Report No. 45 of 1996 Date: 15 November 1996
This report includes: A) Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire, Tanzania and
Uganda B) WFP on the Web
From P. Ares, Chief, Programming Service. Available on the
Internet at WFP Home Page http://www.wfp.org/ or by e-mail
from HicksDeb@wfp.org (fax 39 6 5228 2837). For information
regarding resources, donors are requested to contact Mr. F.
Strippoli or Mr. M. Crosthwaite, WFP Rome, telephone no. 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 (WITH INFORMATION FROM UGANDA)
1. Eastern Zaire
a) Massive number of Rwandan refugees start returning to
Rwanda on 15 November. By end of 16 November, numbers crossing
border totalled 200,000.
b) Registration and distribution of food to the returnees to
take place in home communes.
c) Lack of information on the number, condition and location
of remaining refugees and internally displaced persons in the
eastern Zaire region continues to be a major problem.
2. Burundi
a) WFP joins first inter-agency mission to Cibitoke province
possible since June to assess conditions of returnees in
Rugombo, 10 km north of Cibitoke town.
b) Some 16,000 spontaneous returnees who have not gone
through Gatumba transit camp are located near Buganda, 10 km
south of Cibitoke town, and need both food and non-food items.
Distribution plans in place.
c) About 800 people crossed from Zaire to Gatumba from 4 to
10 November, bringing the total coming through the transit
centre to about 11,500. Most transferred to home communes.
Transit site presently holds 2,500.
d) Population displacement results from dramatic
deterioration of security in Kayanza province; possibly up to
100,000 people affected. Clashes between army and rebels
reported in most of the southern and western parts of Ngozi
province, also causing large population movements. Increasing
insecurity in southern Bujumbura Rural province and northern
Bururi province.
3. Rwanda
a) Rwanda prepares for return of Rwandan refugees to their
home communes.
b) Two nationally recruited UNDP staff members assassinated
in Kigali.
4. Tanzania
a) At least 15,000 refugees from Zaire have arrived in Kigoma
since 7 November.
5. Uganda
a) Heavy fighting on Zaire-Uganda border leaves many people
displaced near Kasese.
B. WFP on the Web
1. Update
a) Recommended viewing for Internet coverage of the emergency
in Eastern Zaire:
WFP home page - http://www.wfp.org
DHA Relief Web Emergencies section -
http://www.reliefweb.int/emergenc/
(includes DHA IRIN Situation Reports on Eastern Zaire, also
available by e-mail from irin@dha.unon.org or fax:
254-2-622129)
Africa News on-line - Great Lakes section -
http://www.africanews.org/greatlakes.html
PART II - DETAILS
A. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE
AND TANZANIA (WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM UGANDA)
1. EASTERN ZAIRE - most information as of 15 November
1.1 Update as of 17 November:
a) The immense influx of Rwandans from eastern Zaire to
Gisenyi, which commenced on 15 November, has overwhelmed the
capacity of both the Government of Rwanda and humanitarian
agencies to screen and provide immediate assistance to
returnees at the entry point on the border. Approximately
200,000 people crossed the border into Gisenyi between 15 and
16 November. As of 16 November, a dense column of returnees
was reported to stretch over 20 km into Zaire and large-scale
influxes are expected to continue today, 17 November.
b) The Government of Rwanda is reported to have abandoned
attempts to screen and register returnees at the border and is
proposing that registration be carried out at the commune
level. Gisenyi stadium is being used as an additional transit
centre. However, most are returning on foot directly to home
communes.
c) Given that the overwhelming number of returnees precludes
the general distribution of food assistance at way stations
and transit centres, WFP is distributing high-energy biscuits
at the way stations and is working with Government authorities
and NGOs to rapidly expand structures to assist returnees at
the commune level. Priority prefectures are Byumba, Ruhengeri,
Gisenyi and Kigali Rural. In addition to providing returnee
rations, WFP will also expand its rehabilitation programmes to
provide longer-term assistance to returnees.
1.2 Events of 15 November
a) Refugees started moving from Mugunga camp and surrounding
areas towards the border 15 km away, near Goma, in the early
hours of Friday, 15 November. Numbers quickly swelled to the
tens of thousands and then to the hundreds of thousands.
Mugunga camp was reported empty.
b) Movement across into Gisenyi on the Rwandan side of the
border was orderly in the early stages until numbers grew too
large for registration to continue. By Friday afternoon,
people were crossing at the rate of 12,000 an hour. Some
100,000 were estimated to have crossed by the end of the first
day when the border closed on the Zairian side at 10:00 p.m.
local time.
c) The actual sequence of events leading up to the departure
of the refugees towards the border is still not clear, but UN
officials who reached Mugunga camp indicated that a push on
the camp by the rebels resulted in the former Rwanda forces
(ex-FAR) and Interhamwe militia moving further into Zaire. At
that point, most of the camp population and refugees in the
surrounding area moved towards Rwanda.
d) The number, condition and location of refugees and
internally displaced persons remaining in the eastern Zaire
region is not known, and lack of information continues to be a
major problem.
1.3 WFP regional stocks
a) As of 13 November WFP's food stocks in the region amounted
to 71,358 metric tons. Of this amount, some 34,000 metric tons
are currently allocated to the Eastern Zaire area, sufficient
to feed 1.5 million beneficiaries for approximately 50 days.
Under its regional approach, WFP is reallocating supplies
destined for Eastern Zaire into Rwanda to cover the needs of
the current influx of people into Rwanda. On 11 November WFP
prepositioned approximately 100 metric tons of high-energy
biscuits in Kampala from WFP emergency stocks in Pisa, Italy.
WFP is planning to airlift an additional 70 metric tons of
high-energy biscuits from its Pisa strategic stock in the
coming days. So far 107 metric tons have been moved by road
from Kampala to Rwanda.
1.4 Eastern Zaire - other information from week of 8 -15
November
a) Deployment of the multinational force called for by the UN
Secretary General on 8 November to stabilise the situation in
eastern Zaire was authorized by the UN Security Council on 15
November. The force is to be led by Canada, with backing from
the US and other countries.
b) At the regional level, throughout the week, both the
special UN Envoy and the UN humanitarian coordinator for the
region held consultations with various high-ranking government
officials.
c) Efforts by the UN and NGOs to restart relief efforts for
the refugee population by bringing food to Goma earlier in the
week were not successful. A joint UN and NGO team was able to
cross from Gisenyi into Goma by 11 November, but WFP trucks
carrying limited amounts of food and other trucks with
non-food items were blocked in the town stadium for several
days before being off-loaded at the hospital. The de facto
authorities did not allow access to Mugunga camp. Sporadic
fighting could be heard from the town during the week.
Anti-refugee sentiment was reported to be high among local
Zaireans in the period leading up to the start of the exodus
of refugees back to Rwanda.
d) In Bukavu, although joint UN and NGO teams were able to
cross the border from Rwanda on 11 November, no supplies were
allowed to cross. Access to Bukavu denied on following days.
De facto authorities were not available for negotiating
clearance for team or trucks. All 18 camps in the Bukavu area
have been reported as empty (previously camp population was
300,000 Rwandan refugees).
e) Most of the refugees who were in the Uvira camps have not
received food aid since the middle of October, almost one
month ago. Since then, the refugees have fled their camps: to
the north towards the Bukavu area, to the south of Uvira
towards Fizi and Kalemie, and to the west into the hills and
high plateau. Many have since returned to the Uvira area, and
are reportedly settled in Uvira town, in Kavimvira village
near the border, and in at least two former refugee camps,
Kagunga and Kajembo. Most reports agree that for both the
Zairian and refugee populations, food and clean water are
scarce in Uvira. High levels of malnutrition have been found
among refugees who have returned to Burundi. In spite of
on-going attempts by WFP and UNHCR to make contact with the de
facto authorities in Uvira to gain clearance to cross into
Zaire from Burundi, access has not been possible since relief
staff evacuated on 26 October.
f) In Kinshasa, the situation remains tense following another
week of political unrest and strikes. On 11 November Zairian
security forces evacuated two university campuses, believed to
have initiated anti-government protests. The streets of the
city were described as deserted during a general strike held
on 12 November.
g) A joint UN mission (WFP, UNHCR and UNICEF) left for
Kisangani on 14 November. Information as of 17 November from
the UN inter-agency mission which visited Kisangani was that
only 200 people (all internally displaced persons, IDPs) had
arrived so far in the area. A further 40-50,000 IDPs are
reported to be on the road in the vicinity of Lubutu and
Walikale (254 km and 350 km from Kisangani respectively) and
are progressing towards Kisangani.
2. BURUNDI - information as of 15 November
2.1 The WFP Country Director joined an inter-agency mission
to Cibitoke province, the first visit to the province by
humanitarian agencies since the assassination of three ICRC
personnel north of Cibitoke town in June 1996. A total of
3,000 returnees who transferred from the Gatumba transit camp
in the past two weeks are living on a site in Rugombo, 10 km
north of Cibitoke town, and are awaiting transfer to their
home commune in Mugina, 6 km west of Rugombo. Although
returnees have sufficient food from their returnee packages
distributed to each person by WFP in Gatumba, the water and
sanitation situation is alarming.
2.2 Some 16,000 spontaneous returnees are camped near
Buganda, 10 km south of Cibitoke town, having returned to
Burundi directly from Zaire without going through the Gatumba
transit camp. They have therefore not received any assistance
in Burundi, and are lacking both food and non-food items. The
water and sanitation situation is also serious. Most returnees
are living on what they can find in nearby fields, mostly
cassava. WFP is trying to gain access to the area and hopes to
distribute food in the next few days to the returnees.
(Update: distribution in Cibitoke began on 16 November.)
2.3 Only about 800 people crossed from Zaire to Gatumba, in
Bujumbura Rural province, from 4 to 10 November, bringing the
total to about 11,500. Most have been transferred to their
home communes, leaving the Gatumba transit site presently with
a population of about 2,500. General distribution rations were
provided to 2,674 returnees in the Gatumba transit camp while
8,560 benefited from the WFP returnee package last week.
2.4 Over the past week, a dramatic deterioration of security
in Kayanza province continued to cause population
displacements and may have affected up to 100,000 people. Most
people fleeing the fighting have moved to other parts of the
province and live dispersed among the local population. An
estimated 8,000 to 10,000 persons are reportedly in Matongo
commune. Others have joined old caseload displaced camps which
are guarded by the military. Planned emergency relief
distributions by WFP to 10,000 people in Butaganzwa and
Matongo communes have been delayed because of fighting in
those areas. Security permitting, WFP plans to continue with
distributions and needs assessments in the province during the
coming week.
2.5 There are reports from Ngozi of clashes between the army
and rebels in most of the southern and western parts of the
province, causing large population movements. The fighting has
destroyed houses and public buildings, prevented agricultural
activities, and stopped medical assistance in the province. A
specific reported incident was a rebel attack on an old
caseload displaced site in Matongo commune (32 dead and 19
wounded).
2.6 Southern Bujumbura Rural province and northern Bururi
province also suffered from serious insecurity. A reported 300
houses were burned and 10,000 people became displaced in the
Mugamba area. Shots were heard at the Bujumbura airport during
the week. A rebel attack in Gitega province (Makebuko commune)
was also reported.
2.7 Following a decision by the regional sanctions committee,
all future fuel and food-aid imports will be done from
Tanzania. The importation of food and fuel needs to be
facilitated in order for WFP to assist without delay
internally displaced persons in Burundi, returnees from Zaire,
and refugees across the border in Zaire if access is made
possible.
2.8 A convoy of eight trucks from Isaka, Tanzania, offloaded
217 mt of food commodities in Ngozi during the past week. The
WFP convoy also carried medicine for the medical NGO IMC,
working in Muyinga province.
2.9 The caseload of the Burundi programme totalled 65,426
this week.
3. RWANDA - events previous to 15 November
3.1 Security situation in Rwanda remains calm but tense.
Incidents of banditry, involving killings, have been reported
from Butare and Gikongoro.
3.2 Two nationally recruited UNDP staff members were
assassinated last week in Kigali. The UN Secretary General,
Mr. Boutros Ghali, expressed his condolences to the families
of the deceased through the UNDP Administrator, Mr. Speth, who
is currently visiting Rwanda. The two incidents seriously
disturbed the UN community in Rwanda. One of the deceased was
a former WFP Kigali employee.
3.3 Following reports on malnutrition in Kibayi and
Nyaruhengeri communes of Butare, WFP staff visited local
authorities and NGOs operating in the two areas to investigate
the situation. Increased malnutrition has been confirmed and
attributed mainly to the large number of returnees (former
Rwandan refugees who returned from Burundi) who came to the
two communes - 22,165 and 15,119 respectively. As a response
to the situation, an NGO, LVIA, is planning to open three
additional nutritional centres in the area, to cater for the
malnourished.
3.4 A number of WFP staff evacuated from Zaire last month are
currently in Rwanda. They are accompanied by officers who came
from Nairobi and Rome to strengthen WFP capacities in the
sub-region.
4. TANZANIA
4.1 According to UNHCR reports, at least 15,000 refugees from
Zaire have arrived in the Tanzanian lakeshore town of Kigoma
since 7 November, including 11,458 Zairians, 2,844 Burundians
and 660 Rwandans. About half of the refugees are at the
Ministry of Home Affairs holding centre and half in the Kigoma
football stadium. Reports say they arrived in reasonable
condition, but 8 were treated for gunshot wounds. By 13
November, the number of new arrivals in Kigoma had dropped to
about 400 a day. On arrival, 2,200 returning Burundi refugees
have been transported to the Burundi refugee camps in nearby
Kasulu.
4.2 The refugees came by boat across Lake Tanganyika. Early
arriving refugees who came by small fishing boats were
described as carrying substantial household goods with them.
4.3 An additional 1,500 refugees are reported to have arrived
in Kibondo and Kasulu provinces but are yet to be registered.
4.4 Due to overcongestion, the Zairians will be moved from
the transit site in Kigoma to Nyagusu, 160 km north of Kigoma.
5. UGANDA
5.1 On 14 November there were reports of heavy fighting at
the Zaire-Uganda border. The situation near Kasese was
described as tense and several thousand displaced Ugandans
have gathered in the town, following an attack allegedly by
200 Zairian troops and Ugandan dissidents. The situation was
assessed by WFP staff at Kasese on 15 November, who report
that 5,000 people are said to be on the road to Kasese town,
from border towns near Bwera. WFP has been assisting
internally displaced affected by the insecurity. A total
population of 9,000 has been identified in need of food
assistance. Fifteen-day rations are being provided to this
caseload.
5.2 Unconfirmed field reports indicate that the figure for
people displaced by the fighting may be much higher.
B) WFP ON THE WEB
1. UPDATE
1.1 For Internet coverage of the emergency in Eastern Zaire
and other relief operations, the following Web sites are of
special interest:
a) WFP home page, with a section on the Eastern Zaire crisis
and links to other sites:
http://www.wfp.org (changed from URL given in Report 44)
b) UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs Relief Web:
http://www.reliefweb.int/
to go directly to the Emergencies section:
http://www.reliefweb.int/emergenc/
(includes DHA Integrated Regional Information Network, IRIN,
Situation Reports on Eastern Zaire, also available by e-mail
from irin@dha.unon.org or fax: 254-2-622129)
c) Africa News on-line - Great Lakes section:
http://www.africanews.org/greatlakes.html
All the above have useful links to other relevant sites.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 45 of 1996 - November 15, 1996)
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