Report No. 08 of 1998 Date: 20 February 1998This report includes: A) Afghanistan B) Iraq C) Sierra Leone D) East and Central Africa: Regional Transport Corridors, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo E) Papua New Guinea.
>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. New address of WFP is Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, Parco dei Medici, Rome 00148.
Note: some information in the following report has been updated as of 23 February 1998
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS (Details below in Part II)
A. AFGHANISTAN
1. Update - information as of 23 February a) Emergency operations for quake victims in Rustaq area of Takhar Province continue to be hampered by snow and poor visibility. b) ICRC airdrop delivers blankets, tarpaulins, cooking sets and soap; ICRC helicopter is used to deliver relief supplies to remote villages. c) UN to charter Antinov 12 for airlift operation to complement ICRC airdrop. d) WFP food has arrived in affected area by road from Faizabad and Tajikistan. e) Heavy rains in Kandahar and surrounding areas in southern Afghanistan reported to have resulted in extensive flooding.
B. IRAQ
1. Update - information as of 23 February a) UN Secretary-General reaches agreement with Iraqi Government, allowing UN arms inspectors access to presidential palaces. b) WFP observation activities temporarily suspended in the centre and south, but continued in the north as usual. c) UN Security Council votes unanimously to increase amount of oil that Iraq is allowed to sell, from USD 2.14 billion to USD 5.256 billion over a six month period.
C. SIERRA LEONE
1. Update - information as of 23 February a) WFP-chartered M/V Hollgan Star, carrying 760 metric tons of food arrives in Freetown; food to be distributed by the ICRC. Consignment is expected to feed 70,000 targeted beneficiaries for one month. b) Freetown calm, but insecurity continues outside of Freetown; cross-border operations from Guinea not possible, but Liberia-Kenema possibility being checked. c) WFP is considering an airlift operation from either Monrovia or Conakry to Bo and Kenema.
D. EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: UPDATE ON TRANSPORT CORRIDORS, RWANDA, BURUNDI, TANZANIA, UGANDA AND DR CONGO
1. Update a) Details given in Part II below on current condition of rail and road routes used by WFP in the Great Lakes region. b) Rwanda: IFRC reports 10,000 families displaced in the prefecture of Gisenyi and in need of food assistance. Report of the FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission to Rwanda released. c) Burundi: UNHCR announces tripartite commission (UNHCR and government representatives from Tanzania and Burundi) to study issue of voluntary repatriation of Burundian refugees from the camps in Tanzania. d) Tanzania: persistent logistics constraints prevent continued provision of full rations. Food distribution cycle for refugee programme to be reduced from two weeks to one week, and cereal and pulses ration to be reduced by 50 percent. e) Uganda: security deteriorates in Kitgum district; number of displaced persons increases, as insecurity continues to affect both Gulu and Kitgum. f) Democratic Republic of Congo: WFP to provide food assistance to 3,500 youngsters, former combatants, who are being moved from cholera-infested Kapalata camp to new site in Kisangani. Extra WFP food stocks being moved to Uvira to cover needs of increasing number of Congolese returnees arriving in the area.
E. PAPUA NEW GUINEA
1. Special operation approved a) WFP fields relief management advisory team to Papua New Guinea for initial two month period, to support the Government's emergency response to widespread drought and effects of frost at higher elevations.
PART II - DETAILS
A. AFGHANISTAN
1. UPDATE - TAKHAR EARTHQUAKE - information as of 23 February
1.1 The emergency relief operation to assist quake victims in the Rustaq area of Afghanistan's Takhar Province is being hampered once again by snow and poor visibility, conditions which are normal for this time of year. Due to the poor weather, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Sergio Viera de Mello, currently on mission in Afghanistan, was stranded for two days in Faizabad in Badakshan province, which neighbors Takhar on the east.
1.2 Support to quake victims has been pouring in via various UN agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), non-governmental organizations and governments. Complete data on quantities and types of assistance is still being compiled by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), which is in charge of coordinating the operation. Food contributions include WFP's planned 1,500 tons of food, tea from the Government of India and milk powder from the Government of Russia. Needed non-food items such as tents, blankets, clothing, plastic sheeting and medicines have been donated by a variety of sources. Cash and in-kind contributions, including WFP food, estimated to amount to some USD 3.6 million.
1.3 The ICRC airdrop became operational on 19 February. Using a Hercules C-130 plane, ICRC dropped thirteen tons of blankets, tarpaulins, cooking sets and soap near Rustaq. ICRC also has a helicopter available for shuttling staff between Rustaq and Khojaghar and for delivering relief supplies to remote villages. The Pakistan Air Force is reported to have made two airdrops of ten tons of blankets and tents. Eighteen tons of relief supplies from Jordan were sent to the area on 21 February.
1.4 The UN is chartering an Antinov 12 for an airlift operation to complement the airdrop, for which UNOCHA has received close to one million dollars in pledges. The aircraft will be used to transport items that cannot be dropped, such as food in bulk, a mobile storage unit (Rubb Hall), vehicles, generators and medicines. The airlift will move between 350 to 500 tons of WFP food supplies from Peshawar stocks.
1.5 So far, WFP has delivered 70 tons of wheat to the Rustaq area from Faizabad. The first convoy of wheat flour, pulses, sugar and oil from WFP Tajikistan, comprising 81 tons, arrived on 20 February. The second convoy, carrying 75 tons, has reached the border on the Tajik side of the Amu Darya (Oxus River). A planned third Tajik convoy, carrying 74 tons, has not yet been dispatched. WFP Tajikistan will provide 550 tons of food, after which the supply situation will be reassessed.
1.6 Five teams have been engaged to assess needs in the affected area; a full report is expected soon. These five teams are also involved in distributing food, both in Rustaq and in more remote affected locations.
1.7 An international WFP officer is coordinating assistance in the quake area, supported by two national staff. As soon as the weather clears and flights can resume, WFP Afghanistan is sending further staff members to assist in monitoring food distribution.
2. Kandahar floods
2.1 WFP Islamabad has just received information that indicates that heavy rains in southern Afghanistan in Kandahar and surrounding areas have resulted in extensive flooding. Preliminary indications are that at least 500 families have been seriously affected. WFP and other UN agencies are assessing the situation, but have been hindered by weather conditions.
B. IRAQ
1. UPDATE - information as of 23 February:
1.1 On Sunday, 22 February, the UN Secretary-General reached an agreement with the Iraqi Government which will allow UN arms inspectors access to presidential palaces. The Secretary-General is expected to submit the accord for scrutiny by Security Council members on Tuesday, 24 February.
1.2 Before the arrival of the UN Secretary-General, WFP, along with other UN agencies, temporarily re-located nineteen international staff outside of Iraq. Due to the current situation, observation activities have been temporarily suspended in the centre and south.
1.3 The UN Security Council voted unanimously on 20 February to increase the amount of oil that Iraq is allowed to sell from USD 2.14 billion to USD 5.256 billion over a six month period to purchase humanitarian supplies.
1.4 In the governorates visited in the centre/south, before the temporary suspension of observation activities, WFP observers reported that the distribution of the February ration was almost completed. Food distribution and observation are continuing as usual in the north.
C. SIERRA LEONE
1. UPDATE - information as of 23 February
1.1 The WFP-chartered vessel Hollgan Star, carrying a total of 760 metric tons of food (450 mt bulgur, 159 mt corn-soya blend, 31 mt vegetable oil, 70 mt pulses, 11 mt high-energy biscuits and 25 mt sugar) has arrived in Freetown. Offloading cargo has been difficult as the port was booby-trapped during recent fighting, and facilities have been largely damaged or looted, but offloading was completed on 23 February. Food is being loaded directly onto ICRC trucks for on-forwarding to their compound before distribution, which will take place in and around Freetown in coming days. This consignment is expected to feed 70,000 targeted beneficiaries for one month.
1.2 The vessel took in water on the journey from Monrovia. Damage to cargo is not yet known.
1.3 Continued fighting and overall insecurity outside of Freetown which followed the overthrow of the junta by ECOMOG peacekeeping forces on 12 February, means that cross-border operations from Guinea are not yet possible. However, agencies are investigating the possibility of Liberia-Kenema operations. Meanwhile, there is an urgent need for the provision of a vessel to move food and supplies from Conakry, Guinea, as continued use of the M/V Hollgan Star is no longer feasible. WFP has stocks of 3,200 metric tons in Guinea for on-forwarding to Sierra Leone.
1.4 WFP is also considering an airlift operation from either Monrovia or Conakry to Bo and Kenema, in view of the prevailing insecurity.
1.5 The security situation in Freetown appears to be calm Some shops are open and damage is reportedly not extensive. Electricity, water and some food is available.
D. EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: UPDATE ON TRANSPORT CORRIDORS, RWANDA, BURUNDI, TANZANIA, UGANDA AND DR CONGO
1. UPDATE ON GREAT LAKES TRANSPORT CORRIDORS
1.1 The Dodoma rail route reopened on 13 February, after a four-day closure due to an accident. The movement of WFP cargo from Dar es Salaam through Dodoma proceeds, but well below the target of 1,600 metric tons per week. WFP has now established a logistics office in Dodoma to follow up on the arrival of food trucks from Dar es Salaam and to monitor and streamline the despatch of wagons from Dodoma to Isaka and Kigoma.
1.2 Delays are still being faced along the Mpulungu route through Zambia, but by 22 February a first barge of 250 tons had been loaded and was on its way to Bujumbura. There is no storage space at the Mpulungu port and authorities have advised WFP to install Rubb Hall temporary storage units and provide two tractors, trailers and a forklift for cargo handling. WFP plans to load the food directly from truck to barge. The damaged bridge has meanwhile been repaired.
1.3 Other alternative routes are being explored by WFP for cargo movements along the southern corridor. There is a plan to route deliveries from Dar es Salaam to Arusha, Nairobi, the Tanzania border of Isebania/Tarime up to the lake port of Musoma. From there the food is to be ferried across the lake to Mwanza, for onward delivery to Isaka.
2. RWANDA
2.1 Various security incidents were reported in north-western Rwanda during the week. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reports that there are 10,000 families displaced in the prefecture of Gisenyi who require food assistance.
2.2 The report of the FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission to Rwanda, issued mid-February, indicates that there has been a significant increase in the cultivated area and forecasts food crop production at 2.1 million tons, a 14 percent increase in food crop production over last year's season A. Food production is, however, still 6 percent less than pre-war levels. Furthermore, if the unseasonable rains continue, production estimates may have to be revised downwards.
2.3 The report notes that although Rwanda's food crop productions is on the way to recovery, on a per caput basis, food production is only 80 percent of the 1990 pre-war level, implying that substantial food deficits persist. The Mission forecasts a food aid requirements of 82,000 metric tons of cereals equivalent for the first semester of 1998, of which some 70,000 metric tons are covered by pledges already made or by donor indications given for the same period.
3. BURUNDI
3.1 UNHCR announced that a tripartite commission made up of UNHCR and government representatives from Tanzania and Burundi, will study the mechanisms to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of the Burundian refugees from the camps in Tanzania. Some 270,000 Burundians remain in refugee camps in Tanzania, most of them having arrived since 1993. WFP will closely follow these developments and collaborate with UNHCR to develop a strategy for assisting those repatriating.
3.2 WFP food distributions in Burundi continue to target only the most vulnerable groups, due to low levels of relief food stocks in-country caused by transport constraints. At these reduced levels, current stocks of cereals, oil and salt, and expected arrivals of milk, sugar and CSB, should cover requirements through March, but there will be a shortage of pulses for these priority programmes, as stocks remain blocked in Tanzania.
4. TANZANIA
4.1 Despite the efforts being made to ensure the delivery of food to the 343,000 refugees in camps in Tanzania and to the 1.6 million Tanzanians facing food shortages due to drought conditions and floods, persistent logistics constraints do not allow the continued provision of full rations.
4.2 WFP and UNHCR have agreed on a plan of action concerning the refugee programme, which includes: a reduction in the food distribution cycle, from two weeks to one week; a 50 percent reduction in the cereal and pulses ration with immediate effect, with adjustments to be made according to availability; in case reduced availability of cereals and pulses results in rations lower than 50 percent (1,200 to 1,500 Kcal) for three consecutive weeks, a double ration of blended food will be provided.
4.3 Other measures agreed include sensitization programmes to be carried out in all refugee camps and increasing monitoring activities to identify any impact of the reduced rations on the nutritional and health status of the refugees, particularly among vulnerable groups.
4.4 Contingency plans are also being prepared for a worst-case scenario, in which food commodities would have to be airlifted into the refugee camps, if disruptions in the transport corridors continue.
4.5 An increasing number of Burundian refugees are crossing the border into Tanzania. Between 9 and 15 February, 423 new arrivals were registered in Ngara and Kibondo districts. According to UNHCR, a total of 1,012 Burundian refugees arrived during the month of January.
5. UGANDA
5.1 Security has recently deteriorated in Kitgum district where WFP is assisting over 63,000 displaced Ugandans. During the reporting week, various attacks were reported around and inside Kitgum town, with damage and looting to property and abductions of persons. The rebels have threatened to shoot down any aircraft flying into the area but flights have continued, taking extra precautions.
5.2 Reports received from Gulu and Kitgum continue to indicate increasing numbers of displaced persons, as insecurity continues to affect these two districts. The current caseload is at 402,000 displaced persons, up from a planning figure of 256,000. WFP's operation for assistance to these displaced groups, planned for a period of six months, amounts to 21,000 metric tons of food, of which only 40 percent has been resourced. WFP is presently discussing with the local authorities the need for targeting the available food resources to the neediest groups, and maintaining the distribution of food at half rations. Donors are urged to confirm pledges made to this operation.
6. Democratic Republic of Congo - information updated 23 February
6.1 The Kinkole camp near Kinshasa is being closed by UNHCR, following the successful repatriation of the camp population to Brazzaville. WFP food deliveries to the camp have therefore been discontinued but some 100 refugees who are hospitalized will continue to be provided with food rations until they repatriate.
6.2 WFP has agreed to provide food assistance to 3,500 youngsters, former combatants, who are being moved from the cholera-infested Kapalata camp to a new site in Kisangani. Under this programme, WFP will provide 43 metric tons of mixed food commodities, which are being airlifted to Kisangani.
6.3 Due to logistics bottlenecks, stocks are running low in Uvira and arrangements are being made by WFP to ensure that food commodities are available for distribution to the increasing number of Congolese returnees arriving in the area. A convoy of trucks carrying some 500 tons of food aid for Uvira operations is on its way from Kampala. Burundian refugees continue also to arrive in DR Congo and 235 persons were registered during the week in the Ruzizi Plain. WFP food commodities are also being provided to these refugees.
E. PAPUA NEW GUINEA
1. SPECIAL OPERATION APPROVED
1.1 In response to a request from the Government of Papua New Guinea, WFP on 6 February approved a Special Operation under which WFP will establish a temporary presence in Papua New Guinea with the fielding of a three person Relief Management Advisory Team, initially for two months, February and March. The team consists of a team leader, a programme adviser and a logistics officer. If the situation warrants, and the government so wishes, WFP may extend the mission. The mission will work in close collaboration with the office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator.
1.2 This special operation will strengthen the Government's emergency response mechanisms which are being mobilized in face of the recent widespread drought and the effects of frost at higher elevations. Specifically, the mission will assist the National Disaster Committee, including the National Disaster Emergency Service and the NDC Working Group, in strengthening the Government's emergency response mechanisms.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 08 of 1998 - February 20, 1998)
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