Report No. 13 of 1997 Date:28 March 1997
Issued weekly by the United Nations World Food Programme
This report includes: A) Sudan B) Albania C) Iraq D) Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Tanzania E) Uganda
>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 Ms. A. Blum, WFP Rome (telephone 39 6 5228 2504 or 5228 2004).
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PART I - HIGHLIGHTS
(Details below in Part II)
A. SUDAN
1. Update
a) Following the recent successful offensive by the SPLA, large numbers of displaced and returning refugees from Uganda are moving towards Yei, Morobo and Kaya in eastern Equatoria.
b) WFP/Operation Lifeline Sudan mission presently in Yei district to assess new food requirements. WFP food assistance is being moved to Yei by truck. As of 27 March, OLS reports that up to 20,000 people in Yei are in need of food and medicine.
c) Contributions from donors urgently requested to cover requirements of the returning refugees and displaced, as WFP food stocks for current displaced/refugees operations in southern Sudan and Uganda are at critically low levels.
B. ALBANIA
1. Update
a) WFP mission confirms reports by other missions that domestic food security situation is deteriorating rapidly. Food stores have been looted and commercial imports disrupted.
b) Two WFP emergency operations are under preparation, to cover institutional feeding of 7,500 people in hospitals, orphanages, centres for the handicapped and homes for the elderly, and to support 400,000 people made destitute by the collapse of the social welfare system.
c) Arrangements made with ICRC on geographic division of operations; ICRC to operate in remotest and most insecure areas, while WFP will work in more secure locations of Tirana, Shkoder, Kavaje, Lushnje and Fier.
C. IRAQ
1. Update
a) First consignments of food under Security Council Resolution 986 arrive in Iraq.
D. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE AND TANZANIA
1. Eastern Zaire - most information as of 25 March
a) Refugees from Ubundu move towards Kisangani. Joint UN/NGO team visits Ubundu on March 25. On east bank of the river, only unaccompanied children and sick persons remain of recent refugee population. Train operations from Kisangani to Ubundu resume March 27.
b) WFP air shuttle from Mwanza in Tanzania to Kisangani continues.
c) In preparation for further movement of refugees towards Rwanda, way stations on the Kingulube road have been increased to reinforce the presence of humanitarian agencies.
d) AFDL participate in the Lome OAU summit to discuss the crisis in eastern Zaire.
2. Burundi
a) Attacks on regroupement camps in Buganda, Cibitoke province, leave 135 people dead and many others injured; many of the victims had recently returned from Zaire.
b) WFP/FAO mission describes the situation in some camps for displaced and regrouped populations in provinces of Karuzi and Gitega as appalling. Assistance urgently required for the camps.
3. Tanzania - drought situation
a) Of 3.9 million people affected by drought, WFP estimates 670,800 persons are in need of immediate relief food assistance; needs will continue for the next four months.
b) A total of 33,000 metric tons (mt) of food required for immediate delivery to the poorest among the affected population. Some 10,000 mt provided by the Government and WFP is preparing an emergency operation for 11,000 mt; additional funding is needed to purchase, deliver and monitor the balance.
E. UGANDA
1. Update
a) Two of the largest Sudanese refugee camps in northern Uganda virtually empty as an estimated 60,000 refugees leave to return to southern Sudan.
b) Joint WFP, Government and donor mission to visit areas in the northern and eastern parts of the country, following a Government request for food assistance to drought-affected populations.
PART II - DETAILS
A. SUDAN
1. UPDATE
1.1 WFP and Operation Lifeline Sudan, which groups UN and NGO agencies in southern Sudan, began an emergency assessment mission to Yei district in southern Sudan on 24 March to assess food requirements for displaced Sudanese in the areas of Yei, Morobo and Kaya, in Eastern Equatoria region. Displaced have been trying to return to their homes following the recapture of these towns by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) over the past weeks.
1.2 Meanwhile, as many as 60,000 refugees are thought to be returning to Sudan from Uganda, where the two largest refugee camps, Koboko (population 26,516) and Ikafe (population 55,162), have virtually emptied.
1.3 The SPLA's relief arm, the SRRA, reports that 40,000 returnees from Uganda and Zaire have been registered around Yei so far. A further 20,000-40,000 refugees could be on their way back to Yei district, according to humanitarian reports. In addition to returning refugees, the SRRA report that 11,800 displaced civilians are in Yei town.
1.4 WFP has dispatched a total of 40 metric tons of maize to Yei, which is expected to arrive by truck on 27 March. Additional food will follow over the next few days.
1.5 Aid agencies working under Operation Lifeline Sudan are looking into providing seeds and tools to take advantage of southern Sudan's current planting season. Cultivation has just started and will continue through April.
1.6 WFP food stocks for displaced populations in southern Sudan and refugees in northern Uganda are at critically low levels and expected to be depleted by the end of the month. WFP is currently in discussions with donors in an effort to secure emergency assistance.
1.7 Update as of 27 March: OLS reports up to 20,000 people in Yei urgently need food and medicine because of fighting when rebels seized the town on March 12.
B. ALBANIA
1. UPDATE
1.1 The collapse of fraudulent investment schemes has brought on a situation of civil unrest and rebellion against the Government in Albania, resulting in near-total chaos in the country's infrastructure and institutional set-up.
1.2 A WFP mission to Albania has corroborated other reports (ICRC, MSF, UNICEF, EU mission findings) that the domestic food security situation is deteriorating rapidly. Food stores have been looted, food prices have risen by 40% and commercial imports of food have come to a near standstill. The mission concluded that if the Government and private sector mechanisms for wheat supplies, including the Government's internal re-distribution function, cannot be re-established soon, food shortages for the poorest and least able can be expected within one to two weeks.
1.3 On the basis of the mission's findings, two emergency operations are being prepared by WFP, one to cover institutional feeding, and the other to support victims of the collapse of the social welfare system.
1.4 The mission reports an urgent need to provide food assistance in Tirana and outlying areas to approximately 7,500 beneficiaries in hospitals and institutions such as orphanages, centres for the handicapped and homes for the elderly, in coordination with the Ministry of Health.
1.5 The mission has further recommended that emergency food assistance be provided to 400,000 destitute people (identified by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs), individuals with no alternative means of survival since the discontinuation of Government social welfare schemes.
1.6 To avoid duplication of effort, an agreement on a geographic division of labour has been reached between the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and WFP, with ICRC involved in the remotest and most insecure areas. WFP will operate in the safer areas, including the capital Tirana, Shkoder, Kavaje, Lushnje and Fier. Plans call for the food aid to be first stored in State Reserve Stores belonging to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Tirana. The district Ministerial Departments will collect their food allotment and arrange for transport to the district level Reserve Stores, from where the beneficiaries will draw their rations.
C. IRAQ
1. UPDATE
1.1 On 24 March, a total of 80 metric tons (mt) of oil and 113 mt of pulses were delivered at the WFP warehouses in Mosul and Kirkuk, as part of the first consignment of food commodities destined to the northern autonomous region of Iraq under Security Council Resolution 986 (SCR 986). These quantities are sufficient to cover 3% and 4% of total monthly requirements of oil and pulses respectively for the north. On 26 March, the first shipment of SCR 986 rice reached the port of Um Qasr. A total of 10,000 mt of oil, 6,000 mt of pulses and 13,000 mt of rice are expected to arrive in Iraq.
1.2 Under the Resolution, which authorises the Government of Iraq to sell up to USD 2 billion of oil to procure essential humanitarian supplies, food commodities will be distributed in monthly instalments, ensuring an individual daily ration of 2,030 Kcal, to the whole of the Iraqi population. The Government of Iraq will carry out distributions to 19 million people in the centre and south, while WFP will be responsible for distributions to 3 million people in the north and for the observation of the equity, efficiency, and adequacy of distributions throughout the entire country.
D. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE, TANZANIA
1. EASTERN ZAIRE - most information as of 25 March
1.1 Refugees in Ubundu have started to trek to Kisangani and a first group of some 10,000 people was detected just a few kilometres away from the city. Reportedly, the refugees will not be allowed to enter the town. Humanitarian agencies had not been to Ubundu since the fall of Kisangani and the refugees, deprived of aid, began to move towards Kisangani. A joint WFP/UNHCR/DHA/OXFAM team and the Zairean Red Cross was granted authorisation to visit Ubundu on March 25. On the east bank of the Zaire River the mission found only some 100 unaccompanied children and 40 sick persons. The mission over-flew the west bank of the river and spotted tens of thousands of refugees at km 95 and km 82 (from Kisangani). Train operations from Kisangani to Ubundu were resumed on March 27; WFP had loaded 120 metric tons of food on the train, for distribution by Zairean Red Cross volunteers.
1.2 WFP continues to provide assistance to refugees in Tingi Tingi and Amisi. Following a recommendation from medical workers, a wet feeding programme is to be implemented in all camps. Therefore, in addition to the high-protein biscuits, the food basket will now include pulses, vegetable oil, maize meal and salt. The caseload as of 22 March was 1,755 for Amisi and 319 for Tingi Tingi. Refugees in Tingi Tingi and newcomers continue to be directed to Amisi.
1.3 The air repatriation of unaccompanied children and vulnerable refugees from Tingi Tingi, Amisi and Kindu continues. After a brief stopover in Goma, the refugees are taken to Rwanda. So far 555 returnees have been repatriated and registered in Gisenyi. Displaced Zaireans who fled from eastern areas to Kisangani are also being transported by air to Goma. WFP is studying possibilities of using the Ilyushin 76 to transport refugees from Kisangani to Goma. The aircraft could carry 100 persons in each trip, which would facilitate and accelerate this programme.
1.4 The WFP air shuttle from Mwanza in Tanzania to Kisangani continues to operate but the aircraft is not always accomplishing the planned two rotations per day. Between 19 -24 March a total 280 metric tons of food and one vehicle were delivered. There is a stock of 694 metric tons of food in Mwanza, sufficient for another 20 rotations. Commodity priorities as defined by WFP Kisangani are for high-protein biscuits, salt, cooking oil and corn soya blend.
1.5 On 21 March a UNHCR team carried out an assessment on the Amisi/Walikale road. The team evaluated road and security conditions. The road was found to be in good condition and passable during the rainy season, even along the poorer stretches. Security was reported by the team as satisfactory but local populations informed the team about the presence of armed groups of the former Rwandan army in the forests. No refugees were spotted along the road.
1.6 In preparation for the reception of refugees, the number of way stations on the Kingulube road has been increased to five. The aim is to reinforce the presence of humanitarian agencies and set up assistance points every 20-40 km. WFP is releasing high-protein biscuits to CARE, IRC and MSF-H for distribution along the Kingulube axis. Between 17-23 March, 1,084 returnees received high-protein biscuits distributed by the Zairean Red Cross and the UNHCR repatriation team.
1.7 The Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (AFDL) accepted an invitation to participate in the Lome OAU summit to discuss the crisis in eastern Zaire. The invitation to participate in the meeting came from the Togolese president and was delivered by the UN/OAU Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, Mohamed Sahnoun, during his visit to Kisangani on 22 March. This is the first time that Zairean rebels have participated in an international forum to discuss the situation in Eastern Zaire.
2. RWANDA
2.1 Preliminary findings from the Household Food Economy Analysis carried out by SCF in Byumba prefecture show that poor households are 20% to 30% worse off now than before the war, whether they are returnees or not. The report recommends continued food assistance. Meanwhile, market prices throughout the country continue to rise due to increased demand as a result of the mass repatriation from Zaire and Tanzania, combined with poor harvests in both Rwanda and southern Uganda, and trade embargoes with Burundi. Prices of staple food commodities have increased by 30% as compared to last year.
2.2 Returnee figures for the period 15 to 21 March total 2,183 persons. Despite the current insecurity in Eastern Zaire, repatriation figures have remained stable.
2.3 FAO Rwanda reported that all prefectures have received 100% of the required bean seed, with the exception of Kibungo, where bean seed requirements have been met by only 54%. Distribution of sorghum seed and sweet potato cuttings has fallen short of requirements, with only 26% of sorghum and 10% of sweet potato needs met. FAO is concerned that this could seriously aggravate household food security as sweet potatoes are a staple food in the country, constituting a significant portion of the household food basket.
3. BURUNDI
3.1 Overnight attacks in regroupement camps in Buganda, Cibitoke province, left 135 people dead and many others injured. The attacks were allegedly carried out by Hutu rebels, and most of the victims were returnees who had repatriated from Zaire. These attacks are seen as an indication that the regroupement policy being implemented does not guarantee security to returnees and displaced populations in Burundi.
3.2 A joint WFP/FAO mission visited the provinces of Karuzi and Gitega. The situation prevailing in some of the camps for displaced and regrouped populations is described as appalling in terms of food, water and sanitation, particularly in Karuzi. Immediate assistance is required for these camps and a joint UN, NGO and donor meeting will be held on March 26 to discuss the situation.
3.3 African leaders will meet in Arusha, Tanzania on April 8, to analyse the situation in Burundi and evaluate the impact of the economic sanctions imposed on Burundi, following the July 1996 military coup d'etat. The meeting will analyse the measures so far taken by Burundi towards the establishment of a democratic environment, peace and reconciliation, as imposed by regional leaders.
4. TANZANIA - DROUGHT SITUATION
4.1 Some 3.9 million people in eleven regions of Tanzania are affected by drought. Based on the findings of the five WFP assessment teams who recently visited twelve regions, WFP estimates that of the total affected, relief food assistance is needed immediately by some 670,800 persons for a period of 120 days. Needs may increase, based on assessments being carried out in the remaining eight regions. Those people identified as in need of assistance are considered the poorest in the villages, with no access to food stocks, income or livestock.
4.2 Excessive sales of the 1996 harvest, failure of the short rains and the delayed onset of the long rains are the factors cited as responsible for the critical food shortages.
4.3 Lack of water, rising cereal prices (when food is available), loss of livestock, dramatic decrease in livestock prices, migration and sale of household and personal belongings were witnessed by the assessment teams in most regions. Those interviewed said the drought was the worst in living memory, or, for the older people, comparable to 1974, when massive Government imports of food were required.
4.4 WFP has advised donors that some 33,000 mt of food are needed for immediate delivery to those people identified as the very poorest of the region's populations. Some 10,000 mt has been provided by the Government from the strategic grain reserve. WFP is currently preparing an emergency operation for 11,000 mt. Additional funding is needed to purchase, deliver and monitor the balance.
4.5 Arusha and Lindi regions reported to be the most critical, although food deliveries are now needed to all regions.
E. UGANDA
1. UPDATE
1.1 As reported above, two of the largest Sudanese refugee camps in northern Uganda are now almost empty, and an estimated 60,000 refugees have left Uganda to return to border areas in southern Sudan.
1.2 A joint WFP, Government and donors mission will visit drought-affected areas in the northern and eastern parts of the country to evaluate the impact of poor rains and assess emergency food requirements for the area. This mission follows a Government request for food assistance to drought-affected populations.
distributed by - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Volunteers in Technical Assistance Disaster Information Center lists: listproc@vita.org sitreps nat-dsr appeal fireline web: www.vita.org rwanda - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - World Food Program Reports: http://www.vita.org/disaster/wfp