Report No. 33 of 1997 Date: 15 August 1997
This report includes: A) West Africa: Sierra Leone B) East Africa: Great Lakes Regional, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda C) Central Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) D) Afghanistan E) Resourcing update.
>From J.-M. Boucher, 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 6513 2837). For information regarding resources, donors are requested to contact Mr. F. Strippoli ( Strippoli@wfp.org ) or Ms. A. Blum ( Blum@wfp.org) , WFP Rome, telephone 39 6 6513 2504 or 6513 2004. Please note change of telephone numbers: as of 2 August, 6513 replaced 5228 in all WFP telephone and fax numbers (Main fax numbers remain the same: 39 6 59602111 and 59602348).
Due to public holiday in Italy on 15 August, Report no. 33 issued 14 August.
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PART I - HIGHLIGHTS
(Details below in Part II)
A. WEST AFRICA: SIERRA LEONE
1. Sierra Leone
a) UN Security Council to examine legal status of ECOWAS sanctions against the junta. WFP deeply concerned by position of some members of ECOWAS that food be included in the embargo. Humanitarian community strongly feels that inclusion of food in the embargo would have catastrophic consequences for the population.
b) WFP and CRS warehouses continue to be plundered on a daily basis, with food going to the AFRC, RUF allies and the police. Warehouse staff frequently threatened.
B. EAST AFRICA: GREAT LAKES REGIONAL, BURUNDI, TANZANIA AND UGANDA
1. Great Lakes Regional Operation
a) Mid-term Review of the UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for the Great Lakes Emergency released; current funding is at 65 percent of total requirements.
2. Burundi
a) Kayanza provincial authorities propose reinstallation programme for all regrouped populations in the province.
3. Tanzania
a) Food allocations from WFP and Tanzanian Government not expected to meet food needs of the most vulnerable drought-affected populations during the next four to eight months.
b) Government grain reserve at unprecedented low level of 17,000 metric tons.
4. Uganda
a) Ugandan refugees from Bundibugyo who fled to eastern DR Congo now returning to Uganda; 10,000 return during the past week.
b) Insecurity prevents returnees and other displaced from returning to their homes; 70,000 displaced Ugandans accommodated in Bundibugyo and Nyahuka, where shelter materials and blankets urgently required.
C. CENTRAL AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE)
1. Democratic Republic of Congo
a) Flow of refugees from Congo/Brazzaville to newly established Kinkole camp increases as fighting intensifies in Republic of Congo.
b) Return of refugees and displaced persons to Uvira continues; Burundians who crossed into DR Congo last week have mixed with local population.
2. Republic of Congo (Brazzaville)
a) Upsurge in fighting in Brazzaville follows relative calm of three-week ceasefire, and causes another exodus of the city's population.
D. AFGHANISTAN
1. Update
a) Situation in Kabul deteriorates; heavy fighting outside the city intensifies.
b) Continued closure of border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan means high fuel prices and ten-fold increase in rates of commercial transporters, affecting WFP operations.
c) Findings of recent FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment mission to Afghanistan described below. Good 1997 cereal crop reported, but food aid still needed. Current estimate of food aid required for 1997/98 is 170,000 metric tons.
E. GENERAL
1. Resourcing update
a) WFP relief operations facing resourcing problems are listed below, in order of priority based on the urgency of resourcing needs.
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PART II - DETAILS
A. WEST AFRICA: SIERRA LEONE
1. SIERRA LEONE
1.1 Information from Sierra Leone is sketchy and difficult to confirm. However, WFP regional offices and Headquarters are still in communication with WFP national staff members in Freetown.
1.2 Negotiations between the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) junta and ECOWAS do not seem to have yielded results. Although the AFRC is isolated, it appears to be firmly in control of Freetown. It is not clear who controls other parts of the country, as local alliances do not necessarily conform with orders from Freetown.
1.3 Insecurity is continuing in Freetown, with gangs of armed looters, many of them children, roaming the streets. A large section of the population has left the city and taken refuge in the countryside. No new large influxes of refugees in Guinea have been reported.
1.4 The UN Security Council will shortly examine the legal status of the ECOWAS organized sanctions against the junta. WFP is very concerned by requests from some members of ECOWAS that food should be included in the embargo. WFP's position, which is shared by other UN agencies and NGOs working in the region, is that inclusion of food in the embargo would have catastrophic consequences for the population but would probably not affect the AFRC and its allies. It is not clear exactly what quantities of food are arriving on vessels currently able to circumvent the ECOWAS blockade.
1.5 The AFRC-appointed so-called superintendents of WFP and CRS warehouses continue to plunder these stores on a daily basis. The food appears to go to the AFRC, their RUF allies and the police. Warehouse staff have standing instructions not to resist these requisitions but are nevertheless bullied or threatened on frequent occasions.
B. EAST AFRICA: GREAT LAKES REGIONAL, BURUNDI, TANZANIA AND UGANDA
1. GREAT LAKES REGIONAL OPERATION
1.1 A Mid-term Review of the UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for the Great Lakes Emergency (covering Burundi, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Uganda), published by the United Nations in July, shows that current funding available against the revised appeal requirements of USD 313.1 totals USD 205 million, or 65 percent of the total requirements. This includes new pledges and contributions, as well as carryover funding from last year.
1.2 Although the overall donor response to this Appeal has been generous, the requirements of some individual agencies have not met with adequate support. For food aid to be effective in rehabilitation activities, support is needed for other rehabilitation programmes and activities mentioned in the Appeal. Additional contributions are sought by FAO, UNESCO, UNV, UNICEF, and DHA. While WFP and UNHCR have secured over 75 percent of the funding required for their programmes, funding shortfalls still need to be met.
1.3 The initial amount requested when the Appeal was launched in March 1997 was USD 324.5 million. This total has now been reduced to USD 313 million due to adjustments in Agency programmes, in response to the changing situation in the Great Lakes Region.
2. BURUNDI
2.1 Authorities in Kayanza province have proposed a reinstallation programme for all regrouped populations in this province. Over 82,000 persons will leave six camps and return to their homes at 44 different locations. This plan is due to begin on 20 August, starting with Buraniro camp, and continue through September. This is the first official reinstallation programme since regroupement began in February 1996. WFP and other UN agencies and humanitarian organizations are coordinating with the provincial government to provide return packages to assist with the reinstallation programme.
2.2 Between 4-10 August, 174,539 beneficiaries were provided with a WFP food ration in Burundi. This includes emergency distributions in Kayanza where WFP teams distributed food to 88,000 persons. WFP teams carried out Food Economy Approach assessments in Gakere, Ngozi province, and Ryansoro and Giheta in Gitega province. As a result of the estimated low daily calorie intake and evident signs of malnutrition in Gakere, WFP will provide food assistance to this location. For the sites in Gitega, WFP will consider food-for-work options, to assist residents to achieve self-sufficiency to avoid dependency on assistance provided by the churches.
3. TANZANIA
3.1 The allocation plan for the remaining 4,100 metric tons of maize and 205 metric tons of beans provided through WFP for distribution in drought-affected areas has been completed. It is expected that total food allocations, from both WFP and the Government, will not be sufficient to meet the food needs of the most vulnerable populations during the next four to eight months.
3.2 The Government's grain reserve has been reduced to the unprecedented low level of 17,000 metric tons as of July. To avert severe food shortages, additional food imports, both commercial and relief food, are required. Drought-affected areas are also in urgent need of selected seeds (short-term maturing varieties). These seeds should reach farmers by October 1997.
4. UGANDA
4.1 Ugandan refugees who had fled to eastern DR Congo as a result of fighting in Bundibugyo are now returning to Uganda. An estimated 10,000 have returned during the past week. Due to prevailing insecurity in the area, these returnees and thousands of other displaced are still not able to return to their homes. In total, there are some 70,000 Ugandans accommodated in two main locations in Bundibugyo and Nyahuka, receiving food and other assistance. Shelter and blankets are urgently required as it is now the rainy season and hundreds of families are without a roof.
4.2 Food distributions to displaced Ugandans continued during the week. Due to clashes between rebels and government troops, food dispatches to Bundibugyo and Nyahuka, currently at a rate of 75 metric tons per week, are still below the estimated weekly requirement of over 150 metric tons. Action Aid has signed an agreement with WFP to implement food distributions in the area. In Gulu, 24,447 displaced persons in three camps received 168 metric tons of WFP food between 3 and 10 August. The total displaced population in Gulu district is now estimated at 144,000 persons.
4.3 In addition to those displaced who benefit from general food distributions, a total of 357 children received therapeutic and supplementary feeding in Lacor and Gulu hospitals; an average of 500 children and mothers are participating in a supplementary feeding programme in five health units and another 2,000 children under eight years, pregnant and nursing mothers displaced within Gulu Municipality are being provided with one hot meal every day, in a programme being implemented with the Church of Uganda.
C. CENTRAL AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE)
1. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
1.1 The number of refugees from Congo/Brazzaville at the newly established Kinkole camp has increased from 600 to 1,700 refugees. As fighting intensifies in the Republic of Congo, the flow of refugees at this site has increased to a rate of 100-120 new arrivals per day. During the past two weeks, WFP distributed 17 metric tons of food commodities to the refugees at the camp. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is planning to purchase rice to complement the current WFP ration of maize meal, pulses, oil and sugar. Those refugees who chose to remain in the city are no longer receiving relief food assistance.
1.2 The spontaneous return of refugees and displaced persons to Uvira continues. ODESKI, a local non-governmental organization has been registering these arrivals at the port. So far, 7,630 Congolese have returned from Tanzania, 351 from Zambia, and 19,077 displaced have arrived from Kalemie. Meanwhile, the 1,000 Burundians who crossed into DR Congo last week have now mixed with local populations, without receiving any assistance.
1.3 A WFP organized mission to the Hauts-Plateaux, in the mountainous areas between Uvira and Fizi, has identified an estimated 7,600 displaced persons living in the area under very difficult circumstances. Assistance to this group is being arranged, including the establishment of nutritional centres, in view of the evident signs of malnutrition.
1.4 The security situation in Kisangani was relatively calm this past week, but nevertheless various incidents were reported. WFP is now assisting close to 30,000 beneficiaries in the area. WFP Kisangani is operating in seven different locations, reaching as far as Mbandaka.
2. REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE)
2.1 Fighting once again erupted in Brazzaville and shooting could be heard across the river in Kinshasa. Some shells landed in Kinshasa and troops in this city have responded to the fire. The recent upsurge in the fighting follows the relative calm of a three-week ceasefire, brokered by the President of Gabon, and is causing yet another exodus of the city's population.
2.2 Rwandan refugees in Congo/Brazzaville now number 11,000 people: 5,700 at Loukolela, 2,750 at Ndjoundou, 583 at Liranga and an estimated 2,000 refugees at Bilolo, the designated refugee site before the commencement of the fighting. The number of refugees in the north has recently decreased as refugees leave established camps for neighbouring countries. The three partners involved in the provision of assistance to these refugees, WFP, UNHCR and MSF, are planning to carry out a census in the camps. Another 5,000 refugees presently in Mbandaka, in northern DR Congo, may also be transferred to Loukolela before repatriation to Rwanda.
2.3 Between 27 July and 10 August WFP delivered 85 metric tons of food for distribution to these refugees. Some refugees are selling their food rations to purchase other essential items. Many refugees are without plastic sheeting, blankets and kitchen utensils. These items are not being supplied because of the expected repatriation of the refugees, requested by the authorities of Congo/Brazzaville, which they have specified is to be competed by the end of September.
D. AFGHANISTAN
1. UPDATE
1.1 The general situation in Kabul has greatly deteriorated and heavy fighting outside the city has intensified for the past three weeks, between the Northern Alliance and the Taliban. However, there is no sign of either party gaining ground.
1.2 The border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan remains closed. Due to this border closure, the price of fuel has sky-rocketed, and commercial transporters are now charging ten times the rate they were charging previously. This situation has affected WFP operations.
1.3 The recent FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment mission to Afghanistan has concluded that food aid requirements remain, in spite of a good 1997 cereal production, which is estimated at 3.66 million metric tons. This is 18 percent higher than the 1996 harvest of 3.10 million tons and the biggest since the year before the outbreak of hostilities in 1978. Improved security in the southern part of the country, sufficient rains and relatively little pest damage favoured agricultural production but fighting in the north could still disrupt harvesting.
1.4 Food aid needs: The report of the Mission states that an estimated 1.75 million Afghans require assistance. Those in need include internally displaced persons, returnees, households headed by women, the sick and the elderly, the unemployed and orphans. As the pressure on urban centres is great, the Mission recommends that assistance be increasingly and gradually shifted to rural areas to facilitate self-reliant reintegration and resettlement of communities.
1.5 Relief assistance to the war affected will serve as income transfer until purchasing power is revived, to guarantee a basic minimum nutritional intake. The Mission recommends that rehabilitation assistance through food for work in rural and urban areas should include, provided there is equal participation and results for both men and women: a) support for food production - food for seeds, rehabilitation of irrigation networks and drainage, agricultural land rehabilitation, flood control and agro-forestry; b) support for reintegration and resettlement of communities - rehabilitation of health delivery systems, rehabilitation of schools where boys and girls have equal access, repair of essential farm to market roads, and shelter reconstruction assistance; and c) human resource rehabilitation through vocational training in marketable skills and support for income generating activities.
1.6 For the 1997/98 year, it is currently estimated that 170,000 metric tons of food aid will be required (including 150,000 metric tons of cereals). Of this amount, WFP is expected to supply 140,000 metric tons (similar to last year), ICRC, 20,000 metric tons and the remainder will be from other donors. Requirements will be adjusted as necessary in response to changes in the overall food situation over the coming year.
E. GENERAL
1. SUMMARY OF THE RESOURCING SITUATION FOR SELECTED WFP EMERGENCY AND PROTRACTED RELIEF OPERATIONS
1.1 Donor response to WFP emergency and protracted relief operations has been very generous thus far in 1997, but certain operations face resourcing problems. Among the relief operations which are not fully resourced, the operations below are of significant concern to WFP. In the following lists, operations are given priority based on the urgency of resourcing needs. Figures are as of 12 August 1997. For each country, details are given for the tonnage still required, value, and a percentage showing shortfall compared to adjusted net 1997 needs:
1.2 Current highest priority Emergency Operations (EMOPs) Laos 23,530 mt US$ 11.7 mill. 78 % shortfall Mozambique 12,520 mt US$ 4.7 mill. 100 % shortfall (New EMOP) Iraq 34,200 mt US$ 32 mill. 93 % shortfall
Other priority EMOPs: Former Yugo. 21,100 mt US$ 12.9 mill. 22 % shortfall Armenia 6,400 mt US$ 3 mill. 64 % shortfall DPR Korea 32,900 mt US$ 14 mill. 10 % shortfall
Note: There has been very positive donor response to DPR Korea, however the food needs of the country are of such a magnitude that the operation, despite being almost fully resourced, is still a priority for WFP.
1.3 Current highest priority Protracted Relief Operations (PROs) Angola 17,200 mt US$ 11.9 mill. 26 % shortfall Cambodia 17,830 mt US$ 9 mill. 55 % shortfall Iran 8,730 mt US$ 3.4 mill. 45 % shortfall Djibouti 4,100 mt US$ 3.7 mill. 100 % shortfall (New PRO) Sierra Leone 15,870 mt US$ 10.8 mill. 66 % shortfall
Other priority PROs: Mali Regional 2,460 mt US$ 2.1 mill. 25 % shortfall
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