Report No. 03 of 1998 Date: 16 January 1998This report includes: A) East Africa I: Floods - Somalia and Kenya B) East Africa II: Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda C) Central Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo D) Afghanistan.
>From Manuel Aranda da Silva, Chief, Technical Support Service. Available on the Internet on the WFP Home Page at http://www.wfp.org/ or by electronic mail from Deborah.Hicks@wfp.org (fax 39 6 6513 2837). For information on resources, donors are requested to contact Francesco.Strippoli@wfp.org or Aleesa.Blum@wfp.org at WFP Rome, telephone 39 6 6513 2504 or 6513 2004.
As of 19 January 1998, the new address of WFP will be Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, Parco dei Medici, Rome 00148. Telephone and fax numbers will remain the same. Temporary interruption to communications expected beginning mid-day, 16 January.
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS (Details below in Part II)
A. EAST AFRICA I: FLOODS - SOMALIA AND KENYA
1. Update
a) Heavy rain delays receding of flood waters in Somalia and worsens situation Kenya. b) Additional donor funding urgently needed for WFP air operations in both Somalia and Kenya. c) Extraordinarily heavy rain in Kenya since 10 January exacerbates food situation in the districts of Tana River, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Isiolo and Marsabit. d) Food supplies of some 300,000 people in north-eastern Kenya are threatened; level of human and livestock sickness and deaths increases; further major road, bridge and other infrastructure damage. e) UN air operations in Kenya run by WFP need to be extended for a further two months and additional food required; further appeal to be made to donors next week. f) Rain severs road link between Nairobi and WFP air operations base at Garissa, used for both Kenya flood and Somalia flood relief operations.
B. EAST AFRICA II: BURUNDI, RWANDA, TANZANIA AND UGANDA
1. Rwanda
a) Lean season food distributions completed in Butare. Increased requests received for food assistance for displaced Rwandans in north-western prefectures. b) WFP food assistance continues to various refugee camps in Rwanda, including new camp in Byumba accommodating Congolese refugees transferred from Mudende. c) Floods continue to interrupt food deliveries along southern transport corridor from Dar es Salaam; WFP food stocks in Kigali central warehouse reach their lowest level in more than a year.
2. Burundi
a) Tension high in Bujumbura. Route between Bujumbura city and Bugarama open only one to two hours daily for convoys. b) Populations displaced by recent rebel attacks in Bujumbura Rural return to home areas. c) Food dispatched from Kampala, but stocks in Burundi remain extremely low; food distributed only to priority projects. Additional food deliveries expected in coming days.
3. Tanzania
a) Further disruption of food deliveries by worsening of road conditions in Kigoma and Ngara. Rains also affect major roads including Dar es Salaam/Dodoma road.
4. Uganda
a) Over 700 refugees from Rwanda have arrived in camps in western Uganda since beginning of the year; number includes Congolese refugees initially in camps in Rwanda.
C. CENTRAL AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
1. Update
a) WFP airlifts food to Kisangani for distribution to flood-affected persons.
D. AFGHANISTAN
1. Update
a) Discussions with the Taliban on resumption of airlift to Bamyan continue. b) Relief operations in Panjao, Lal and Waras end as areas become inaccessible due to snowfall. Stranded WFP staff evacuated. Operations continue in Yakawlang; assessment made by horseback in areas inaccessible by road. c) Weather in entire region deteriorating; route from Yakawlang to Bamyan currently passable only by heavy six-ton trucks.
PART II - DETAILS
A. EAST AFRICA I: FLOODS - SOMALIA AND KENYA
1. GENERAL
1.1 As rain is continuing to hit the region, the flood waters in Somalia have not receded and the situation is worsening in Kenya. A severe cash shortage is being faced by the WFP air operations, operations which are needed in both Somalia and Kenya to deliver urgently needed food aid to people in areas cut off by the floods. This shortfall in donor funding is threatening the continuation of the air operations at a very critical stage.
2. SOMALIA
2.1 With the continued flood situation in Somalia, food needs of the affected population remain acute. Estimated current food needs to March will be covered by carried-over stocks from the on-going Somalia emergency operation, as long as the arrival of donor commitments now in the pipeline are not delayed. However, WFP does not have stocks to sustain the programme beyond March, and it is important that donors come forward with food contributions to cover further requirements of approximately 7,000 metric tons to cover needs until July 1998.
3. KENYA - information as of late 15 January
3.1 Much of Kenya has received extraordinarily heavy rain since 10 January continuing through to the present time (late 15 January). Many locations have received several times their long-term mean January rainfall already in the month to date.
3.2 The rainfall is exacerbating the poor food supply situation in several districts including Tana River, Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Isiolo and Marsabit which in late December had just begun the long process of recovery from the effects of severe drought (April 1996 to March 1997) and flooding (since mid-October 1997).
3.3 Whereas it had been assumed that given the normal dry seasonal conditions from mid-December onwards, there would have been a substantial return to normality by early February, this optimism now appears to be unfounded. Stranded communities will continue to be unreachable by road until March at the earliest, and in the case of centres like Wajir, rather longer.
3.4 Evidence from a WFP-led assessment to north-eastern Kenya on 13-14 January suggests that the level of human and livestock sickness and deaths, together with major road, bridge and other infrastructure damage, continues to increase. The food supplies of at least 300,000 people are severely threatened.
3.5 One conclusion which can be drawn from the deteriorating situation is that the UN air operations being run by WFP will have to be extended for a further two months. Additional food will also be required. Estimates of these incremental needs are currently being made and a further appeal is expected to be made to donors next week. At the same time, donors and UN agencies continue to urge the Government of Kenya to increase its flood relief efforts now that the Kenyan electoral process is complete.
3.6 One particularly serious consequence of the recent rains is that the road link between Nairobi and the WFP Garissa air operations base has been severed. Garissa has been serving the Kenya flood and Somalia flood emergencies, and is the base from which most of the food and other supplies for the 125,000 stranded refugees at Dadaab camp are despatched. At the time of reporting it is no longer possible for stocks of food and aviation fuel to be trucked by WFP to Garissa.
B. EAST AFRICA II: RWANDA, BURUNDI, TANZANIA AND UGANDA
1. RWANDA
1.1 During the last week of December, WFP distributed 2,560 metric tons of food in Rwanda, reaching 182,000 persons. During the first week of January, 1,375 metric tons of food were distributed to 98,000 individuals.
1.2 Lean season food distributions have now been completed in Butare. In total, close to 155,000 needy persons received WFP monthly food rations in the prefectures of Gikongoro and Butare. WFP is receiving increasing requests for food assistance to displaced Rwandans in north-western prefectures. These requests are being reviewed together with local authorities and the National Food Committee.
1.3 WFP continues to provide food assistance to the various refugee camps established in Rwanda, including the new camp in Byumba which accommodates the Congolese refugees transferred from Mudende.
1.4 Food deliveries along the southern transport corridor from Dar es Salaam remain interrupted due to floods which have cut off roads and rail lines. As a consequence, WFP food stocks in Kigali central warehouse have reached their lowest level in more than a year.
2. BURUNDI
2.1 Tension remains high in Bujumbura and gunfire and explosions can be heard daily from the hills surrounding the city. Route Nationale 1 between Bujumbura city and Bugarama is closed, except for one or two hours each day when convoys are allowed to proceed.
2.2 The populations displaced by recent rebel attacks in Bujumbura Rural have now returned to home areas. This was confirmed during a joint assessment mission of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations. The planned WFP food distribution for 7,000 displaced persons was ultimately carried out in Rukaramu, one of the villages attacked.
2.3 Despite recent food dispatches from Kampala, stocks in Burundi remain extremely low and food commodities are only being distributed to priority projects. WFP is reallocating commodities from Rwanda and additional food deliveries are expected in the coming days.
3. TANZANIA
3.1 Road conditions in Kigoma and Ngara continue to worsen, disrupting food deliveries to WFP delivery points and refugee camps. Several trucks are reported to be stranded in critical spots along the roads. The rains have also affected major roads such as the Dar es Salaam/Dodoma road.
3.2 In Kibondo district, authorities continue to apprehend refugees found living in the villages. These refugees are being returned to the camps. New refugees from Burundi are still arriving from the border. In total, 675 refugees were received in Kibondo camps from 5 to 11 January.
3.3 A workshop on improving household targeting and monitoring is being organized by Oxfam and funded by WFP. The workshop will be held in Dodoma on 21-22 January and will include participants from various levels of the Government, non-governmental organizations and WFP food aid monitors.
4. UGANDA
4.1 Since the beginning of January, over 700 refugees have arrived in camps in western Uganda, fleeing insecurity in Rwanda. Some of these refugees are Congolese who were initially in camps in Rwanda and have now crossed into Uganda. There are presently 30,000 Congolese and Rwandan refugees in camps in Uganda.
4.2 A joint mission of WFP/UNHCR and implementing partners is currently visiting Rhino Camp and Imvepi, settlements for Sudanese refugees in the West Nile region, to assess crop yields within the settlements. A total of 42,000 Sudanese refugees live in these two settlements and another 120,000 in other camps and settlements in northern Uganda.
C. CENTRAL AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
1. UPDATE
1.1 During the past week, WFP airlifted 16 metric tons of food to Kisangani for distribution to persons affected by flooding. In total, WFP will provide 168 metric tons of food commodities to the area, during a period of one month. Caritas is the implementing partner for this assistance programme.
1.2 Between 5 and 11 January 2,149 Congolese refugees were repatriated from Kigoma to Uvira, under the ongoing UNHCR-organized repatriation programme. These refugees are provided with WFP return food packages. During the same period, another 113 spontaneous returnees were registered in Uvira.
D. AFGHANISTAN
1. UPDATE - information as of 14 January.
1.1 A protest was delivered to the Taliban authorities by a UN mission to Kandahar on 3 January, regarding the bombings of Bamyan air field on 31 December 1997 and 1 January 1998; WFP airlift to the area at the time had been with the permission of the Taliban.
1.2 The Taliban have not given necessary guarantees of safety for the airlift to resume. The UN Coordinator is scheduled this week to undertake further discussions with the Taliban in Kabul, Bamyan and Kandahar.
1.3 Permission obtained from the Taliban to fly to Bamyan to make repairs to the Antinov which remains on the ground in Bamyan, but planned flight of the other Antinov to Bamyan for this purpose was cancelled due to bad weather. A permitted flight of the UNOCHA plane to Bamyan on 14 January was cancelled for the same reason.
1.4 Of a total target of 8,600 tons of food (mainly potatoes) to be distributed in Bamyan, 6,400 tons have been procured and received, and approximately 5,800 tons have been distributed. So far, 132,000 persons have been reached, most with rations for two to three months. In addition, 1,660 persons are being fed in hospitals and schools in Bamyan, Yakawlang and Panjao.
1.5 Operations in Panjao, Lal and Waras have now stopped since these areas are completely inaccessible due to snowfall. Stranded WFP staff in these locations were finally evacuated, some of them walking through the high passes when their vehicles became stuck. All staff are currently in either Yakawlang or Bamyan. Operations are continuing in Yakawlang, where an eighteen-member team has been dispatched on horseback to identify vulnerable families in the district who cannot be reached by road. It is expected that distribution for up to 2,000 families may be necessary in those areas, depending on the findings of the assessment mission.
1.6 With the winding down of the first phase of the operation, further distribution is not planned unless areas which are accessible are identified. The strategy from now until the reopening of the area when the snows melt is to build up stocks via supply from the north. WFP hopes to pre-position a total of 2,500 tons of wheat by March/April, of which 1,500 tons will be stored in Bamyan and 1,000 tons in Yakawlang. Continued intransigence on the part of local commanders along the route means that the supply of wheat from the north is progressing very slowly.
1.7 An attempted assessment mission from Bamyan to Jaghori and Malistan districts of Ghazni province, where WFP has received reports that residents are suffering from food shortages due to the Taliban blockade, proved impossible due to the closure of roads on account of snowfall.
1.8 Three WFP international staff remain in Yakawlang for the time being, assisted by local staff. Bamyan is currently being staffed by local WFP personnel until international staff from Bamyan and from Islamabad re-locate there. The weather in the entire region is deteriorating and heavy snowfall is being received in Bamyan and Yakawlang. The route from Yakawlang to Bamyan is currently passable only on heavy six-ton trucks.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 03 of 1998 - January 16, 1998)
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