Report No. 16 of 1998 Date: 17 April 1998
This report includes: A) Sudan B) East and Central Africa: Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo/Brazzaville C) General: Resourcing Update.
>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.
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS (Details below in Part II)
A. SUDAN
1. Update a) In Bahr el-Ghazal, number of displaced from Wau arriving in Rumbeck and Yirol counties continues to increase; NGOs report over 28,000 people arrive in Rumbek County and over 14,000 in Yirol County. b) Efforts to decentralize relief activities continue, to avoid concentration of large groups of displaced. c) NGO supplementary feeding programmes expanded to include more children. d) OLS to assess situation in Western Upper Nile when security situation improves. e) In Equatoria Region, SRRA reports food security situation in Lopit Mountains continues to deteriorate. WFP food dispatched by road.
B. EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: RWANDA, BURUNDI, TANZANIA, UGANDA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE)
1. Rwanda a) WFP will make 600-800 tons of food available through food-for-work projects in response to deteriorating situation in Gikongoro. b) Food requested by UNHCR for 1,600 returnees in Nyagatare transit centre, coming from DR Congo. c) Deliveries of food aid to Rwanda improve, but commodities other than cereals needed to balance arrivals. Local purchase of maize and pulses being arranged in Uganda, and of corn-soya blend in Kenya. d) Southern corridor, broken by floods in December, expected to reopen this month, improving supply capacity.
2. Burundi a) Food and non-food items distributed to 16,818 recently displaced persons in Isale Commune, Bujumbura Rural. b) Two hundred Burundian refugees expelled from DR Congo have been moved from Bujumbura to Gatumba transit centre.
3. Tanzania a) Screening exercise on under fives in refugee camps in Kibondo, Kasulu and Ngara, where reduced ration distributed over recent weeks, shows stable nutritional status. b) Voluntary repatriation Burundian refugees from Nduta and Mtendeli camps continues.
4. Uganda a) Security situation in Gulu district relatively stable; incidences of abduction and looting of food by rebels reported at Alero.
5. Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) a) Local authorities in Bukavu do not allow new refugee camp in the eastern provinces of DR Congo. b) Poor road conditions in Baraka area slow movement of Congolese returnees to home areas; since resumption of operation in mid-December, 33,607 Congolese refugees have been repatriated from Tanzania. c) Distributions in Congo/Brazzaville limited due to the continued suspension of railway traffic between Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville.
C. GENERAL
1. Resourcing update a) Details of selected WFP Emergency Operations (EMOPs) with priority resourcing needs are given below. b) Current highest priority EMOPs: Somalia EMOP 5976.00 - flood victims - food shortfall of 3,115 MT; Kenya EMOP 5969.00 - Flood victims - food shortfall of 6,549 MT; (Both Somalia and Kenya EMOPs also face cash shortfalls for air operations); DPR Korea EMOP 5959.00 - Vulnerable groups - shortfall of 415,572 MT; Ethiopia EMOP 5979.00 - Drought operation - shortfall of 57,462 MT; Sudan EMOP 5826.00 - Drought affected and war-displaced - new EMOP requirements of 50,623 MT c) Other priority EMOPs: Rwanda Burundi Regional EMOP 5624.02/3 - New EMOP requirements of 148,419 MT; Ethiopia EMOP 5978.00 - Voluntary repatriation of Somali and Ethiopian refugees - shortfall of 11,154 MT; Central America EMOP 5949.00 - El Nino drought and floods - shortfall of 7,885 MT; Iraq EMOP 5311.06 - Vulnerable groups - shortfall of 60,653 MT.
PART II - DETAILS
A. SUDAN
1. UPDATE - information as of 12 April
1.1 Bahr el-Ghazal
a) The number of Wau displaced arriving in Rumbeck and Yirol Counties continues to increase. Oxfam and SRRA reported that over 28,000 people have arrived in Rumbek County and over 14,000 people have arrived in Yirol County. Other Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) non-governmental organizations operating in three areas have also reported needs for food aid. WFP field teams have visited some of these areas already and food aid interventions via road deliveries are planned for the coming weeks.
b) WFP and other OLS agencies continue to decentralize relief activities, in order to avoid concentration of large groups of beneficiaries. OLS teams also continue to monitor population movements.
c) The number of children admitted into supplementary feeding programs continue to increase. Due to the extent of malnutrition, MSF-B will open new therapeutic feeding centres in locations where they originally provided only supplementary feeding.
1.2 Upper Nile Region: Due to insecurity, many locations in Western Upper Nile are inaccessible. RASS reports displacement throughout Western Upper Nile. OLS agencies will conduct emergency assessments when the security situation improves.
1.3 Equatoria Region: SRRA reported that the food security situation in the Lopit Mountains continues to deteriorate. Populations are moving due to hunger. WFP dispatched road convoys to Lopit on 11 April.
1.4 WFP food distributions: During the week ending 12 April, WFP southern sector distributed 454 tons of food aid, assisting a total of 156,300 beneficiaries. Most of the food aid was distributed in Bahr el-Ghazal. The total for the month of April so far for WFP southern sector deliveries is 641 tons of food aid to 210,000 beneficiaries.
B. EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: RWANDA, BURUNDI, TANZANIA, UGANDA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE)
1. RWANDA
1.1 In response to the deteriorating situation in Gikongoro, a WFP team visited the prefecture to hold discussions with the Prefect and local officials on possible forms of interventions. WFP has planned to make available between 600 and 800 tons of food per month, through food-for-work projects. This assistance is expected to counteract some of the problems in the upcoming lean season.
1.2 WFP has been requested by UNHCR to provide sufficient food to cater for 1,600 returnees in Nyagatare transit centre, coming from DR Congo. Initially the returnees will receive wet feeding after which time they will be provided with a three month dry ration to take home.
1.3 The arrival of food continues to improve slowly, although deliveries remain unbalanced with the majority being cereals. The WFP Regional office is arranging for the purchase of 2,000 tons of maize and 200 tons of pulses from Uganda, and 200 tons of corn-soya blend from Kenya. It is expected that the southern corridor will reopen during the month of April with a total of 2,200 tons of mixed food commodities to be moved, thus improving the supply capacity. These will be the first arrivals via this route since the floods broke the supply routes in the south in December 1997.
2. BURUNDI
2.1 Some 16,818 newly displaced persons in Bujumbura Rural, Isale Commune received food and non-food items. Food distribution initially planned for 31 March had to be postponed due to the insecurity in the area. These displacements followed confrontations between the military and rebels in the hills surrounding Bujumbura town.
2.2 Two hundred Burundian refugees forcibly expelled from DR Congo were moved from Bujumbura to Gatumba transit centre. Most are expected to be returned to their hills of origin.
3. TANZANIA
3.1 A mission from the Food Security Department in the Ministry of Agriculture is currently conducting a rapid assessment of the current agricultural season in the country.
3.2 The Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) screening exercise was conducted for under fives in refugee camps in Kibondo, Kasulu and Ngara who have been receiving a reduced ration during the past few weeks due to limited food stocks in the camps. Results of the exercise show a stable nutritional status.
3.3 The eighth UNHCR-facilitated voluntary repatriation was accomplished during the week of 6 April with 84 Burundian refugees returning home from Nduta and Mtendeli camps. Some 1,088 Burundians have returned home since the start of the exercise in January this year. WFP continues to provide a one-week ration to the returnees.
4. UGANDA
4.1 The voluntary repatriation programme resumed on 9 April with 278 Congolese refugees being facilitated to return to DR Congo from Kyaka II in south-western Uganda. The returnees were given a one-month ration prior to their departure.
4.2 The security situation in Gulu district in northern Uganda was reported as relatively stable over the past week with a few incidences of rebel attacks in Koch and Anaka camp. Incidences of abduction and looting of food by rebels were reported at Alero where an unspecified number of people were abducted after a WFP food distribution. Meanwhile, rebel movements in small groups have been reported in the areas of Koch-Goma, Aitak and Pabbo, causing concern for travellers.
5. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND REPUBLIC OF CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE)
5.1 In eastern DR Congo, in a security meeting held in Bukavu, local authorities refused to establish a new refugee camp in the eastern provinces. Following requests from the authorities for a speedy identification and repatriation of Burundian refugees, UNHCR has registered some 3,000 refugees of whom 60 percent are children. Between 6-12 April, only 22 Burundian refugees volunteered for repatriation from Bukavu.
5.2 During the second week of April, some 1,600 Congolese returned to Uvira from Kigoma in Tanzania and were provided with a one-month ration. Repatriation trips were reduced to two instead of the planned three, because of the slow movement of the Congolese returnees caused by poor road conditions between Baraka south of Uvira and the areas of return in DR Congo. Since the resumption of the operation in mid-December, 33,607 Congolese refugees have been repatriated.
5.3 Over the same week in April, 96 metric tons of WFP food were distributed to over 5,000 beneficiaries in DR Congo and the Republic of Congo, but mainly in DR Congo. Distributions were limited in the Republic of Congo due to the continued suspension of railway traffic between Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville.
C. GENERAL
1. SUMMARY OF THE RESOURCING SITUATION FOR SELECTED WFP EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
1.1 The following emergency operations (EMOPs) are current resourcing priorities for WFP. The EMOPs listed below may face serious pipeline problems in the coming months if proposals already submitted and/or new donor contributions are not confirmed shortly. For each country, details are given for the tonnage still required and value. In some cases, operations have continued beyond the original planned duration.
1.2 Current highest priority Emergency Operations (EMOPs):
Somalia EMOP 5976.00 - Flood victims - Duration: 7 months (January-July 1998). Current food shortfall: 3,115 metric tons (MT) - value: US$ 4.2 million - 32 % of EMOP needs. In addition, EMOP is still facing a cash shortfall for air operations.
Kenya EMOP 5969.00 - Flood victims (Expansion 01 recently approved) - Original duration: 3 months (December 1997 to February 1998). Current food shortfall: 6,549 MT - US$ 6.7 million - 38 % of 1998 needs. EMOP is also facing a cash shortfall for air operations. Cash shortfall also applies to the cost of the special operation for the airlift to supply Somali refugees at Dadaab camps in Kenya while camps cut off by the floods.
DPR Korea EMOP 5959.00 - Vulnerable groups - Duration: 1 year (April 1998-March 1999). Current food shortfall: 415,572 MT - US$ 303.2 million - 63 % of EMOP needs.
Ethiopia EMOP 5979.00 - Drought operation (recently approved) - Duration: 9 months (April - December 1998). Current food shortfall: 57,462 MT - US$ 22.6 million - 96 % of EMOP needs.
Sudan EMOP 5826.00 - Drought affected and war-displaced (Expansion 01 currently under preparation) - Duration of expansion: 1 year (April 1998 to March 1999). New EMOP food requirements: 50,623 MT - US$ 75 million (Provisional figure). Immediate pipeline breaks in the southern sector foreseen if contributions not forthcoming in the near future.
1.3 Other priority EMOPs
Rwanda Burundi Regional EMOP 5624.02 (Expansion 03 currently under preparation) - Duration: 1 year and 6 months (December 1997-May 1999). New EMOP food requirements: 148,419 MT - US$ 91.9 million (Provisional figure).
Ethiopia EMOP 5978.00 - Voluntary repatriation of Somali and Ethiopian refugees (operation recently approved) - Duration: 315 days (February - December 1998). Current food shortfall: 11,154 MT - US$ 4.6 million - 71 % of EMOP needs. Shortfall includes Immediate Response Account (IRA) advance for 5,000 MT.
Central America EMOP 5949.00 - El Nino drought and floods - Duration: 6 months (November 1997 to March 1998). Current food shortfall: 7,885 MT - US$ 3.7 million - 40 % of EMOP needs. Current shortfall includes IRA advance for 4,000 MT.
Iraq EMOP 5311.06 - Vulnerable groups - Duration: 1 year and 3 months (April 1997 - June 1998). Current food shortfall: 60,653 MT - US$ 27.9 million - 85 % of 1998 needs.
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 16 of 1998 - April 17, 1998)
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