Report No. 29 of 1998 Date: 17 July 1998
This report includes: A) Sudan B) Guinea Bissau C) Angola D) Central and East Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
>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. SUDAN
1. Update - information from UN press conference, Khartoum, 16 July a) Temporary cease-fire in Bahr el-Ghazal announced by the SPLA on 15 July, followed by the Government of Sudan on 16 July. Cease-fire does not cover all areas in southern Sudan where there are humanitarian needs, but is expected to stabilize population displacement in Bahr el-Ghazal. b) Humanitarian operations and logistical arrangements reviewed during visit to Sudan and Kenya by senior OCHA and WFP officers. c) Following the cease-fire, most assistance will continue to be delivered by air, but potential opening of three humanitarian corridors may result in cost savings. d) OLS to double the number of feeding centres to 38 to cope with alarming increase in malnutrition. e) Continued poor rains increase concern about possible poor autumn harvest which would mean continuation of substantial relief operations beyond October into 1999. f) Updated operational details can be found in WFP Sudan Daily Bulletins (under Field Operations or What's New at http://www.wfp.org).
B. GUINEA BISSAU
1. Update - information as of 20 July a) Further shelling in Bissau. No progress in mediation efforts. b) Portuguese relief supplies arrive at Bissau's port on M/V Ponta Sagres on 16 July. c) Senegal authorizes opening of three humanitarian corridors, by sea and air from Dakar and by road through Tambacounda-Velingara-Ouassadou to Pirada in Guinea Bissau. First convoy from Senegal arrives at Bafata on 17 July, with some 90 tons of food for ADPP and Caritas. A test case UN convoy with 20 tons of food and other supplies leaves Dakar on 17 July and arrives in Bafata on 20 July. d) A third WFP convoy from Conakry arrives in Bafata on 19 July, escorted by a WFP emergency officer. e) WFP commodities from Bissau stocks with medical supplies from MSF and ICRC arrive at the Catholic mission of Tequira on outskirts of Bissau, where 10,000 people have sought refuge.
C. ANGOLA
1. Update - information as of 14 July a) Continued stalemate in peace process. The number of confirmed attacks decreases. Further reports of forced movements of people. b) Forced recruitment of young men in Kuito reported, in the six municipalities controlled by the Government. c) WFP convoy with 311 tons of food reaches Huambo and Kuito with a MONUA escort; no food had been delivered to these areas for some time due to insecurity on the road. Another WFP convoy escorted by MONUA delivers food to IDPs in Cacula, Caluquembe, Vila Branca and Caconda. d) Details by area of recently displaced populations given below.
D. CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND BURUNDI
1. Democratic Republic of Congo a) WFP/UNHCR mission assesses conditions of some 30,000 recently arrived Angolan refugees in southern DR Congo. b) In eastern DR Congo, local authorities lift restrictions on work of aid agencies outside of Goma and Bukavu towns; WFP resumes food distributions to 45,000 displaced people in the area.
2. Burundi a) WFP/OCHA mission to Muberure site in Isale commune of Bujumbura Rural finds approximately 7,000 persons at the site. Mission recommends ad-hoc distribution. b) Transport via a Congolese barge increases movement of WFP food from Mpulungu, Zambia to Bujumbura.
PART II - DETAILS
A. SUDAN
1. UPDATE - Information from UN press conference in Khartoum, 16 July
1.1 The UN has welcomed the announcement of a temporary cease-fire over Bahr el-Ghazal which was declared by the SPLA on 15 July, followed by the Government of Sudan on 16 July. The UN notes with some concern, however, that the cease-fire does not cover all areas where there are humanitarian needs and which are affected by the conflict.
1.2 Mr. Martin Griffiths and Mr. Tun Myat, respectively OCHA's Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and WFP's Director of Resources and External Relations, visited Sudan and Kenya between 13 and 16 July, and spoke with senior officials in the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. One purpose of the visit was to review the logistics arrangements which the UN agencies and NGOs have mounted to address the enormous needs in hard-hit areas of Bahr el-Ghazal and western Upper Nile.
1.3 It is expected that the cease-fire will immediately help to stabilize displacement in Bahr el-Ghazal, which has been a major cause of the current famine. An improved security environment will also allow humanitarian agencies to access hard-hit areas for longer periods and to conduct outreach in remote zones. Although the majority of assistance will continue to be delivered through existing corridors, the proposed use of new corridors may result in cost savings, and the potential opening of three humanitarian corridors to Bahr el-Ghazal is being fully explored. These corridors include: road from Uganda, barge along the Bahr el-Ghazal River and rail from Babanusa to Wau. Of the three proposed routes, the most feasible for immediate use is the train. Road and rail transport may however be limited by the poor state of roads due to the rains and by insecurity along the main rail route. Other constraints for utilizing the corridors are the time limitation of the cease-fires and the necessary passage of relief supplies through areas not covered under the agreements. In light of the preliminary assessment, WFP believes it will need to continue to heavily rely on its air operations for at least the next few months.
1.4 Operation Lifeline Sudan will double the number of feeding centres to 38 in order to cope with the alarming increase in malnutrition. Whereas the immediate focus of the operation will be on meeting the critical emergency needs during the next four months of the hunger gap, the UN is concerned about predictions of a poor autumn harvest which will almost certainly mean that the substantial relief operations will be needed well beyond October into 1999. A joint crop assessment in September and October will give a better idea of the magnitude of future needs.
1.5 WFP has expanded its massive food relief operation to target 2.6 million people in the country. Of these aid recipients, 1.2 million are in rebel-held areas of southern Sudan. Another 1.2 million are in Government-held areas of southern Sudan and the transitional zone of Southern Kordofan and Southern Darfur, and 200,000 are in northern Sudan. WFP is delivering food to 89 locations, of which 37 are in Bahr el-Ghazal.
1.6 Updates on deliveries, distributions and other operational details can be found in WFP Sudan Daily Bulletins (available via the WFP Home Page on the Web at http://www.wfp.org - click on Field Operations or What's New - or through contacting <Deborah.Hicks@wfp.org>)
B. GUINEA BISSAU
1. UPDATE - Information as of 20 July
1.1 Political and military situation
a) On 17 and 18 July, Bissau suffered a heavy and extensive exchange of shelling between the Government and rebels. According to reports, this time civil infrastructure such as the city's central market and hospitals became military targets. Bombs which fell on the market killed thirty persons, including five children. The shelling has compromised the unloading of 600 tons of Portuguese relief supplies (including food) which arrived at Bissau's port on M/V Ponta Sagres on Thursday, 16 July.
b) Mediation efforts by the Catholic church are still under way, attempting to arrange a cease-fire and open a dialogue between the Government and the rebel leader, but up to now, without any practical result. In other mediation initiatives, the recent summit of the Community of Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP) in Cape Verde set up a contact group to try to find a negotiated solution to the conflict.
c) Following intense international pressure on the Senegalese Government, and responding to a plea from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the President of Senegal has authorized the opening of three humanitarian corridors, by sea and air from Dakar, and by road through Tambacounda-Velingara-Ouassadou to Pirada in Guinea Bissau.
1.2 Operational update
a) The third WFP convoy from Conakry arrived in Bafata on Sunday 19 July, escorted by a WFP emergency officer. He has joined the UN Volunteer already assigned to this city. This was the first convoy directly under the charge of WFP, as the others had been consigned to ICRC/Caritas. The WFP emergency officer will be responsible for the coordination of WFP assistance in the eastern part of the country. From now on, commodities will be transported, received and managed by WFP, and distribution agreements will be arranged with the various humanitarian organizations with operational capacity on the ground (ICRC, Caritas/Guinea Bissau, ADPP, Plan International, and others). Warehouse and office facilities have been established in Bafata.
b) The first convoy from Senegal crossed the border between Ouassadou-Pirada, and arrived at Bafata on 17 July, with approximately 90 tons of food for ADPP and Caritas. Meanwhile, WFP received Senegalese Government authorization for a joint "test" convoy (with UNICEF and other UN agencies) with 20 tons of food and other supplies. The convoy left Dakar on 17 July and arrived in Bafata on 20 July.
c) A US Government donation of 250,000 individual food rations (HDR) will be shipped this week to Conakry, from US Army stocks in Italy. An additional 100,000 HDRs for UNICEF and 53,000 for UNHCR have been authorized.
d) According to the Missionary Service News Agency, 50 tons of WFP commodities (from Bissau's stocks) with medical supplies from MSF and ICRC arrived on 17 July at the Catholic mission of Tequira, on the outskirts of Bissau, where 10,000 people have sought refuge.
C. ANGOLA
1. UPDATE - information as of 14 July
1.1 The stalemate in the peace process continues. Although the tension did not mount over the past two weeks, neither did it decrease. State administration was not established in the four "sensitive" municipalities and, while the Joint Commission could not meet due to the absence of UNITA representatives, who were recalled to Andulo, the number of confirmed attacks decreased. There were no reports of new groups of internally displaced persons, but the groups already displaced continued to increase steadily, and there were further reports of forced movements of people, although on a lesser scale than in recent weeks. Needs assessments are now facilitated by MONUA, which is systematically inviting UN agencies and NGOs to join their verification teams.
1.2 In Kuito, forced recruitment of young men, mostly between the ages of 16 and 20 years, is taking place in the six municipalities controlled by the Government.
1.3 This week, a WFP convoy with 311 tons of food was able to join a MONUA escort to Huambo and Kuito, where no food had been delivered for some time due to insecurity on the road. The convoy is now in Huambo on its way back from Kuito and will be escorted by MONUA back to Lobito. A WFP convoy also delivered food to IDPs in Cacula, Caluquembe, Vila Branca and Caconda; Caritas will distribute the food. This convoy was also escorted by MONUA.
1.4 New internally displaced persons (IDPs)
a) Bengo province: The number of IDPs in Caxito now stands at 13,512 persons (coming from Dembos, Pango Aluquem, Dande, Bula Tumba, Paredes and Coxe. The IDPs are receiving WFP food assistance, which is being distributed by German Agro Action, and health assistance from InterSos.
b) Huambo province: WFP Huambo reports that the provincial Government has informed of 21,127 new IDPs in the province, in Caala, Longonjo, Tchinjenje and Ukuma. An assessment mission to Caala, on 3 July, found a substantial number of newly displaced elderly, women, youths and children in the suburbs of Caala, in dire conditions. WFP food assistance is to be immediately provided pending the registration exercise. The IDPs reported having lost their cattle and harvests to bandits, who also looted all their belongings.
c) Lunda Sul province: The number of IDPs in Luar continues to grow and now stands at around 6,000. This week, WFP and MINARS will begin to register these IDPs. Verification missions made to Dala, Xinge and Cacolo. Dala was found empty except for a few members of the administration; the same occurred in Xinge. The whereabouts of the population of these two municipalities is unknown. In Cacolo, most of the IDPs had settled in with local families and found employment or were engaged in income-generating activities and will not be requiring humanitarian assistance.
d) M'Banza Congo (Zaire) province: A WFP assessment mission to M'Banza Congo on 2 July found that MINARS had registered 2,523 new IDPs from Bembe Sangui, Kaluka and Cuimba, who reported to have fled their areas of origin due to attacks by UNITA residual troops. These IDPs will now be re-registered by a team composed of MINARS, UNHCR and Caritas, and will be provided WFP food assistance.
1.5 Reports and analysis of the situation in Angola can be found through IRIN Southern Africa updates on ReliefWeb at http://www.reliefweb.int (Complex Emergencies - Angola).
D. CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICA: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND BURUNDI
1. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
1.1 Fighting between the Angolan governmental forces and UNITA combatants have reportedly prompted about 30,000 Angolans to find refuge in the southern part of the DR Congo. The refugees are located in the village of Kisenge (119 km from the Angolan border) in the Katanga province of southern DR Congo. A joint Government, WFP and UNHCR assessment mission travelled to the area last week. Findings from this mission indicate that the health and nutritional situation of the refugees was not bad but could worsen, unless proper shelter and food assistance is provided as soon as possible. WFP could consider an eventual emergency operation (EMOP) provided that the necessary request is transmitted to WFP by the central authorities.
1.2 Before the arrival of the present refugee caseload, Kisenge was hosting 20,000 Angolans who crossed into Zaire between 1989 and 1992. This old caseload has intermingled with the local populations and are involved in farming activities.
1.3 In eastern DR Congo, local authorities have lifted the measures restricting aid agencies from working outside of Goma and Bukavu towns. WFP has resumed food distributions to 45,000 internally displaced people who were in dire need of food assistance.
1.4 A total of 1,223 returnees from Kigoma (Tanzania) arrived in Baraka (DR Congo) over the last week (6-12 July) and were provided with a one-month return package upon arrival. To date, the number of returnees receiving WFP food allocation is estimated at over 50,000 in the Uvira region of eastern DR Congo.
2. BURUNDI
2.1 WFP and OCHA conducted a short mission to Muberure site in Isale commune of Bujumbura Rural province and found that there were approximately 7,000 persons at the site. This group had been displaced from their homes due to the insecurity in the area and in view of little prospect of the people returning to their homes and no food stocks, the mission members recommended an ad-hoc distribution.
2.2 WFP is now able to secure exclusive load transport with a Congolese barge and during the period 6 - 12 July, over 1,700 tons of food commodities arrived in Bujumbura from the port of Mpulungu, Zambia. Previously, transportation of WFP food commodities were hindered as the Burundian authorities had insisted that all Burundian barges must allocate limited space to clients, as there was a backlog of cargo bound for Bujumbura at the port.
1.3 In June ad hoc distributions totalled to some 1,300 tons of WFP food benefiting a total of 113,000 persons. The therapeutic and selective feeding centres for the same period distributed 70 tons of WFP food as reduced family rations to over 7,000 members in Bururi province. A total of 254 tons of WFP food commodities benefited a total of 8,714 food-for-work participants (5,388 women and 3,326 men).
Note: all tonnage figures above refer to metric tons
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 29 of 1998 - July 17, 1998)
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