This report includes: A) Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan
B) Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Tanzania C) Uganda D) Sudan.
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).
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS
(Details below in Part II)
A. AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN AND TAJIKISTAN
1. Afghanistan and Pakistan
a) Food crisis hits Afghanistan due to shortage of wheat in Pakistan,
and resulting action by Government of Pakistan to prevent movement of
wheat across the border.
b) Donors are urged to confirm their pledges for the Afghanistan
operation. Adequate stock levels must be maintained in Mazar for
contingency purposes. Stocks also urgently needed in the south to
supply Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat.
2. Tajikistan
a) ECHO fields a mission to Tajikistan to discuss planned food
vulnerability survey with WFP, IFRC and German Agro Action.
B. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE AND
TANZANIA
1. Zaire
a) ADFL agrees to large-scale evacuation of an estimated
80,000-100,000 Rwandan refugees currently stranded in eastern Zaire,
and allows use of Kisangani airport for the operation. First flight,
carrying 205 internally displaced persons from Kisangani to Goma on
WFP plane, takes place 11 April.
b) WFP delivery of food to the refugees along the Kisangani/Ubundu
railroad line continues. Death rate among refugees declines, but is
still high. Second air bridge opened, bringing food from Entebbe to
Kisangani.
c) Repatriation programme from Karuba to Gisenyi ongoing, moving
2,000 to 3,000 Rwandan refugees a day; ADFL rebels screen passing
refugees at check-point at Sake.
2. Rwanda
a) With increased repatriation from Zaire, 14,057 persons arriving
through Gisenyi registered by UNHCR during first week of April.
b) Relief food is being trucked direct from Mombasa to Rwanda to
compensate for a reduction in rail despatch capacity from the port.
3. Burundi
a) UN/NGO mission visits Cibitoke province with heavy military
escort. Some 100,000 people, 60 percent of the population of the
province, now grouped in sites.
4. Tanzania
a) Heavy rains make roads impassable in Kigoma; food stocks
pre-positioned at camps by WFP sufficient for two weeks in Lugufu and
four weeks in Kasulu.
b) Government/UN mission to Lindi by helicopter assesses damage
caused by recent flooding. WFP to deliver emergency food rations and
medicine by air from Ngara.
c) WFP emergency operation (EMOP 5825) approved, to assist 200,000
drought-affected people with total of 10,080 mt of food commodities,
worth USD 2.6 million (total cost of operation is USD 4.2 million).
Government in need of donations to provide more relief food and to
deliver cereals to markets in affected areas.
C. UGANDA
1. Update
a) Joint WFP/Government/donor assessment is taking place in districts
facing acute food shortages due to drought. Some 330 mt of food
already delivered by WFP following an initial Government assessment
and request for food assistance.
b) Registration exercise in Gulu district identifies 180,000-185,000
displaced Ugandans. Results of similar exercise in Kitgum expected
soon. Security in the two districts deteriorates and food distribution
in northern part of Kitgum postponed.
D. SUDAN
1. Update
a) WFP airlift to Juba started, to assist increasing numbers of
displaced persons and returning refugees. On 10 April, 30 mt of
sorghum were delivered, the first relief food to reach Juba since
early February. Norwegian Church Council also starts airlift of food
to the city.
b) Clearance obtained from Government of Sudan and SPLA to deliver
2,500 mt of relief food to Juba by barge convoy.
c) WFP/OLS food security assessment mission to Yei and Kajo Keji
counties reports 100,000 returning refugees from northern Uganda and
needy residents of Yei are in need of urgent relief food and non-food
assistance.WFP is delivering maize to Yei.
PART II - DETAILS
A. AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN AND TAJIKISTAN - information as of 9 April
1. AFGHANISTAN
1.1 The food supply situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating
dramatically. Millions of people are at risk of hunger and starvation
in many parts of Afghanistan due to the recent critical shortage of
wheat. The price of wheat has spiralled out of the reach of the poor,
almost tripling since December. The shortages have occurred for two
reasons: firstly, due to its own shortages, Pakistan has closed its
borders in an attempt to keep the wheat inside Pakistan, preventing
both legally exported and smuggled wheat from entering Afghanistan.
Trade sources estimate that Pakistan channels at least 600,000 metric
tons (mt) of wheat to Afghanistan each year. Secondly, this is
traditionally a lean time in Afghanistan, as the country awaits the
first harvest in June.
1.2 Pakistan will not permit commercial supplies of wheat to cross
the border into Afghanistan until its own supply is ensured.
Government of Pakistan sources have stated that the situation is
expected to improve in about one week. Because of tension relating to
the shortages within Pakistan, WFP has taken certain security
precautions, cancelled the convoy to Kandahar scheduled for April 7
and requesting police protection for the Quetta stores. With 6,000 mt
in WFP warehouses in Peshawar, WFP cancelled the loaded convoy that
was to have delivered supplies for Jalalabad on April 7; it has also
liaised with the local police and hired extra guards.
1.3 Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Taliban are on the verge of
moving further north into Faryab province. Observers expect that
large-scale fighting will take place in the near future in Bamyan and
Badghis, and may result in further displacement of people and
increased need for food assistance in these regions as well as in
Kabul, northern Afghanistan, and Herat.
1.4 The security situation in Mazar is poor with several incidents
involving looting and robbery of UN premises, and attacks on UN
vehicles by armed groups.
1.5 Jalalabad is still recovering from the massive blast that
occurred in the ammunition depot of the police department on March 19,
in which thirty-five people were killed and 260 injured. Several UN
buildings were among those damaged by the blast.
1.6 The schools in Taliban areas of Afghanistan opened in March, but
without girl students; Kabul University also opened, without women as
students or instructors. Women have also not yet been allowed to
return to work, except in the health sector. For now, WFP projects
targeting women are still allowed to continue in areas controlled by
the Taliban. United Nations Heads of Agencies met in early April with
Taliban authorities in Kandahar, where they briefed the Taliban on UN
and agency policies and programs. This was the first detailed meeting
between agency heads and the Taliban.
1.7 Donors are urged to confirm their pledges for the Afghanistan
operation. So far, some 90,000 mt in pledges have been confirmed
(including 1996 pledges arriving in 1997). For contingency purposes,
it is important to maintain adequate stock levels in Mazar, which can
be reached only through the northern pipeline. Stocks are also
urgently needed in the south to supply Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar,
and Herat.
2. PAKISTAN
2.1 Because of the failure of the rains this last season, Pakistan
has had to increase its imports of wheat by some 23 percent. There is
a serious shortfall of supplies because of late arrival of import
shipments. The situation is expected to ease with harvests in Sindh
province at the end of April and in Punjab later in May. Widespread
shortages of wheat flour in the country over the past few weeks have
led to demonstrations and violent protests in the streets and in front
of flour mills, which are allegedly hoarding to profit from the
expected further increase in prices. To ease the situation, WFP is
reimbursing, ahead of schedule, the 22,000 metric ton wheat loan made
previously by the Government of Pakistan to the WFP Afghanistan
operation.
2.2 WFP continues to assist some 300,000 Afghan refugees under
targeted programmes and a further 30,000 housed in two camps in the
North West Frontier Province. Development assistance is also provided
by WFP in the natural resource management and health and education
sectors.
3. TAJIKISTAN
3.1 International UN staff continue to be on evacuation status, based
in Termez, Uzbekistan, pending a decision by the UN Security
Coordinator on the possible return of international staff to
Tajikistan after 15 April. The WFP Country Director was granted
clearance for two short-term missions into Tajikistan. In the
meantime, WFP national staff continue to implement WFP food aid
assistance in the country.
3.2 ECHO has fielded a mission to Tajikistan from 7 to 17 April to
discuss with WFP, the International Federation of the Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and German Agro Action (GAA) a
methodology for a planned food vulnerability survey and to test
initial questionnaires. The mission will visit Garm/Rayon with GAA and
Khatlon Oblast with WFP. After this preliminary phase, the survey will
be undertaken in a three week period starting 25 May. Nine hundred
households will be surveyed in Dushanbe, Rayon, Garm and Khatlon with
support from WFP and the two NGOs.
B. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE,
TANZANIA
1. ZAIRE
1.1 Relief agencies are finalising preparations for a large-scale
evacuation programme for the Rwandan refugees stranded in eastern
Zaire. The Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of
Congo-Zaire (ADFL) authorities have now agreed to the evacuation of an
estimated 80,000-100,000 refugees and to the use of Kisangani airport.
This complex evacuation operation, which includes the return of
internally displaced persons to the Goma area, will involve the use of
trucks, train, barges and planes. UNHCR is currently discussing with
Rwandan authorities the details for the reception of the most
vulnerable refugees, who are to be evacuated by air to either Kigali
or Goma. WFP is offering the use of three planes, two Illyushins and a
Hercules, for this programme. Update: the operation began on 11 April,
when 205 internally displaced persons were flown by WFP from Kisangani
to Goma.
1.2 WFP has continued deliveries of food to the refugees who are
presently accommodated at Kasese, km 29 south of Kisangani and Biaro, km
39, and other locations further south along the Kisangani/Ubundu
railroad line. In addition to rail and truck despatches from Kisangani
to the concentration points, and the ongoing air bridge from Mwanza,
Tanzania, a new air operation started on 7 April from Entebbe to
Kisangani, with two planes, one Illyushin-76 and one Hercules C-130.
With these two air bridges, WFP can shuttle to Kisangani 110 mt of food,
and some essential medical supplies, daily. During the first week of
April, WFP airlifted 270 mt of food supplies into Kisangani. The
refugees continue to require urgent food and medical assistance and the
death rate, although declining, remains high.
1.3 The evacuation programme from Karuba is still ongoing. An average
2,000 to 3,000 Rwandans are being taken by truck to Gisenyi every day.
At Sake, the ADFL rebels have established a check-point for screening
the passing refugees. As of 9 April there were still some 15,000
refugees left at Karuba.
2. RWANDA
2.1 Repatriation from Zaire increased over the past week, as
expected. During the first week of April, 14,057 persons were
registered by UNHCR, mostly returnees arriving through Gisenyi,
including 325 unaccompanied children, housed at Nkamira Transit
Centre. This centre holds around 7,000 persons, awaiting
transportation to their communes. The returnees are receiving one
month's food ration before returning to their home areas. Sick and
malnourished returnees receive extra food. To date, 25 of these recent
returnees have died in Gisenyi hospital due to extreme exhaustion.
2.2 From 31 March to 6 April, WFP distributed 3,350 mt of food in
Rwanda. Current stocks in the country amount to 5,579 mt of various
commodities. Due to a reduction in rail despatch capacity from
Mombasa, over 2,500 mt of maize and beans are being trucked directly
from the port to Rwanda.
3. BURUNDI
3.1 A UN/NGO mission comprising WFP, UNHCR, FAO and OXFAM, visited
Cibitoke province, in the north-western part of the country. During the
last half of 1996, insecurity did not allow any UN staff to travel to
Cibitoke and the present mission had to travel with heavy military
escort. The mission visited a regroupement site holding mostly persons
who returned from Zaire in November 1996. Owing to insecurity, the
population does not have access to land and coping mechanisms have not
yet been developed. Meeting with the mission, the Governor stated that
100,000 people, or 60 percent of the population of Cibitoke province,
are now grouped in sites.
4. TANZANIA
4.1 Heavy rains have arrived in Kigoma, making many roads impassable
and affecting all relief operations. Five WFP trucks got stuck in
Kasulu during operations to build up stocks in refugee camps. The
Government, UN agencies and NGOs involved in assistance to refugees
are carrying out spot maintenance, but donor funding will be necessary
to ensure that all the work needed can be completed. Fortunately, food
stocks had been pre-positioned at all camps by WFP, and are sufficient
to meet requirements for two weeks in Lugufu and four weeks in Kasulu.
4.2 The influx of Burundian refugees into Kigoma region is now
reduced to 100-150 persons per day. Nevertheless, during the last
weekend of March, 800 refugees arrived in Kasulu. At the same time,
some 3,000 Zairean refugees have requested to be repatriated to Uvira.
Contingency plans are being made for an organised return.
4.3 WFP participated in a Government/UN-organised helicopter visit to
Lindi, to assess the damage caused by recent flooding, which has
exacerbated hardship already caused by the drought. Some one thousand
families were left homeless and in urgent need of shelter, food and
medicine. WFP is planning an airlift from Ngara, scheduled to start on
10 April, to deliver emergency food rations and medicine.
4.4 On 8 April WFP approved an emergency operation (EMOP 5825) to
assist 200,000 people facing food shortages due to the failure of the
short rains. Under this operation, WFP will provide 10,080 mt of food
commodities, at a value of USD 2.6 million. The food will be
distributed by NGOs through direct feeding or food-for-work activities
in the eleven regions identified as needing relief aid. The total cost
of this operation is USD 4.2 million.
4.5 The Government has provided another 10,000 mt in drought relief.
An additional 14,000 mt of food is required for distribution during
the coming months. Donor contributions of TZ Shillings 800 million
(approximately USD 1.4 million) would allow the Government to deliver
an additional 30,000 mt of food commodities to the markets, thus
ensuring that those in need who still have some purchasing power can
have access to food at reasonable prices.
C. UGANDA
1. UPDATE
1.1 A joint Rapid Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment is
presently being carried out in ten of the districts of the country
reported to be facing acute food shortages as a result of the drought.
Following an initial assessment made by the Government and the
subsequent request for food assistance, WFP immediately delivered 330
mt of cereals for distribution to the most affected populations in
Kumi, Tororo and Soroti districts. The present four-team assessment
mission comprises WFP, the Government and donor representatives.
1.2 Between 180,000-185,000 displaced Ugandans were identified after
consolidation of the registration exercise conducted in Gulu district.
A similar exercise has been carried out in Kitgum and final figures
are expected soon. Security in these two districts, particularly in
Kitgum, has recently deteriorated and food distribution to internally
displaced persons in the northern part of the district bordering Sudan
had to be postponed.
D. SUDAN
1. JUBA
1.1 Following the recent upsurge in fighting in south Sudan, further
numbers of displaced persons and returning refugees have gathered in
Juba. A reported 8,400 recently arrived people in the city (returnees
from Uganda and Zaire) require immediate assistance. An additional
10,000 to 15,000 Sudanese refugees from camps in northern Uganda are
on the road from Yei to Juba.
1.2 WFP has initiated an airlift operation into Juba to deliver a
total of 200 mt of food. On the first day of the airlift, 10 April, 30
mt of sorghum were delivered, the first relief food to reach Juba
since early February. WFP has deployed staff to Juba to monitor food
distribution. The Norwegian Church Council will deliver a further 300
mt of food by air. In addition, Government of Sudan and SPLA clearance
has been obtained to deliver 2,500 mt of relief food to Juba on a
barge convoy.
2. YEI
2.1 As previously reported, the fall of Yei and Kajo Keji towns to
the SPLA has led to the mass exodus of Sudanese refugees from northern
Uganda. A WFP/Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) food security assessment
mission to Yei and Kajo Keji counties took place from 27 March to 5
April. A total of 100,000 returning refugees from northern Uganda and
vulnerable persons among the resident population in Yei were
identified as requiring urgent relief food and non-food assistance,
including agricultural inputs. The most vulnerable group comprises
13,500 displaced residents of Yei town, whose only current available
access to food is through relief support.
2.2 During February and March, WFP purchased 300 mt of locally
produced sorghum which have been distributed to over 17,000 internally
displaced persons and returnees in Mundri, Meridi and Yambio.
2.3 On 30 March, WFP delivered an initial 40 mt of maize to Yei. An
additional 20 mt is en route and expected to arrive in Yei 12 April.
OLS relief assistance will concentrate on promoting a strategy for
self-reliance, with food aid response closely linked to agricultural
inputs.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 15 of 1997 - April 11, 1997)
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