Report No. 35 of 1997 Date: 29 August 1997This report includes: A) West Africa: Sahel region B) East Africa: Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda C) Central Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) D) Iraq E) Afghanistan F) Laos.
>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 1997: 6513 replaced 5228 in all WFP telephone and fax numbers (Main fax numbers remain the same: 39 6 59602111 and 59602348).
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS (Details below in Part II)
A. WEST AFRICA: SAHEL
1. Sahel drought update a) WFP food distributions continue to some 200,000 beneficiaries affected by drought in Mauritania. b) Coming harvest expected to be below average in western Sahelian countries of Mauritania, Senegal and the Gambia, but situation in eastern Sahelian countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger expected to be favourable. Current cereal supply in Chad and Niger reported as adequate.
B. EAST AFRICA: RWANDA, BURUNDI, TANZANIA AND UGANDA
1. Rwanda a) In attack on Mudende camp in north-western Gisenyi on 22 August, 148 Congolese refugees killed. b) Escalating insecurity in Gisenyi leads to closure of Gisenyi-Kibuye and Gisenyi-Ruhengeri roads, affecting supply of relief food in the prefecture.
2. Burundi a) WFP distribution of reinstallation rations started to the first group of displaced persons from Ruhinga camp.
3. Tanzania a) Refugee operations: situation in Burundian refugee camps stable, in spite of some tension in Kigoma and Ngara camps. Tripartite agreement endorsing repatriation of Congolese refugees in Tanzania signed. b) Drought situation: official statement relating to food deficit and imminent food shortages expected soon; Prime Minister speaks of 14 regions facing food shortages and total import needs of 916,000 tons of grain.
4. Uganda a) Insecurity continues to affect Gulu-Adjumani route.
C. CENTRAL AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE)
1. Update a) Clashes in Brazzaville intensify and fighting spreads to more areas; however, repatriation of Rwandan refugees is still possible. b) Flow of refugees from Congo/Brazzaville to Kinkole camp, Kinshasa, increases. c) Distribution of WFP maize to displaced persons in Pointe-Noire in Congo/Brazzaville to start soon. d) Airlift of 280 metric tons of seed from Lubumbashi to Bukavu begins.
D. IRAQ
1. Update a) Delivery to Iraq of food purchased under SCR 986 is slow, but August rations will include all planned commodities. b) WFP continues targeted emergency feeding operation to cover needs which cannot be met by SCR 986 ration. Caseload in northern autonomous governorates adjusted to 275,000 beneficiaries, the majority of whom are malnourished children.
E. AFGHANISTAN
1. Update a) Government of Uzbekistan agrees to transportation of WFP commodities by barge from Termez into Haireton. b) Tajik refugees in Kunduz province receive food until they repatriate. c) WFP and UNHCR undertake rapid assessment of war-displaced populations along the Salang highway to Charikar and Kapisa. d) Prices of essential commodities rise in Badakshan province as access routes cut. WFP supplies wheat to provincial capital from Ishkeshem on border with Tajikistan. e) Serious food shortages reported in central province of Bamyan. WFP receives permission from Taliban to dispatch food from Peshawar to Bamyan through Ghazni.
F. LAOS
1. Update a) Third tranche of 5,000 metric tons of glutinous rice for flood victims is covered by WFP Immediate Response Account (IRA), as only 6,710 metric tons of total requirement of 30,240 metric tons pledged by donors. b) Rice will be distributed in flood-affected provinces by WFP's NGO partners, which include World Vision, CARE, ADRA and CAA
PART II - DETAILS
A. WEST AFRICA: SAHEL REGION (MAURITANIA, SENEGAL, THE GAMBIA, BURKINA FASO, CHAD, MALI AND NIGER)
1. SAHEL DROUGHT UPDATE
1.1 WFP continues emergency food distribution of 14,400 metric tons of cereals to some 200,000 beneficiaries affected by drought in Mauritania. Due to difficulties in resourcing the operation and delays in delivery of commodities, the first distributions under the emergency operation only started on 28 July. This operation will be extended for an additional month, until mid-October, to coincide with the harvest. The operation is now fully resourced.
1.2 Meanwhile, the forecast for the next harvest is expected to be below average for crops in the western Sahelian countries of Mauritania, Senegal and the Gambia. According to GIEWS (FAO Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture), the dry spell which started in mid-July in Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania, has continued through mid-August over most parts of the centre and the north of Senegal and over western Mauritania. A series of government missions are being scheduled to assess crop conditions and provide indications on possible needs for assistance.
1.3 The situation in the eastern Sahelian countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger, however, is expected to be favourable, with the possibility of a cereal harvest superior to that of last year in both Niger and Chad. Harvests are anticipated to be equal to that of last year in Mali and Burkina Faso. Currently the cereal supply situation in both Chad and Niger is reported as adequate, contrary to reports of famine, in this traditional lean season prior to the October/November harvest. WFP emergency assistance to 356,000 beneficiaries in the Sahelian areas of Kanem and Biltine in Chad was completed in mid-August.
B. EAST AFRICA: RWANDA, BURUNDI, TANZANIA AND UGANDA
1. 1. RWANDA
1.1 An overnight attack on 22 August on Mudende camp in north-western Gisenyi in Rwanda resulted in the slaying of 148 Congolese refugees. During the attack, a number of assailants were also killed. The refugees, mostly Congolese Tutsis, had fled ethnic fighting in the former Zaire and had recently relocated to Mudende in order to be near home. Half of the camp population of 8,000 refugees left Mudende after the attack. In total, there are around 15,000 Congolese refugees still in Rwanda.
1.2 As a result of escalating insecurity in Gisenyi, the roads Gisenyi-Kibuye and Gisenyi-Ruhengeri have been closed to traffic. This has resulted in delays in the supply of food to more than 3,000 refugees in the prefecture. Food deliveries to displaced persons in this area were almost completed when roads closed.
1.3 Additional contributions in seeds and tools are required for distribution to selected households that lack purchasing power. Out of over 5,000 metric tons of various seeds required, pledges to date from World Vision, Food for the Hungry International, European Union and FAO cover less than 50 percent of the requirements. Only 16 percent of the estimated requirements for tools have been pledged, with a shortfall of over 700,000 units.
2. BURUNDI
2.1 WFP has started the distribution of reinstallation 90-day food ration packages to the first group of 1,903 displaced persons returning home from Ruhinga camp. Hoes and bean and vegetable seeds were also provided. All reinstallation packages are being distributed at sites near the beneficiaries hills of origin.
2.2 In addition to an assessment mission to Nyanza Lac in Makamba province, WFP last week conducted an assessment at the Rwegura site in Kayanza, which accommodates a population of close to 3,000 people, who are without access to land for cultivation and are living in appalling health and sanitary conditions. The average daily food availability for this population is far below the required minimum of 1,900 Kcal. WFP carried out an immediate 30-day ration food distribution. In total, between 18 and 24 August, WFP distributed food commodities to 180,396 beneficiaries in Burundi.
3. TANZANIA
3.1 Refugee situation:
a) A tripartite agreement officially endorsing the commencement of the repatriation of Congolese refugees in Tanzania was signed on 20 August by the Governments of DR Congo and Tanzania and the UNHCR. The 28-member delegation then proceeded to Kigoma to brief the refugees on this agreement. The head of the DR Congo delegation assured the refugees that they will be welcome by the new Government and that the country is stable and security assured. Registration for repatriation has stepped up with 3,834 refugees registered in Lugufu and 11,854 in Nyarugusu.
b) The situation in Burundian refugee camps remained stable during the week, despite some tension in the Kigoma and Ngara camps. Meeting with the refugees in Kasulu camp, Tanzanian authorities again stressed that their safety is assured and that any repatriation will be voluntary. >From 18 to 24 August, 360 new arrivals were registered at Mtabila camp and another 170 Burundians arrived at Nduta. During the same period 227 Burundian refugees and 162 Rwandans spontaneously returned home from Ngara.
3.2 Drought situation: Following the submission of the Crop and Food Assessment mission report to the Government, an official statement related to the country's food deficit and imminent food shortages is expected. The Tanzanian Prime Minister has already stated that 14 Regions are facing food shortages and that total imports of some 916,000 tons of grain (including commercial imports) are required to avert famine.
4. UGANDA
4.1 Between 18-24 August some 79,000 displaced persons in Gulu and Kitgum districts received WFP food. Gulu holds 144,000 displaced persons and in Kitgum, following a recent verification exercise, the displaced population now stands at 61,000 people. There are another 70,000 displaced in Bundibugyo, bringing the total displaced population in Uganda receiving WFP food assistance to over 270,000 persons. WFP is also feeding 28,000 Rwandan and Congolese refugees in south-western parts of the country, 175,000 Sudanese refugees in north-western areas and some 30,000 drought-affected people in eastern districts. A total of 2,313 metric tons of WFP food were despatched from Kampala during the period 18-24 August.
4.2 Due to prevailing insecurity, traffic along the Gulu-Adjumani route remains problematic, with many transporters reluctant to travel to Pakelle.
C. CENTRAL AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE)
1. UPDATE
1.1 Clashes in Brazzaville intensified during the week and fighting has now spread to other areas. Despite this unstable situation, the provision of assistance and the repatriation of the Rwandan refugees continued. Between 6 July and 24 August, UNHCR flew 1,823 refugees back to Rwanda. Some refugees have, however, left the camps in view of the worsening security situation.
1.2 The number of refugees from Congo/Brazzaville in Kinkole camp, Kinshasa, had increased to 6,570 as at 23 August. The influx of refugees averaged 300 persons per day, but reached 705 refugees on 19 August.
1.3 WFP Kinshasa distributed 340 metric tons of food commodities from 18 to 24 August. This includes food allocated to new activities being implemented in Lubumbashi and to refugees in Loukulela and Kinkole camps. A programme for the distribution of 1,500 metric tons of WFP maize to benefit displaced persons is due to start soon in Pointe-Noire, the major economic centre in Congo/Brazzaville.
1.4 The operation to airlift 280 metric tons of seed from Lubumbashi into Bukavu has started on 26 August. WFP has chartered a C-130 for this operation with a total of 16 flights expected to be carried out. The maize, bean and soya seeds are destined to 15,000 families recently arrived in the Kivu region and were purchased by a consortium of non-governmental organizations.
D. IRAQ
1. UPDATE
1.1 Food and related commodities provided under Security Council Resolution 986 continued to arrive over recent weeks through various entry points, and were dispatched to all 18 governorates in the country. Although commodities are arriving slowly and stock positions are low, distributions will include a full basket for the August monthly ration. A total of 1,503,000 metric tons of food and related commodities have arrived in Iraq since inception of the oil-for-food agreement.
1.2 Further to endorsement of the new distribution plan on 4 August, under the second six-month phase of the oil-for-food agreement (8 June-8 Dec 1997) Iraq has submitted 27 oil-export contracts, of which 21 have been approved so far by UN overseers. The 27 contracts are valued at USD 1.9 billion and amount to 114.4 million barrels of oil.
1.3 In parallel to the oil-for-food agreement, WFP is continuing its targeted emergency feeding operation, which provides assistance to vulnerable groups whose special nutritional requirements cannot be met by the SCR 986 ration. A thorough review of the emergency operation in the three northern autonomous governorates has just been carried out, and new selection criteria and caseloads have been established. According to initial plans, the beneficiary caseload in those three governorates was expected to be scaled down from 666,000 to 91,000 as of 1 August. However, in line with SCR 986 supply performance and widespread malnutrition amongst vulnerable groups such as children, the caseload has been adjusted to 275,000 beneficiaries. The largest portion of the increase relates to malnourished children.
E. AFGHANISTAN
1. UPDATE
1.1 Security situation
a) Mazar: On August 21, the press reported street fighting in Mazar-i-Sharif between troops of deposed General Dostam and those of General Malik. The fighting ended quickly; casualty figures are unknown.
b) Kabul and Bamyan: Prime Minister designate for the northern alliance, Abdur Rahim Ghafoorzai, died along with thirteen others when their plane overshot the runway at Bamyan airport on 21 August. This news followed the bombing of Kabul airport and Kabul city on the 20 and 21 August and the advancement of Masood's troops closer to Kabul. The death of Ghafoorzai, the Pashtun former representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, is seen as a set back to the opposition force of the northern alliance.
1.2 A WFP mission has been assessing possible solutions for current high transport rates caused by the closure of the northern border with Uzbekistan at Friendship bridge over the Amu Darya (Oxus River). However, the government of Uzbekistan agreed to the transportation of WFP commodities by barge from Termez into Haireton, beginning 14 August. Up to 26 August, over 1,874 metric tons of wheat and vegetable oil had been conveyed, of a planned total of 1,950 metric tons.
1.3 Assisted to 6,000 Tajik refugees in Kunduz province will be provided for a period of one month, initially, to tide them over until they repatriate. Repatriation is expected to be completed next year. So far, 1,500 Tajiks have returned home.
1.4 In mid-August, WFP and UNHCR undertook a rapid assessment via the Salang highway to Charikar and Kapisa, in view of high levels of displacement in the area due to fighting. While these provinces are close to Kabul, they are presently inaccessible from the capital and can therefore be reached only via the longer route north. A report on the situation is expected soon.
1.5 Access routes into Badakshan province are now cut off, resulting in a sharp increase in the prices of essential commodities in the province. WFP is moving 706 metric tons of wheat from Ishkeshem on the border of eastern Badakshan and Tajikistan into Faizabad, the provincial capital.
1.6 WFP has received reports of serious food insecurity in the central province of Bamyan, a traditional food deficit area. Bamyan has been inaccessible from the south for some time and the northern route has now been cut off due to fighting. WFP has deployed an international staff member to this area and has obtained permission from the Taliban to dispatch convoys from Peshawar to Bamyan through Ghazni. Two transporters have been contracted to deliver nine convoys with 2,600 tons of food aid.
F. LAOS
1. UPDATE
1.1 A third tranche of glutinous rice (5,000 tons) for flood victims in Lao PDR will be arriving starting on 1 September, with trucks and ferry boats bringing the rice from Thailand to the ports of Pakse, Savannakhet and Thakek. NGO partners, including World Vision, CARE, ADRA and CAA, will distribute the rice to needy families in flood-affected provinces in the southern and central parts of the country.
1.2 WFP had expected to help the Lao families by supplying them with food for the six-month agricultural season from May to November, thus allowing them to devote full attention to 1997 rice cultivation in order to avert disaster next year. However, of the requested 30,240 metric tons needed to assist the 420,000 people who lost their entire crop in last year's flooding, only 6,710 metric tons have been pledged by donors.
1.3 Due to the shortfall in contributions, the present tranche of 5,000 tons of rice is being purchased with funds from the WFP Immediate Response Account (IRA). This account is only meant to provide up front resourcing of emergency operations pending contributions from the donor community.
1.4 With the continuation of potentially destructive rains that began last month, rice prices have continued to rise, and delivering the food to needy families becomes more and more difficult.
1.5 WFP is also working with the Government to design a small-scale food-for-work development project to address relief/rehabilitation issues in the most severely affected areas.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 35 of 1997 - August 29, 1997)
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