Report No. 27 of 1997 - 4 July 1997
Issued weekly by the United Nations World Food Programme
This report includes: A) Democratic People's Republic of Korea B) West Africa: Angola, Sierra Leone, Benin C) East Africa: Somalia, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda D) Central Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Central African Republic.
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS
(Details below in Part II)
A. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
1. Update
a) An American vessel arrives at Nampo on 29 June with a further 25,000 metric tons of cereals. Part of the cargo to off-load at Chongjin for distributions in the north-east.
b) WFP to open sub-offices in the north-eastern port city of Chongjin, in Hamhung in the east, and in Sinuiju in the north-west near the Chinese border.
c) Helicopter chartered by WFP to monitor food distributions in remote areas.
d) Agreement reached between WFP and the government on a nutritional survey.
e) Almost all requirements of current emergency operation covered by contributions from donors. A further appeal is to be issued by WFP in the near future to cover an expansion of the programme for children 6 years of age and under.
B. WEST AFRICA: ANGOLA, SIERRA LEONE, BENIN
1. Angola
a) WFP and MSF-Holland conduct a nutritional survey in N'Zaji, Lunda Norte province, among displaced population who have fled from fighting in surrounding areas. MSF-Holland recommends feeding programmes at N'Zaji hospital for malnourished children.
b) In mid-June, total number of displaced persons at N'Zaji from near-by areas was approximately 5,170, with an additional 1,500 displaced persons from Cambulo. WFP has airlifted relief food supplies to M'Zaji.
2. Sierra Leone
a) Caritas and the Sierra Leone distribute 230 metric tons of WFP food to some 26,000 internally displaced persons in Makeni. WFP forwarded 125 metric tons of food commodities from stores in Freetown to Makeni for the distribution.
3. Benin - flood situation
a) Inter-agency team assesses relief requirement resulting from flooding in Cotonou and Porto-Novo.
C. EAST AFRICA: SOMALIA, UGANDA, BURUNDI, RWANDA
1. Somalia
a) WFP increases emergency food distributions in southern Somalia, for period leading to the Gu harvest.
b) All relief and development activities in the Bay region suspended after gunmen kill an international staff member of Medecins Sans Frontieres-France in Baidoa on 20 June.
2. Uganda
a) Fighting which displaced 20,000 Ugandans in Bundibugyo district also causes some 40,000 Ugandans to flee to the Democratic Republic of Congo at Butumba, a remote area difficult to access.
b) Some 1,0000 people flee from attack by LRA near Kitgum, while skirmishes between UPDF and LRA cause further displacement of people in Gulu.
3. Burundi
a) Urgent food needs reported at five of seven sites in Kayanza province checked by Food Economy Assessment teams last week. At Karehe and Ruhinga in Rango commune, and Muganza in Matongo commune, insecurity severely limited last harvest, and many people at the sites exhibit signs of malnutrition. Health, water, sanitation and other non-food items are also urgently required at these sites.
4. Rwanda
a) Repatriation of Rwandans from DR Congo through Runda remains low. WFP provides food to MSF for therapeutic feeding in Runda and Musange transit centres.
D. CENTRAL AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE), CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
1. Democratic Republic of Congo
a) In Shabunda zone, more refugees are located in the Nyambembe, Lulingu, Katshungu and Byangama areas; 50 percent of the refugees are in need of special feeding.
b) Repatriation of former Zairean refugees from Tanzania to Uvira by UNHCR postponed.
2. Republic of Congo (Brazzaville)
a) More people displaced by further conflict in Brazzaville on 28 July.
b) WFP provides food to UNHCR in Kinshasa for Rwandan refugees near Brazzaville, at Loukolela.
3. Central African Republic
a) Security situation improves following clashes 21-24 June between army mutineers and MISAB peacekeepers in Bangui.
b) Some 70,000 people flee Bangui, 50,000 of them to Samba and Bimon, 17 and 30 km south-west of the capital, creating serious problems for local population in terms of shelter needed, limited drinking water, food and medicine. WFP is distributing locally purchased food. UNHCR is organizing displaced persons into camps at both locations.
PART II - DETAILS
A. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
1. UPDATE
1.1 An American ship, the bulk carrier M/V Judy Litrico, arrived at Nampo near Pyongyang on 29 June. While most of the cargo of 24,953 metric tons of cereals is being off-loaded at Nampo, 8,000 metric tons is destined for Chongjin for July distributions in the north-east part of the country. The shipment will be the first food aid delivered directly to the north-east where aid agencies have not previously been able to operate.
1.2 DPR Korean authorities have given WFP permission to open a sub-office in the north-eastern port city of Chongjin, and have approved additional sub-offices in Hamhung in the east, and in Sinuiju in the north-west near the Chinese border.
1.3 Civil aviation authorities have agreed to provide a helicopter for charter by WFP, which will be used to monitor food distributions in remote areas of the country and to provide easy access to the sub-offices.
1.4 During his visit to DPR Korea, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Yasushi Akashi, confirmed that agreement has been reached with the government on the details of a nutritional survey to be conducted by WFP with the support of other UN agencies, starting at the end of July.
1.5 To date, WFP has received pledges for all the 203,000 metric tons of food aid sought from international donors under the current emergency operation for DPR Korea. Donors to the current operation include United States, Republic of Korea, European Comm unity, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Canada, and a number of NGOs.
1.6 A further appeal is to be issued by WFP during the week of 7 July, for additional multilateral resources to cover an expansion of the programme for children 6 years of age and under.
B. WEST AFRICA: ANGOLA, SIERRA LEONE, BENIN
1. ANGOLA
1.1 WFP and Medecins Sans Frontieres-Holland (MSF-H) carried out a nutritional survey from 17 to 19 June in N?Zaji, Lunda Norte province, where thousands of villagers have recently fled from hostilities in surrounding areas. Cases of severe-acute and mode rate malnutrition in children under six were reported. MSF-H has recommended feeding programmes for the malnourished children at N?Zaji hospital. Meanwhile, the possibility of adjusting current relief food distribution cycles will be investigated.
1.2 By mid-June, 3,174 internally displaced persons had been registered at N?Zaji, with an estimated 2,000 still to be registered at that time. A further 1,500 displaced persons from Cambulo had been evacuated to N?Zaji by the local authorities. To accommodate growing numbers, 508 of the registered caseload were transferred to the Chico Guerrero camp on the outskirts of N?Zaji. On 20 June, WFP airlifted sufficient maize, vegetable oil and pulses to the town to feed 4,500 persons for 15 days. Further supplies will be airlifted as required.
2. SIERRA LEONE
2.1 On 2 July, WFP food was distributed to more than 26,000 internally displaced persons in Makeni, the largest distribution since recent disruptions to the relief programme began. A total of 228 metric tons was distributed through implementing partners Caritas and the Sierra Leonean Red Cross Society, to 4,400 families from Freetown and outlying villages in Northern Province. WFP forwarded 125 metric tons of food commodities from stores in Freetown to Makeni for the distribution.
3. BENIN - FLOOD SITUATION
3.1 Flooding has occurred in two main towns in Benin, Cotonou and Porto-Novo, as a result of heavy rains since mid-June. An inter-agency team (WFP, UNHCR, UNDP, Benin Red Cross Society, Caritas, and Catholic Relief Services) began an assessment of relief requirements on 1 July. Findings of the mission are expected to be released shortly. Meanwhile, the international humanitarian community continues to monitor the situation closely.
C. EAST AFRICA: SOMALIA, UGANDA, BURUNDI, RWANDA
1. SOMALIA
1.1 WFP has started emergency food distributions to some 360,000 vulnerable people in southern Somalia, where the food situation remains critical. WFP is providing a two-month food package which will last through the arrival of the main cereal harvest, the Gu, at the end of July. According to the WFP Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU), this season?s harvest is expected to arrive 2-3 weeks earlier than the normal harvest time, shortening the most critical period of limited food availability. FSAU anticipates a favourable cereal harvest, with total expected production for southern Somalia estimated at around 242,500 metric tons, 20 percent more than last year?s Gu harvest. Even so, this figure is still some 30 percent less than the pre-war average.
1.2 WFP has boosted its logistics capacity to increase food deliveries to Somalia, with food being forwarded from Mombassa by vessel to the Somali ports of Merca and El Maan, and overland to the Somali border to be transhipped to Middle and Lower Juba. Both Mogadishu port and airport remain closed. More than 6,200 metric tons of food was delivered to Somalia from early May through mid-June.
1.3 The increased food delivered will be distributed mainly to displaced and vulnerable persons affected by drought in the southern regions of Bay, Bakool, Middle and Lower Juba, but also used for food-for-work and various programmed activities in Mogadishu and other areas of Somalia.
1.4 On 20 June, a Medecins Sans Frontieres-France international staff member was killed by gunmen in Baidoa, Bay region. As a result, effective 24 June, the international community suspended all activities in the Bay region until further notice.
2. UGANDA
2.1 In addition to the estimated 20,000 Ugandans displaced by the attack on several sub-counties of the district of Bundibugyo by Alliance of Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels on 17 June, some 40,000 Ugandans from the district fled to DR Congo at the small border crossing point of Butumba. The non-governmental organization World Harvest Mission confirms that at least 25-30,000 are in DR Congo with little food, in an area which is remote and difficult to access. A WFP assessment is planned. The overall security situation is slowing down the supply of food to the area.
2.2 Reports from Kitgum confirm that on 26 June, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels attacked the two parishes of Kabale and Olung-Kiteny in Parabongo and Lukole Sub-Counties respectively. An estimated 1,000 internally displaced persons fled to Kalongo centre.
2.3 In Gulu, skirmishes between UPDF and LRA caused further displacement of people, as those who had returned to their villages again left to return to the former protected camps.
3. BURUNDI
3.1 Teams which conducted Food Economy Assessment at seven sites in Kayanza province found urgent needs for assistance in five of them. At Karehe and Ruhinga, both in Rango commune, and Muganza in Matongo commune, residents face an especially high level of food insecurity. They have little or no food stocks due to insecurity which severely limited their last harvest, and many show clear signs of malnutrition. In addition, health, water, sanitation and other non-food items are urgently required at these sites.
3.2 The needs are particularly critical at the site of Muganza, which has a population of 3,500. Most of these people were dispersed in the Kibira forest area, unable to harvest for the previous two seasons, or to plant any current crops.
3.3 The population of both Karehe (12,370) and Ruhinga (15,000) were regrouped at these sites in February 1997, but some of them had been dispersed earlier, during the last quarter of 1996.
3.4 The assessment teams found that the residents of both Bandaga (602) and Gisenyi (5,576) would need assistance before the next harvest.
4. RWANDA
4.1 Repatriation of Rwandans from DR Congo through Runda remains low with less than 500 returnees passing through the transit centre last week. WFP provided milk, vegetable oil and sugar to MSF for therapeutic feeding to both the Runda and Musange transit centres.
4.2 Since 1 January, WFP Rwanda has delivered 81,270 metric tons to projects and distribution centres, for 1.1 million people. General food distributions, including returnee assistance, have accounted for 70 percent of the total of food delivered in 1997. Almost 20,000 metric tons have been delivered since January to Kibungo province alone, where around 500,000 internally displaced persons and returnees have been assisted by WFP. During the past week, approximately 2,400 metric tons of food were distributed nation-wide.
D. CENTRAL AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE), CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
1. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (Kinshasa)
1.1 By 28 June a total of over 8,627 refugees (including 1,544 unaccompanied children) had been repatriated from Mbandaka to Rwanda. On that date the remaining refugee population at the Mbandaka transit centre was 588, including 74 Burundians and 120 sick refugees. It has been agreed between WFP and the UNHCR team in Mbandaka that a buffer stock of food to cover the needs of 550 beneficiaries per day for one month should be made available in Mbandaka.
1.2 In the Shabunda-Katshungu-Lulingu area, where some 8,000 refugees have been located, and it is expected that more refugees will come from the forest. CARE has located an additional 6,000 refugees in the forest and villages areas around Nyambembe, Lulingu, Katshungu and Byangama. Nutritional situation of those refugees is reported to be very bad, with an estimated 50 percent of the refugees in need of special feeding.
1.3 At present, UNHCR has available for the relief/repatriation operation in Shabunda zone one Caravan and two Buffalo planes (the Buffalo aircraft are shared with the rest of DR Congo operations). An Antonov plane contracted by CARE had landing problems in Shabunda and was expected be out of operation for a week. A WFP-contracted Caravan became operational from Goma from 29 June. Additional WFP airlift capacity will be arranged if needed. UNHCR is planning to start repatriation to Rwanda next week, beginning with the 600 refugees currently in Shabunda and Lulingu towns.
1.4 On 23 June, CARE's compound in Goma was extensively looted by armed men who took away a car, radios, cash and personal belongings.
1.5 It was reported on 3 July that the Tanzanian authorities have requested a postponement of a planned voluntary repatriation of Congolese refugees until formal assurances on security and safety are granted by the new government in Kinshasa. The proposed repatriation was to have involved a first group of 300 former-Zairean refugees from Tanzania to Uvira by UNHCR.
2. REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE)
2.1 Several thousand people have been displaced as a result of further conflict in Brazzaville which broke out the French embassy on 28 June. The International Committee of the Red Cross was forced to evacuate four delegates to Kinshasa.
2.2 WFP-Kinshasa is currently delivering food to UNHCR in Kinshasa for Rwandan refugees in and around Loukolela (caseload: 10,000), near Brazzaville. UNHCR has arranged for food storage in Kinshasa and MSF-France is to take care of storage and distribution. UNHCR has not yet finalised repatriation plans.
2.3 For Congolese refugees (from Congo/Brazzaville) now in Kinshasa in DR Congo, a programme of assistance is currently being defined with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and UNHCR.
3. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
3.1 The security situation is reported to have improved in the Central African Republic following the 21-24 June clashes between army mutineers and MISAB peacekeepers in the southern neighbourhoods of Bangui. A cease-fire has been respected by rebellious soldiers since 28 June.
3.2 Clashes forced some 70,000 civilians to flee Bangui; at least 50,000 of these are concentrated in two areas south-west of the capital, at Samba (17 km) and Bimon (30 km from Bangui). This influx has posed serious problems for the local population, mainly due to the lack of shelter for the displaced population, and only limited supplies of drinking water, food, first aid supplies and medicine. In response, WFP is carrying out a limited food distribution of locally purchased cereals and oil. Meanwhile, UNHCR is oganizing displaced persons into camps in Samba and Bimon.
3.3 Some 10,000 persons have fled to the north, where living conditions are favourable. Displaced persons in this area have expressed willingness to return to Bangui as soon as possible. A further estimated 10,000 people have fled to the south-east, but their condition has not yet been assessed by the international humanitarian community, due to difficulty in reaching this area.
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