Report No. 49 of 1996 Date: 13 December 1996This report includes: A) Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Tanzania B) Angola C) Iraq D) Tajikistan
>From P. Ares, Chief, Programming Service. Available on the Internet at WFP Home Page http://www.org/wfp/ 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 Ms. A. Blum, WFP Rome (telephone 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. Tanzania - information as of 13 December. a) Approximately 400,000 refugees from the Ngara camps of Kitali Hills, Lumasi, Benaco, Keza and Mushuhura leave the camps on 12 and 13 December. Refugees first move south-east from Ngara, apparently to avoid repatriation to Rwanda. Later on 13 December unknown numbers of the refugees change direction and head towards the border of Rwanda at Rusumo. Some refugees return to the abandoned camps. b) Burundian refugees in two camps in Ngara remain in place. c) Previously, approximately 23,000 refugees fled the camps of Kagenyi and Rubwera in Karagwe district, on 10 December. Many returned to the camps, but 10,000 are thought to be still in surrounding area.
2. Rwanda a) In preparation for return of refugees from Tanzania, WFP has stocks of high-protein biscuits in position at seven way-stations along road between Rusumo and Curazo in Kibungo prefecture. Stocks of general rations have been built up in the prefecture (285,000 weekly rations as at 12 December). Additional stocks available in Kigali. b) Returnees from Zaire have received at least a two-week ration, most a one-month ration. From 16 November to 12 December, WFP and NGO partners distributed over 10,020 metric tons of food aid in the form of full rations (cereals, pulses and oil) and an additional 1,250,000 daily rations in the form of high-protein biscuits. c) Rwanda Government launches an appeal for USD 739.4 million to resettle returnees. Governments of Canada and Rwanda to co-chair meeting in Kigali on 13 and 14 December on coordination and implementation of assistance to returnees.
3. East Zaire a) Joint UN/NGO/Government of Zaire mission visits Shabunda/Kindu area, 175 km west of Bukavu. Mission estimates that some 10,000 Rwandan and Burundian refugees are in the town of Shabunda and up to 40,000 in two camps nearby. Additional 20,000 to 30,000 refugees reported in Walikale and 10,000 to 15,000 refugees in Lubutu. Area difficult to access. b) UN team visits Uvira area 7-9 December. c) Northern axis from Goma still closed to international humanitarian personnel. Access possible to west and south as far as Kalungu. UN assessment on-going where possible. d) Approximately 3,900 refugees cross the border from Goma to Gisenyi between 10 and 12 December. Some 400 refugees return through the Bukavu/Cyangugu border point on 11 December.
4. Burundi a) All groups involved in the conflict invited by Nyerere to negotiations in Arusha. b) Insecurity reported in many parts of the country, with situation deteriorating in Bubanza province and serious conflict in Kayanza province (500 people reported killed). c) MSF-Belgium reports nutritional situation remains alarming in Karuzi province; up to 50,000 displaced persons affected. WFP attempting to evaluate areas of Kayanza where up to 30,000 displaced persons reported to be in need of assistance. Despatch of WFP food commodities to CRS in Gitega started, to cover 20,000 beneficiaries for 14 days.
B. ANGOLA
1. Update a) WFP base manager murdered by unknown attackers in Kwanza North on 12 December.
C. IRAQ
1. Update a) With completion of steps necessary for effective implementation of Security Council Resolution 986, Iraqi oil starts flowing on 10 December. b) SRC 986 allows for the sale by Iraq of up to USD 2 billion each six month period to finance the importation of humanitarian food stuffs, medicines and health supplies. Within framework of the Resolution, WFP is responsible for distribution of food commodities to the 3 million people in the three autonomous governorates of Erbil, Dohuk and Sulemanyia in the north, and for observation to ensure equitable food distributions throughout the country. c) As food distributions under the Resolution will not start for several months, an estimated 2.15 million people will continue to rely entirely on international humanitarian assistance during the winter months of January to March 1997. d) Unmet requirements for current WFP relief operations in Iraq equal 81 percent of needs for the centre and south (for total food value of USD 15 million), and 4 percent of the needs for the north (food value of USD 1.2 million).
D. TAJIKISTAN
1. Update a) Security continues to deteriorate in the central part of the country. Provisional cease-fire, signed by the Government and the opposition on 11 December, violated soon after in Garm and Komsomolabad. UNMOT military observers recalled to Dushanbe for briefings following recent assaults on staff by government soldiers in Chorsada. b) WFP operations for 300,000 people in Khatlon and Gorno Badakshan Autonomous Oblast continue. ICRC provides food assistance in areas affected by fighting. c) A Consolidated Inter-Agency Donor Alert on Urgent Humanitarian Needs for Tajikistan issued by DHA on 27 November, for the period 1 December 1996 - 31 May 1997.
PART II - DETAILS
A. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE AND TANZANIA
1. TANZANIA - information as of mid-day, 13 December.
1.1 Approximately 400,000 refugees from the Ngara camps of Kitali Hills, Lumasi, Benaco, Keza and Mushuhura have left the camps and were reported on 12 and 13 December to be moving south-east from Ngara in what seemed to be an effort to avoid repatriation to Rwanda. The majority of these refugees had received a two-week WFP food ration before they dispersed and were said to be carrying possessions with them. However, on the afternoon of 13 December, it was reported that many refugees (numbers unknown) were heading towards the border of Rwanda at Rusumo, about 20 kms north-west of Ngara. Many also reported to have returned to the abandoned camps.
1.2 Some 80,000 Burundian refugees remain in two camps in Ngara and are not on the move.
1.3 Prior to the Ngara movement, approximately 23,000 refugees had fled the Tanzanian camps on 10 December, mainly from Kagenyi and Rubwera camps in Karagwe district. While most have now returned to the camps, UNHCR reports that approximately 10,000 are still in the surrounding area.
1.4 Some 800 and 1,928 refugees repatriated from Ngara on 9 and 10 December respectively. On the morning of 11 December, 644 refugees repatriated, bringing the total number of returnees from Tanzania from 1 to 11 December to 4,179.
1.5 In order to meet increased supplementary feeding needs of the more recently arrived refugees in the Kibondo district of Kigoma region, WFP is airlifting some 45 metric tons of corn-soya blend with the assistance of the multi-national force led by Canada. A further 300 metric tons has been despatched by road. Influxes to the Kigoma region of Tanzania continue from both Zaire and Burundi.
2. RWANDA - information as of 12 December
2.1 WFP Rwanda is ready for the returnees from Tanzania with stocks of high-protein biscuits and food commodities in place for distribution. Seven way-stations have been set up and 200,000 biscuit rations are pre-positioned alongside 37 km of road between Rusumo and Curazo (Kibungo prefecture). The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Rwandan Red Cross and World Vision are responsible for the way stations. WFP also has staff ready to receive the returnees throughout Kibungo.
2.2 General food stocks in Kibungo prefecture have been built up over the last week in preparation for the return of several hundred thousand returnees to this prefecture. WFP food stocks in this prefecture, as at 12 December, stood at 285,000 weekly rations, with 167,000 weekly rations pre-positioned in the communes where refugees are expected to return. A total of 1,200 metric tons of mixed food commodities are available in Kibungo and an additional 4,000 metric tons are available in Kigali, only two hours from Kibungo. 70 metric tons of high-protein biscuits are also in stock in Kibungo.
2.3 In addition, pre-positioning of food stocks is taking place in the communes of Byumba and Umutara prefectures, both of which are also expected to receive a significant number of returnees from Tanzania.
2.4 As of 11 December, total WFP food stocks in-country designated for the returnee programme as a whole are 3,937 metric tons, equivalent to approximately 230,000 monthly rations or 980,000 weekly rations. The total stock of high-protein biscuits in Rwanda is at 372 metric tons, equivalent to 1,860,000 daily rations. The overall WFP food stock level in Rwanda stands at 8,000 metric tons, for all programmes. WFP also has significant quantities of food within the region: 12,603 metric tons in Kampala and Isaka and 17,992 metric tons in Dar es Salaam and Mombassa.
2.5 From 16 November to 12 December, WFP and NGO partners (CARE, CRS, LWF, World Vision, Concern, CRR, IFRC, Trocaire, Caritas, ADRA, MEC, GAA, AHA, World Relief, AEF, EEF, IRC, MSF, ASS, Salvation Army, Ingabo) distributed approximately 10,020 metric tons of food commodities (cereals, pulses and oil), representing 600,000 persons assisted with a monthly ration. In addition, more than 1,250,000 daily high-protein biscuit rations have been distributed. All returnees are believed to have received at least a two-week ration with the majority having received a one-month ration. Registration of returnees in the communes continues, with around 70 per cent of the returnees counted so far.
2.6 From 3 to 9 December, 5,077 Rwandan refugees came back from Zaire (3,165 via Gisenyi and 1,912 via Cyangugu), 1,536 from Tanzania and 288 from Uganda.
2.7 The Rwanda Government launched an appeal for USD 739.4 million to resettle returnees (including the Tanzania caseload). The Governments of Canada and Rwanda are co-chairing a meeting in Kigali on 13 and 14 December which will focus on the coordination and implementation of assistance to returnees. Major donors, UN Agencies and non-governmental organizations will attend the meeting.
3. EASTERN ZAIRE - information as of 12 December
3.1 From 7 to 9 December, a joint UN/NGO/Government of Zaire mission visited the Shabunda/Kindu area, some 175 km west of Bukavu, and flew at low altitude around the Lubutu/Walikale/ Bukavu area. The mission found approximately 10,000 Rwandan and Burundian refugees in the town of Shabunda and up to 40,000 in two camps near the town. An additional 20,000 to 30,000 refugees were reported in Walikale and 10,000 to 15,000 refugees in Lubutu. WFP is presently studying the possibility of assessing the needs of the population around Shabunda and of distributing needed food commodities. Access to this area is very difficult due to insecurity.
3.2 A UN team, of WFP, UNHCR and UNICEF representatives, visited the Uvira area from 7 to 9 December. Access to the port was denied as was access to Fizi, for security reasons.
3.3 Goma area
a) The northern axis from Goma continues to be closed to all international humanitarian personnel. Access to the western and southern routes as far as Kalungu (some 50 km west of Goma) is permitted. Assessment missions as far as Kitchungu, half-way between Sake and Masisi, have been undertaken by the UN, however the terrain and the location of pockets of resistance are unknown and thus the area is deemed unsafe for further travel.
b) From 26 November to 8 December, WFP distributed approximately 27 metric tons of food assistance, mostly high-protein biscuits, to over 25,000 returnees on their way back to Rwanda, as well as to Zairians requiring assistance near or in Goma town.
c) The food supply situation in Goma is limited, as a reduction in the number of trucks arriving to the town has led to a price increase of 66 percent for imported goods. Vegetables and fruits have increased in price by some 150 percent. This is caused mainly by the fact that food production areas in the highlands are inaccessible due to insecurity. Fighting forced most of the population to flee to other areas, leaving their farms, which for the most part were destroyed and looted when they left. In addition, with the repatriation of refugees, the cost of labour has escalated. WFP is studying food requirements in the area, with particular emphasis on food security and the means to reestablish the previous supply network.
d) From 10 to 12 December, approximately 3,900 refugees crossed the border from Goma to Gisenyi. The returnees came partly through the Virunga forest and partly from the direction of Minova and Numbi. Some 400 refugees returned through the Bukavu/Cyangugu border point on 11 December.
4. BURUNDI
4.1 Former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere has invited "all groups" involved in the conflict in Burundi to negotiations in Arusha, Tanzania. Negotiation between the Burundian government and opposition and rebel groups is the last remaining condition for regional sanctions to be lifted.
4.2 FAO issued a statement this past week predicting that a decrease in agricultural production and the effects of the regional sanctions will adversely affect the nutritional status of the Burundian population in general and internally displaced persons in particular.
4.3 Insecurity continued in Kayanza and Bujumbura Rural provinces, and deteriorated in Bubanza province. Information is not available on the security situation in much of the country, but it is clear that many parts of Bururi, Muramvya, Gitega and Karuzi provinces continue to be unsafe. Conflict was particularly serious in Kayanza province with reports that up to 500 people may have been killed, thousands of houses destroyed and large numbers of people forced to moved.
4.4 The WFP Burundi caseload totaled 148,957 from 2 to 8 December. Emergency relief rations were provided to 10,401 displaced persons at the Johnson Centre in Bujumbura. WFP delivered commodities to the NGO VISPE for distribution to 15,000 displaced persons in Karuzi province. MSF-Belgium has reported that the nutritional situation in Karuzi remains alarming, affecting up to 50,000 displaced persons. WFP is trying to send needs evaluation teams to different areas of Kayanza where it is reported that up to 30,000 displaced persons are in need of assistance. WFP has started to despatch food commodities to CRS in Gitega, sufficient for 20,000 beneficiaries, for 14-day emergency relief distributions.
4.5 Some 27,600 persons benefited from WFP returnee packages. Benficiaries included 2,105 spontaneous returnees to Cibitoke province. Distributions in this province continue to be carried out in very difficult conditions, as military-escorted convoys in armoured vehicles are necessary for access to the area. Returnee package rations are deemed sufficient for three months consumption, providing about 1,215 kcal/person/day.
B. ANGOLA
1. UPDATE 1.1 On 12 December, a WFP official was murdered in the northern province of Kwanza North. Mr. Jorge Leitao, an Angolan, was the WFP base manager for the area. He was shot dead by unknown attackers on the road linking the towns of Ndalatando and Ngonguembo. Mr Leitao was on a mission at the time to coordinate information on the tracing of families of child soldiers who are in the process of being demobilised, part of WFP's current rehabilitation work in Angola.
C. IRAQ
1. UPDATE 1.1 Steps necessary to ensure the effective implementation of Security Council Resolution 986 have been completed, and Iraqi oil started to flow from the Mina-al Bakr offshore oil terminal and through the Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline on 10 December 1996. The date marks the start of the initial 180 day period foreseen for the implementation of this Resolution.
1.2 The Security Council adopted Resolution 986 in April 1995, out of concern about the serious nutritional and health situation of the Iraqi population, and the risk of a further deterioration. The Resolution allows for the sale by Iraq of up to USD 2 billion every six months to finance the importation of humanitarian food stuffs, medicines and health supplies. Within the framework of SCR 986, WFP is responsible for the distribution of food commodities to the 3 million people living in the three autonomous governorates of Erbil, Dohuk and Sulemanyia in the north, and for observation to ensure equity of food distributions to the total 22 million people living in Iraq. The procurement and transport to Iraq of the food supplies, as well as their distribution to the 19 million people in the 14 governorates in the centre and south lies with the Government of Iraq.
1.3 Despite intensive preparatory activities, food distributions under the Resolution are not expected to start before the end of the current winter. From January till March 1997, the harshest winter months, an estimated 2.15 million people (mainly malnourished children under 5, pregnant women and nursing mothers, refugees, internally displaced, in-patients in hospitals and social institutions, and people in the poorest urban households, which are headed mainly by women) will continue to rely entirely on international humanitarian assistance to meet their essential food needs.
1.4 Unmet requirements for current WFP relief operations in Iraq: (a) For the centre and south: 26,720 metric tons (MT) of wheat flour, 3,693 MT of oil, 2,130 MT of pulses, 1,520 MT of sugar, 2,295 MT of wheat soya blend, 810 MT of rice, 108 MT of milk, and 162 MT of canned fish, for a total food value of USD 15 million. Shortfall equals 81 percent of requirements. (b) For the north: 762 MT of oil, 898 MT of pulses and 267 MT of sugar, for a total value of USD 1.2 million. Shortfall equals 4 percent of requirements.
D. TAJIKISTAN
1. Update 1.1 Security situation continues to deteriorate in the central part of the country, especially near the town of Garm, 200 km east of Dushanbe. A provisional cease-fire signed by the Government and the opposition on 11 December has already has been violated in Garm and Komsomolabad. Recent assaults by government soldiers on UNMOT staff in Chorsada has caused all the military observers in the country to be recalled to Dushanbe for briefings. Opposition forces have attacked military installations near the capital, and there were two bomb explosions in the city last week.
1.2 WFP operations in Khatlon and Gorno Badakshan Autonomous Oblast have not been disrupted by recent hostilities. WFP feeding operations continue for some 300,000 people in vulnerable groups and small scale food-for-work projects are ongoing. The ICRC has been providing food assistance in the areas currently affected by fighting.
1.3 In view of the gravity of situation, the DHA issued a Consolidated Inter-Agency Donor Alert on Urgent Humanitarian Needs for Tajikistan, which was presented to donors at a consultation in Geneva on 27 November. The Alert summarises needs for the period 1 December 1996 - 31 May 1997.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 49 of 1996 - December 13, 1996)
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