This report includes: A) Democratic People's Republic of Korea B) Iran C) Iraq D) Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire and Tanzania E) Uganda F) Kenya G) Somalia.
>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. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
1. Update a) WFP logistics mission concludes visit; port and general logistics infrastructure reviewed. b) FAO/WFP crop and food supply assessment mission in DPR Korea from 17 to 24 May; previous mission in late 1996 warned that current deterioration in food situation was inevitable without large-scale food imports.
B. IRAN
1. Earthquake relief operations a) WFP releases 500 metric tons of wheat and 30 metric tons of vegetable oil from current in-country stocks to assist earthquake victims in Khorasan province.
C. IRAQ
1. Update a) By early May, 510,000 metric tons of food, one fourth of total to be procured under SCR 986, had arrived in Iraq. b) WFP is concerned about possible wheat shortfalls after June.
D. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE AND TANZANIA
1. Zaire - information as of 15 May a) Repatriation of Rwandan refugees by air continues; 26,248 refugees repatriated by 15 May. Some 18,000 refugees remain in Biaro and 5,320 at Obilo and Ubundu. Remaining 25,000 refugees previously in the camps still not located. b) Train with food supplied by WFP, medicines and other items, reaches Obilo on 10 May; located at km 82, this is furthest south of Kisangani that aid agencies allowed to travel in over three weeks. Several hundred refugees return to Kisangani on the train. c) Small WFP plane lands further south, at Ubundu; nearby airstrip to be repaired to allow repatriation of some 5,300 refugees in the area direct to Rwanda. d) Up to 10,000 refugees arrive in Liranga, Congo, having crossed the river from the Mbandaka area. Access extremely difficult; some food is being flown in by ICRC by helicopter. Some 5,000 refugees, from Zaire, Rwanda and Burundi, are in Brazzaville.
2. Rwanda a) Northern prefectures of Gisenyi and Ruhengeri remain tense; recent attacks blamed on ex-FAR infiltrating from Zaire.
3. Burundi a) Further deterioration in security situation in south Burundi; frequent attacks reported in Bururi province. Attacks on schools increasing.
E. UGANDA
1. Update a) Some 10,000 Ugandan refugees return from Yei area of southern Sudan. Food and other assistance provided to the returnees. WFP also delivers food to Sudanese returnees in southern Sudan, who are returning from camps in Uganda. b) Attacks and ambushes take place on main roads into Kitgum district. Achol-Pii refugee camp attacked. UNHCR truck carrying refugees ambushed in West Nile.
F. KENYA
1. Drought operations update a) Good rains ease situation for pastoralists, but recovery in agro-pastoral areas not expected until harvest of August/September. b) WFP relief assistance to school children in drought-affected areas expanded to over 450,000 students. c) General food distributions by WFP hampered by delays in arrival of regional food purchases and by heavy rains.
G. SOMALIA
1. Update a) FAO Special Alert of 8 May confirms deteriorating food situation in Somalia. WFP to allocate 12,000 metric tons of food commodities for drought operations. b) Recent rains interrupt transportation of food aid to drought-affected areas. Situation in Qansaxdhere and Berdale districts reported as especially serious.
PART II - DETAILS
A. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
1. UPDATE
1.1 A WFP mission, led by the Director of the Transport and Logistics Division visited DPR Korea from 26 April to 10 May. The main purpose of the mission was to review the ports and general logistics infrastructure of the country to check whether it would be able to cope with a dramatic increase in the imports of food. The mission was able to visit the ports of Nampo on the West coast and Chongjin and Hamhung on the east coast. It also visited the town of Sinuiju, in the north-western part of the country, on the border between DPR Korea and China.
1.2 The conclusion of the mission was that although the port infrastructure is old and has not been used intensively for the last few years, it should be capable of handling up to one million metric tons over a period of six months. Movement up-country and storage are also possible, using rail, road and river transport. The major difficulties in establishing an efficient distribution chain are a lack of adequate pulling power for the trains, the poor condition of the wagons and a general lack of fuel in the country. However, it is not expected that the aid will be blocked in the ports as a consequence of these limiting factors.
1.3 As the food crisis in DPR Korea deepens, an FAO/WFP crop and food supply assessment mission will be in the country from 17 to 24 May. The team is scheduled to travel to the worst affected areas in the country, particularly the northern regions where there are many reports of people resorting to such coping mechanisms as foraging for wild plants, and eating ground corn stalks, rice straw, bean pods and pine tree bark.
1.4 The last FAO/WFP assessment mission in late 1996 reported that DPR Korea needed 2.36 million tons of additional food to meet its basic needs this year. The team warned in December that there were only enough food stocks to feed the country through to June, and that requirements until the harvest in October would need to be covered by imports. The mission concluded at that time that there would be a heavy dependence on large-scale international assistance to help the country meet minimum food requirements, and a critical deterioration in the food supply situation between July and September could be expected if enough food was not mobilized before the onset of this period.
B. IRAN
1. EARTHQUAKE RELIEF OPERATIONS
1.1 Following an appeal from the government of Iran for international assistance in the wake of a strong earthquake on 10 May in Qaen in the province of Khorasan, which killed about 1,570 people and left 52,000 homeless, WFP approved the immediate release of 500 metric tons of wheat and 30 metric tons of vegetable oil to assist earthquake victims. These supplies have been taken from existing stocks for WFP protracted relief operation for Afghan refugees in Iran. The quantity released is sufficient to provide a basic ration to about 50,000 people for one month. WFP has sent a mission to the affected area to assess the food situation.
1.2 The Iranian Red Crescent is currently supplying food, clothing and tents to the affected villages, supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
C. IRAQ
1. UPDATE
1.1 By the first week of May, one fourth of the total food commodities to be procured had reached Iraq as part of the six month oil-for-food deal (Security Council Resolution 986) which expires on 9 June. Approximately 510,000 metric tons of food, representing 32 contracts, had arrived in Iraq, of which 404,000 metric tons had come through the Umm Qasr port. The remaining quantities entered via Trebil on the Iraq/Jordan border (79,000 metric tons) and Zakho on the Iraq/Turkey border (27,000 metric tons). Wheat, which is transformed into flour once it arrives in Iraq, is the most prevalent commodity (343,000 metric tons). Because of insufficient quantities, it is unlikely that a full food basket, composed of the eight commodities set out in the Distribution Plan, will be available before June.
1.2 In all 15 governorates of the centre/south region, distribution of wheat flour has been running smoothly. Stocks of other items (rice, oil, milk, pulses, salt, soap and detergent) are still being built up before their initial distribution. In the three northern governorates, the April distribution of wheat flour to all registered beneficiaries was completed in the first week of May. WFP is concerned about the possibility of wheat shortfalls after June. All contracts thus far approved by the Sanctions Committee amount to less than 617,000 metric tons. The distributions started in April and the monthly consumption requirements for the country is equivalent to 220,000 metric tons, which means that the wheat in the pipeline will not cover the needs through June. Once a contract is approved, it takes at least two months for the commodity to arrive in the country.
1.3 In the first days of June, the UN Secretary-General is expected to submit a report to the Security Council, which will then decide whether the oil-for-food deal should be extended for an additional period of six months.
D. EAST AFRICA: REGIONAL OPERATION FOR BURUNDI, RWANDA, ZAIRE, TANZANIA
1. ZAIRE - information as of 15 May
1.1 As of 15 May, 26,248 Rwandan refugees had been repatriated by air from Zaire to Rwanda. There are still approximately 18,000 refugees at Biaro and another 5,320 at Obilo and Ubundu, bringing the total number of refugees located south of Kisangani so far to some 49,000. This represents about half the number of refugees that were previously at the camps in the area. Small numbers continue to appear at Biaro. Efforts to locate the missing refugees are ongoing, but are hindered by limited access granted by local authorities.
1.2 Regular food distributions continue at Biaro. The last general distribution of a three-day ration took place on 15 May. The number of kitchens providing wet feeding to vulnerable refugees has been increased to 12, to provide meals for 12,000 beneficiaries. Despite the assistance now being provided, the refugees are still very vulnerable and weak. Forty-seven have died so far in the transit centre near Kisangani. WFP stocks in Kisangani amount to 1,235 metric tons, adequate to cover the needs of the remaining Rwandan refugees for a one month period.
1.3 On 10 May, a train loaded with 26 metric tons of food provided by WFP, medicines and other non-food items reached Obilo, at km 82. WFP and other agencies staff accompanied the train. This was the first time in more than three weeks, that aid agencies were allowed to travel so far south of Kisangani. A food distribution was organised at the site, consisting of a one-week ration for all the refugees. On the trip back to Kisangani, the train returned with 468 refugees. Local villagers informed aid staff of the presence of many refugees hidden in the forest.
1.4 On 11 May, a small WFP plane made two rotations to Ubundu, further south, carrying food commodities. Only a small number of refugees was found in Ubundu, some having just arrived from Punia. WFP now plans to renovate the airstrip at km 95, near Ubundu, in order to allow larger planes to land there and organise the repatriation of the 5,321 refugees in the area directly to Rwanda.
1.5 WFP planes continue also airlifting food into Kisangani from Entebbe and from Mwanza. From 5 to 11 May the planes carried 307 metric tons of food and 37 metric tons of non-food commodities. In total, since the beginning of the air operations during December, WFP has transported by air to Kisangani 6,359 metric tons of food and 263 metric tons of other cargo.
1.6 Refugees have arrived in Liranga, Congo, after crossing the river from the Mbandaka area. Up to 10,000 are in Liranga, with more refugees reportedly on river islands. Access to the area is very difficult and the nearest airport is 70 km away. Small quantities of food are being flown by ICRC to Liranga by helicopter. Another 5,000 refugees from Zaire, Rwanda and Burundi are already in Brazzaville.
1.7 Security situation is again worsening in the eastern parts of Zaire, along the borders with Rwanda and Burundi. On 12 May in Goma, two UNICEF staff were harassed and threatened in their home by five armed men. The Bukavu area is tense, with reports of attempts by ex-FAR and Interahamwe to cross into Rwanda. The escarpment road between Bukavu and Uvira is also insecure, with gunfire exchanges being reported.
2. RWANDA
2.1 The situation remains tense in the northern prefectures of Gisenyi and Ruhengeri. The latest incidents reported were an attack on a school in Satinsyi and an ambush at Mugogo, blamed on groups of ex-FAR who have infiltrated from Zaire. Another attack occurred in Mubaga, Gikongoro, in which six people were killed, including two priests and a nurse.
2.2 WFP and the European Union are considering plans for the provision of a special ration to unaccompanied children arriving from Zaire. Many of the children are in poor physical condition and will require additional and more sustained support.
3. BURUNDI
3.1 Insecurity is on the increase in the south of the country, particularly in Bururi province where attacks occur almost daily. Attacks on schools are also on the increase. From 5 to 11 April three schools were attacked in the provinces of Bururi, Rutana and Gitega, resulting in several casualties among the students. Bujumbura Rural and Bubanza also reported security incidents during the same period.
3.2 WFP and USAID visited regroupement camps in Muramvya and Karuzi provinces. In Muramvya, the mission visited camps only recently established and where the majority of the residents have access to land. No assistance is required a this time. In Karuzi, needs assessment teams initiated an evaluation exercise on sites holding the largest and most vulnerable populations and where distributions are already under way.
3.3 From 5 to 11 April, WFP distributed food to 173,782 persons in Burundi. Stocks in the country continue low, at 1,635 metric tons. An eight truck convoy from Ngara has however just arrived in the country, carrying 41 metric tons of maize, 162 metric tons of maize meal and 22 metric tons of sugar. Other convoys are to follow.
4. TANZANIA
4.1 A total of 3,587 Burundian refugees were registered in Mtabila II camp, in Kasulu district from 5 to 11 May. Another 735 were registered in Kibondo district and small numbers of Burundians are also entering in Ngara district. In Ngara, UNHCR is organising transfers of refugees, which combined with a registration exercise, could assist in the verification of the refugee caseload in Ngara district.
4.2 A OAU high level delegation visited Kigoma and Kasulu, to review the ongoing refugee emergency operation. The results of these visits will be part of the agenda for the coming Heads of State and Foreign Ministers Summit to be held in Harare next month. The delegation met with refugee leaders and aid agencies working in the area.
E. UGANDA
1. UPDATE
1.1 Ugandan refugees in the Yei area in southern Sudan are returning to Uganda through Koboko in Arua district. Some 10,000 returnees have so far been registered. Food and non-food assistance is being provided to the returnees and UNHCR is organising the transportation to home areas. Meanwhile, WFP is delivering food to Sudanese refugees returning from camps in Uganda to southern Sudan.
1.2 Security has deteriorated in Kitgum district. Main roads leading into the district have been the target of attacks and ambushes and the two major routes had to be temporarily closed. The Achol-Pii refugee camp was attacked on 10 May resulting in the death of two refugees and injuries to others. Security remains unpredictable in East Moyo and Palorinya and a UNHCR truck carrying refugees was ambushed in West Nile.
F. KENYA
1. DROUGHT OPERATIONS UPDATE
1.1 The current rainy season in Kenya has so far resulted in normal to better than normal rainfall in virtually all parts of the country including those areas deemed most affected by the drought. As a result, predominantly pastoral areas of north-eastern and eastern Kenya have experienced marked improvement in forage production, and surface water catchments have been fully replenished. Livestock health has improved significantly, leading to a higher market value.
1.2 While favourable levels of rainfall have also been recorded in agro-pastoral areas of Kenya, recovery in these areas is expected to take relatively longer as farmers must wait until the next harvest (August/September).
1.3 WFP has recently expanded its relief assistance to school children. From May to July, more than 450,000 students will participate in school feeding projects in Kenya's most badly affected drought areas.
1.4 WFP general food distributions to drought-affected populations, which commenced in February, have been hampered by delays in the arrival of regional food purchases and by heavy rains, which have cut access to parts of north-eastern and eastern Kenya. Rains are also affecting the arrival of relief food from Ethiopia, where WFP has purchased several thousand tons of food for the Kenyan drought operation. The situation is expected to improve with the tapering of rains by mid to late May. Some 9,000 metric tons of maize and 950 metric tons of beans are expected to arrive in Kenya by the end of the month.
G. SOMALIA
1. UPDATE
1.1 According to an FAO Special Alert issued on 8 May, the food situation in Somalia has been deteriorating rapidly following the drought-reduced 1997 Der season harvest and continued civil conflict. WFP will allocate a total of 12,000 metric tons of food commodities in response to the situation in southern Somalia.
1.2 Meanwhile, recent rains have made the transportation of emergency food aid to drought-affected areas difficult. WFP Somalia will use the port of El Ma'an to deliver food through local traders, and is in the process of purchasing 100 metric tons of locally-grown maize to accelerate delivery to the most vulnerable areas of Bay region. Food aid response is especially urgent in Qansaxdhere and Berdale districts, where global malnutrition is reported to be rising.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 20 of 1997 - May 16, 1997)
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