly monitor women's projects.
d) In the Eastern Region, there were thirteen training and income generating projects targeting women before the Taliban take-over. Six of these, in the newly conquered Nangahar and Laghman provinces, have been suspended, while the other seven, in provinces under Taliban control since 1995, continue to operate.
E. COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES
1. RUSSIAN FEDERATION - CHECHNYA
1.1 WFP will participate in a UN Inter-Agency Mission to North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Daghestan 21-30 October, to review progress made under the 1996 UN Consolidated Appeal for Persons Displaced as a Result of the Emergency Situation in Chechnya. The mission will also determine the course of action for the coming year. Whilst the UN Appeal runs until the end of 1996, WFP's relief feeding programme will be extended until 31 March 1997 in order to ensure an entire coverage of winter food aid needs. The mission will not enter into Chechnya itself, where ICRC and several NGOs are providing humanitarian assistance. While reviewing on-going programmes, the mission will also consider possible assistance to facilitate a future returnee movement and the integration of those IDPs who are likely to stay behind in Ingushetia and Daghestan.
1.2 WFP has fully resumed relief feeding operations in the Northern Caucasus. Distributions in Ingushetia had been delayed given the Ingush authorities' earlier reluctance to allow for an unconditional resumption of humanitarian aid operations. At present, WFP assists some 78,000 Chechen IDPs, as well as 10,000 Georgian refugees, victims of an earlier ethnic conflict, with basic supplementary food rations. The relief feeding project is fully financed, allowing food distributions to be continue until the end of March 1996.
2. TAJIKISTAN
2.1 A DHA-led UN Inter Agency Mission has recently assessed the most urgent humanitarian needs in Tajikistan. Findings to be presented 18 October in Geneva and 23 October in New York.
2.2 The mission visited Tavildara, the area most seriously affected by recent hostilities between Government and Opposition troops. Small-scale fighting occurred in Tavildara in recent weeks but the rest of Garm valley has been fairly peaceful following a locally-organized cease-fire arrangement. Larger-scale incidents were reported in late September along the border with Afghanistan, especially near Kalaikhum. WFP is loaning in-country food stocks to ICRC to facilitate relief distributions to victims of the fighting in conflict zones.
2.3 The mission also visited areas hardest-hit by the full-scale civil war in 1992/93. Relief food distributions are on-going for vulnerable groups, while rehabilitation efforts using food aid continue. Expanding WFP food-for-work projects promote food self-sufficiency through private plots.
F. FORMER YUGOSLAVIA
1. UPDATE
1.1 President Izetbegovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and President Milosevic of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia met in Paris last week. The meeting resulted in mutual recognition between the two countries. It is hoped that this important step towards improved relations and confidence will lead to the speedier return of refugees from FRY to Bosnia.
1.2 International sanctions against FRY and the Republika Srpska in Bosnia were lifted on 1 October.
1.3 A meeting between representatives of all UN agencies working in former Yugoslavia was held in Sarajevo on 7 October to discuss the upcoming 1997 Inter-agency Appeal. The preliminary draft for the WFP section of the Appeal will be prepared by staff in Sarajevo by the end of October and the final Appeal document released by the end of November.
1.4 A WFP-sponsored milling consultant will visit the mills of Sarajevo, Tuzla and Bihac to carry out an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of WFP-assisted milling operations.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 41 of 1996 - October 18, 1996)
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