Report No. 26 of 1998 Date: 26 June 1998This report includes: A) Angola B) Guinea Bissau C) Sudan D) Rwanda E) Yugoslavia and Region: Kosovo crisis F) Democratic People's Republic of Korea G) Central America - report on El Nino regional operation as supplement.
>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 Aleesa.Blum@wfp.org or Claudia.VonRoehl@wfp.org at WFP Rome, telephone 39 6 6513 2004 or 6 6513 2504. The address of WFP is Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, Parco dei Medici, Rome 00148.
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS (Details below in Part II)
A. ANGOLA
1. Death of UN Special Envoy to Angola a) The UN Special Envoy to Angola, Maitre Alioune Blondin Beye, and five members of the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola were killed in a plane crash near Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on 26 June. Two crew members were also killed. Maitre Beye and his colleagues were on a diplomatic mission aimed at averting renewed fighting in Angola.
B. GUINEA BISSAU
1. Population displacement - information updated as of 29 June a) Fighting intensifies in Bissau; needs of the displaced population from Bissau puts pressure on local food supplies in areas of the country receiving large numbers of displaced. b) UN is assessing humanitarian needs in Guinea Bissau and neighbouring countries receiving refugees. ICRC/IFRC and Caritas also carry out assessments. c) WFP food distributed by ICRC, IFRC, the Guinea Bissau Red Cross Society and Caritas in parts of Bissau. Relief food also sent for distribution to displaced persons who arrived on Bubaque island.
C. SUDAN
1. Update a) WFP receives verbal clearance from the Government of Sudan for additional aircraft to supply relief food to southern Sudan. WFP plans to operate two IL-76s out of Nairobi and two IL-76s out of Khartoum. b) WFP revises appeal for southern Sudan to USD 137.6 million, to meet the needs of increased number of beneficiaries. Shortfall stands at USD 78.9 million. c) Current rains are patchy and erratic, raising concern about October crops.
D. RWANDA
1. Update a) WFP food distributions continue in Gisenyi, where number of internally displaced persons has increased to 70,000. Deliveries made with military escort. b) New food distribution programme started in Gikongoro for over 61,000 persons.
E. YUGOSLAVIA AND REGION: KOSOVO CRISIS
1. WFP response to the Kosovo crisis - information as of 29 June a) WFP food delivered to Montenegro for internally displaced persons from Kosovo; influx of IDPs continues. b) In Kosovo, joint WFP/UNHCR/ICRC convoy delivers relief supplies to village of Junik, in first delivery of humanitarian aid to the area since the crisis began. c) In Albania, WFP food is in place in Bajram Curri for distribution in July. WFP high-energy biscuits provided to MSF/Belgium for distribution to refugees arriving at their reception centre at top of mountain pass. d) Refugees from Kosovo in Albania are leaving northern Albania for cities in other parts of the country; influx of refugees from across the border ceases after 20 June.
F. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
1. Update a) FAO/WFP Special Report, issued on 25 June, warns that the food crisis in DPR Korea is far from over, as food supply situation remains precarious. b) Response to latest WFP appeal, as of 26 June, amounts to 256,000 tons of food commodities, towards revised requirements of 603,000 tons. c) Mr Jean-Jacques Graisse, WFP Assistant Executive Director, visits DPR Korea 13-20 June.
G. CENTRAL AMERICA - REGIONAL EL NINO OPERATION
1. Update - in the form of a supplement to the Emergency Report a) The June 1998 Progress Report for the regional emergency operation to assist families affected by El Nino in Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama is being transmitted as a supplement to the WFP Emergency Report.
PART II - DETAILS
A. ANGOLA
1. DEATH OF UN SPECIAL ENVOY TO ANGOLA
1.1 The UN Special Envoy to Angola, Maitre Alioune Blondin Beye, and seven others were killed on 26 June in a plane crash near Abidjan, Ivory Coast. A government statement said there were no survivors of the crash. Together with Maitre Beye on the plane were five members of the United Nations Observer Mission in Angola (MONUA) and two crew members. The deceased are Mr. Moctar Gueye of Senegal, Mr. Koffi Adjoyi of Togo, Mr. Beadengar Dessande of Chad, Mr. Ibikunle Williams of Nigeria, and Captain Alvaro Jose Garcia Costa of Portugal, all of the Observer Mission, and pilots Jason Hunter and Andrew McCurrach of South Africa.
1.2 Maitre Beye and his colleagues were on a diplomatic mission aimed at averting renewed fighting in Angola.
B. GUINEA BISSAU
1. POPULATION DISPLACEMENT - information as of 29 June
1.1 Fighting has intensified in Bissau despite on-going international efforts at mediation.
1.2 As reported by IRIN-West Africa, a high-level UN team arrived in Dakar on 25 June to assess humanitarian needs in Guinea Bissau and neighbouring countries receiving refugees. The team will also be looking into ways that the UN can support efforts by ECOWAS and the Organization of African Unity to secure a ceasefire. WFP will be involved in the assessment of food needs. ICRC/IFRC and Caritas are also assessing needs.
1.3 There is growing concern about food availability in towns and other locations which have received large numbers of people from among those who left Bissau. Many people are reported to be staying with relatives, but the arrival of the displaced has put pressure on food supplies for both the displaced and the local inhabitants of the host areas. Normal food supply channels have been disrupted, and current local food stocks are not sufficient to cover the greatly expanded needs in these areas.
1.4 While most of the population of Bissau (which had a pre-conflict population of an estimated 300,000) fled to the interior, small numbers of refugees have been reported in Senegal, Gambia and Cape Verde. As at 23 June, refugees reported in Senegal stand at some 1,200 persons who are in transit along the Senegal-Guinea Bissau border. According to MSF teams from Conakry, who assessed the situation at the border between 18 and 21 June, some 12,000 people have crossed the border to Guinea Conakry, all of whom are of Guinea Conakry origin.
1.5 Meanwhile, some 3,500 displaced persons are estimated to have arrived in Bubaque island (Guinea Bissau), with a total of 10,000 persons estimated on ten other surrounding islands. Twenty tons of WFP food have been sent to Bubaque and is being distributed by ICRC and the local Red Cross.
1.6 In Bissau, WFP food stocks, which were in place prior to the conflict, are being used by ICRC, IFRC, the Guinea Bissau Red Cross Society and Caritas for food distributions. ICRC reports that distribution has been slow due to shelling and problems with trucking capacity. A total of 37,000 persons have been reached in the Prabis, Cumura and Granja areas, as well as Bissau hospitals and missions, over the period 20-26 June.
1.7 A joint UN appeal is envisaged to cover the needs of Guinea Bissau populations for the period July to December 1998. WFP is in the process of preparing an Emergency Operation for 350,000 people, including displaced persons in Guinea Bissau and refugees in the neighbouring countries of Gambia and Senegal.
1.8 Updated information about the situation in Guinea Bissau on a daily basis is available from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network for West Africa (IRIN-WA) by contacting Tel: +225 21-73-54, Fax: +225 21-63-35, or e-mail: <irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci>. IRIN-WA reports are also available via ReliefWeb at http://www.reliefweb.int/ under Sierra Leone in the Complex Emergencies section.
C. SUDAN
1. UPDATE
1.1 Air operations: WFP received verbal clearance from the Government of Sudan on 25 June for additional aircraft to supply relief food to southern Sudan. Once written clearance is received, WFP plans to operate two IL-76s out of Nairobi and two IL-76s out of Khartoum. The deliveries from Nairobi and Khartoum will significantly increase deliveries currently made by air from Lokichoggio in Kenya and from El Obeid in Sudan. The IL-76s can transport around 45 tons each. A further C-130 Hercules is planned for Lokichoggio operations.
1.2 WFP has revised its appeal for southern Sudan to USD 137.6 million, to meet the needs of an increased number of beneficiaries, up from 2.48 million to over 2.6 million (1.226 million in need in rebel-held areas - supplied from both Kenya and El Obeid/Khartoum - and 1.4 million in government-held areas). The new shortfall for the operation stands at USD 78.9 million, following the announcement of major donations from the UK and USA. Norway has also confirmed a recent donation. Recent pledges will ensure funding of the WFP operation through September.
1.3 The present period through to October, before the harvest, is the season of most acute food needs in southern Sudan. The post-harvest period is normally favourable in terms of food security (where people have not been affected by conflict), but prospects for the end of this year are bleak. The rains now should be at their peak, however field reports continue to indicate patchy and erratic rains, with light and below average rainfall.
1.4 As of 22 June, it was estimated that the total volume of food which will be moved to southern Sudan by WFP during the month of June was 4,800 tons, against estimated needs of 6,500 tons for the month. The target is to be stepped up in view of the increased needs, to 9,600 tons per month.
1.5 The breakdown of new target beneficiaries and target tonnage per month in the rebel-held areas is as follows: Bahr el-Ghazal - 701,035 beneficiaries, 6,250 tons; Upper Nile/W - 151,850 beneficiaries, 1,093 tons; Upper Nile/E - 10,000 beneficiaries, 72 tons; Jonglei - 182,200 beneficiaries, 988 tons; Equatoria - 181,217 beneficiaries, 1,171 tons; total: 1,226,302 beneficiaries, 9,574 tons.
1.6 Details of the revised needs, the planned expansion of logistics operations and current conditions in southern Sudan were presented at a donor meeting hosted by WFP in Rome on 25 June. Attending the meeting were the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, the Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and the Director of Emergency Programmes, UNICEF. The meeting was a follow-up to the IGAD Forum on Sudan, which took place in the Hague on 18 June.
D. RWANDA
1. UPDATE
1.1 WFP food distributions continue in Gisenyi, where the number of internally displaced persons has recently increased from 47,000 to 70,000. This distribution programme, initiated during late May, is being implemented by WFP in collaboration with other aid agencies and local authorities. Some 557 tons of WFP food have been provided. For security reasons, all deliveries to the communes are being accompanied by military personnel.
1.2 A second cycle of distributions in the prefecture has now begun and the rations have been increased to provide 2,000 Kcal per person per day, to better cater for the neediest persons. Twenty percent of the cereals are being provided as maize meal, intended to benefit children under five years of age. UNICEF has made available high-energy biscuits, which are being distributed at selected sites to all children in this age group.
1.3 In all the communes within the prefecture, the food is distributed by local authorities with close monitoring by WFP and other UN agencies. Insecurity remains a serious concern, with two attacks targeting displaced persons and refugees in camps reported in recent weeks. A similar situation is reportedly developing in Ruhengeri, where WFP food distributions are scheduled to start soon.
1.4 WFP has also started a new food distribution programme in Gikongoro to benefit 12,254 households, or over 61,000 persons, on the request of the Government.
E. YUGOSLAVIA AND REGION: KOSOVO CRISIS
1. YUGOSLAVIA - information as of 29 June
1.1 Montenegro
a) Following a request for food aid to Kosovan internally displaced persons in Montenegro on 19 June, 145 tons of WFP food (125 tons wheat flour, 10 tons oil and 10 tons pulses) arrived in Podgorica, Montenegro on 24 June. This is the first significant support to arrive in Montenegro. The food came from ECHO contingency stocks in Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia.
b) The influx of IDPs from Kosovo into Montenegro continues, especially with the closure and mining of the Kosovo Albanian border. At the time of the request for food aid, UNHCR stated there were 8,000 IDPs in Montenegro. By the arrival of the food, four days later, there were 10,000 IDPs. The ration of WFP food aid will be dropped to ensure as wide as possible coverage of IDPs.
c) Montenegrin authorities have maintained an open-door policy for IDPs. The influx is continuing unabated with daily arrivals of approximately 300 people. The community-based host family support system is stretched beyond its coping limit and more IDPs are being accommodated in collective centres.
1.2 Kosovo
a) A joint WFP/UNHCR/ICRC convoy took relief supplies to the village of Junik on 25 June. This was the first time humanitarian aid reached the area since the crisis erupted. The area recently suffered heavy fighting. WFP delivered 5 tons of wheat flour for distribution through the Mother Teresa society. UNHCR provided laundry soap and ICRC provided hygiene packs and medical supplies.
2. ALBANIA
2.1 A total of 547 tons of WFP food has been transported to Albania. Eighty-seven tons is in Bajram Curri where the refugees are gathered, ready for distribution in July. WFP provided MSF/Belgium with high-energy biscuits for distribution to refugees arriving at their reception centre at the top of the mountain pass.
2.2 The Albanian government had registered 6,659 refugees from Kosovo by 23 June. This is lower than UNHCR figures due to a large number of refugees leaving northern Albania to other cities and their reluctance to be registered. Agencies estimate 100-200 refugees are leaving daily in search of better conditions. A number of refugees are being registered in Durres, Tirana and Skhoder.
2.3 The influx of refugees from across the border ceased after 20 June due to actions by the Yugoslav army and Serbian police units and reports that the border is mined.
F. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
1. UPDATE
1.1 A joint FAO/WFP crop and food supply assessment mission visited DPR Korea from 2 to 12 June to check the current food situation and to make a preliminary estimate of the October crop. The findings of the mission have been summarized in a Special Report, issued on 25 June.
1.2 The mission concluded that the food crisis is far from over and that the food security situation remains precarious. The mission saw the months of June and July as particularly critical. By August, considerable food aid shipments are scheduled, and their arrival will ease the food supply situation prior to the harvest.
1.3 In comparing the situation with that of a year ago, the mission noted that the health status of children aged six and under had improved. Attendance rates at nurseries and kindergartens had improved and the children appeared to be healthier and less lethargic. Given that the overall food situation remained precarious, the comparatively healthy status of these children was attributed to successful targeting of international food assistance.
1.4 In assessing the prospects for the main harvest in October, the mission found that crops generally appeared to be in satisfactory condition. However, the harvest will to a great extent depend on the weather in the coming months, especially on rainfall in July and August. Other constraints to production this year mentioned by the mission include shortage of water in the reservoirs, lack of fertilizers, limited extent of mechanization and energy shortages.
1.5 The mission noted that, in order to enhance national food security, support was needed also for short and medium term measures for agricultural rehabilitation. In this regard the recent Government of DPR Korea/United Nations/Donor roundtable consultation on agricultural recovery and environmental protection offered scope for interventions.
1.6 The mission revised and updated the conclusions of the previous assessment in November 1997. The total import requirements for the current 1997/98 marketing year (November 1997 to October 1998) amounted to some 1.836 million tons. Out of this, 500,000 tons could be expected to be imported commercially, including barter transactions. Confirmed food aid contributions amount to 814,000 tons. The remaining uncovered requirement would thus be 522,000 tons.
1.7 The full text of the Special Report can be found on the Web at http://www.fao.org then click on Economics, then GIEWS, then Special Reports.
1.8 As of 26 June, 256,000 tons of commodities, representing 42 percent of the revised 1998 WFP appeal, have been pledged. (The target quantity has been scaled back from 658,000 tons to 603,000 tons as WFP does not yet have access to all counties of DPR Korea.) Cereals needs of the operation will be covered up to October. However, only 11 percent of pulses and oil requirements will be met unless further contributions are received.
1.9 Mr Jean-Jacques Graisse, WFP Assistant Executive Director, visited DPR Korea 13 to 20 June to discuss with the government a number of operational issues. In speaking of his visit, Mr Graisse emphasized that the country still faces a serious food crisis. He warned that cultivation of marginal land to boost agricultural production has led to the destruction of much of the tree cover needed for erosion control, and constitutes an environmental time bomb.
G. CENTRAL AMERICA - REGIONAL EL NINO OPERATION
1. UPDATE - in the form of a supplement to the Emergency Report
1.1 The June 1998 Progress Report for the Central America Regional El Nino Operation (EMOP NIC-5949) is being transmitted as a supplement to the WFP Emergency Report no. 26. The operation has provided emergency food assistance for families affected by the El Nino meteorological phenomenon in Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama.
Note: all tonnage figures above refer to metric tons
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 26 of 1998 - June 26, 1998)
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