Report No. 04 of 1999 Date: 29 January 1999
This report includes: A) Colombia earthquake B) Sierra Leone C) East and Central Africa: Burundi, Tanzania, DR Congo and Congo/Brazzaville D) Sudan E) Iraq F) Afghanistan G) CIS: Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia).
>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 06 6513 2837). For information on resources, donors are requested to contact Aleesa.Blum@wfp.org or Marius.deGaayFortman@wfp.org at WFP Rome, telephone 39 06 6513 2004 or 06 6513 2250. The address of WFP is Via Cesare Giulio Viola 68, Parco dei Medici, 00148 Rome, Italy.
This issue of the Emergency Report was prepared by Natasha Nadazdin and Deborah Hicks.
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS (Details below in Part II)
A. COLOMBIA
1. Earthquake relief operations - information as of 28 January a) WFP and UNICEF team travels to quake-affected areas of western Colombia. b) Immediate requirements of people made homeless by the quake are drinking water, plastic sheeting, tents, food aid, cooking utensils, mats, sheets and blankets, and personal hygiene kits. c) WFP Immediate Response emergency operation put in place pending finalization of assessment of needs, when an EMOP appeal will be submitted to donors. d) See ReliefWeb at http://www.reliefweb.int for further information including OCHA Situation Reports and details of ICRC/IFRC joint appeal, other NGO appeals.
B. SIERRA LEONE
1. Update - information as of 28 January a) A further UN mission visits Freetown and discusses food distribution issues with Government officials and partner NGOs; some 117,000 persons displaced by recent fighting registered by the authorities at six locations in western Freetown. b) Some 2,300 tons of WFP food aid stocks in Freetown looted over recent weeks.
C. EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: BURUNDI, TANZANIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND CONGO/BRAZZAVILLE
1. Update a) Regional PRRO 6077 approved by WFP Executive Board on 21 January. b) Following suspension of economic sanctions on Burundi, fuel imports and distribution will no longer be handled by WFP. c) Influx of Congolese refugees to Kigoma in Tanzania continues at the rate of 900-1,000 refugees a day during week ending 24 January. d) UN personnel relocated from Brazzaville to Kinshasa following recent fighting; when security allows, daily trips are made to Brazzaville for distribution purposes.
D. SUDAN
1. Update a) 1999 UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for Sudan released on 25 January. b) Government and SPLA inform the press that they are agreeing to an extension of the ceasefire, effective 15 January, for three months. c) Feeding centre operations scaled down as nutritional status in parts of Bahr el-Ghazal improves.
E. IRAQ
1. Update - information as of 28 January a) Iraq PRRO 6085 approved by WFP Executive Board on January 21. The PRRO will provide children and their families with commodities containing micronutrients missing or incomplete in SCR 986 food basket. USD 21 million urgently required for purchase of specially blended food and other commodities for this programme. b) WFP operations in Iraq have continued despite recent security incidents.
F. AFGHANISTAN
1. Update - information as of 22 January a) Following anti-Taliban attack on Yakawlang on 16 and 17 January, WFP national staff were evacuated. b) Three WFP VAM teams are collecting information on food security of vulnerable groups in Jalalabad, Mazar-i-Sharif and Faizabad. c) Impact of reduction in precipitation is being monitored by WFP.
G. CIS: CAUCASUS (ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA)
1. Update on policy strategy a) WFP emergency relief operations in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia currently under review; internal social pressure and political instability are aggravated by decline of the Russian economy, affecting WFP phase-out plans.
PART II - DETAILS
A. COLOMBIA
1. EARTHQUAKE RELIEF OPERATIONS - information as of 28 January
1.1 Following the major earthquake which hit western Colombia on 25 January, the WFP Country Director together with a UNICEF team visited the affected areas. The WFP/UNICEF team met members of the Emergency Committee including the Vice-Minister of Interior, other Government officials, and staff of the Colombian Red Cross Society.
1.2 According to the OCHA Situation Report no. 3 of 28 January, preliminary figures show that the number of dead currently stands at over 900 and the number of injured at approximately 3,400 in Armenia and nearby municipalities in the Department of Quindio, the city of Pereira in the Department of Risaralda, and other locations in the area affected by the earthquake. The total number of people left homeless is now estimated by the Colombian Red Cross and UNICEF at between 200,000 to 250,000. Armenia has suffered severe devastation. Heavy rains are aggravating the situation for the people now in makeshift shelters, and sanitation has become a problem. The army and the police have been mobilized to combat looting. The most immediate requirements are drinking water, plastic sheeting, tents, food aid, cooking utensils, mats, sheets and blankets, and personal hygiene kits.
1.3 While the extent of needs is being assessed, WFP has commenced an initial Immediate Response emergency operation worth USD 200,000 to provide a daily food ration to 10,000 families for 15 days, in the most affected areas. Commodities amounting to 200 tons will be procured locally. In addition, together with the Government and UNICEF, WFP will provide a supplementary ration (enriched biscuit and a glass of milk) to 10,000 children daily. WFP is preparing an Emergency Operation to follow the Immediate Response operation, to be finalized once the assessment is completed. Many national and international agencies are responding to the crisis.
1.4 For updates on relief operations for the victims of the earthquake, see ReliefWeb at http://www.reliefweb.int - click on Natural Disasters. The Web site includes OCHA Situation Reports and details of the joint appeal of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as well as reports of various non-governmental organizations.
B. SIERRA LEONE
1. UPDATE - information as of 28 January
1.1 On 25 January a further UN mission, composed of UNOMSIL, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP, visited Freetown. The mission went to the National Stadium, where many displaced persons are located, and where it met the Minister of Internal Affairs, the NCRRR Commissioner and other Government officials. The Government representatives suggested that in view of the critical food situation, the food distribution process should speeded up by opening the CRS warehouse and other World Vision warehouses. Some 117,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) had already been registered by the authorities at six locations in western Freetown where distribution continues despite difficulties in reaching the World Vision International warehouses.
1.2 It was established that some 2,300 tons of WFP food aid stocks in Freetown had been looted over recent weeks during the rebel attack on the city. This food aid, sufficient to feed 150,000 people for one month, was stored in eastern Freetown. In addition, eight WFP trucks were vandalized.
1.3 Freetown remains tense. There is evidence of rebel movements towards the western part of the city, and incursions into ECOMOG-held areas. Mobility in Freetown is slowed by numerous checkpoints which have been set up on all streets, and are monitored by ECOMOG and civilians. On the evening of 27 January, rebels attacked ECOMOG positions in the eastern part of Freetown (at Ferry Junction). Forty-six rebels and two ECOMOG members were reported killed.
1.4 The WFP Country Director hosted a meeting while in Freetown with implementing non-governmental organization (NGO) partners to discuss the tightening of registration and distribution procedures. The conclusions of the meeting on closer control of food aid were endorsed by the Government. Re-registration of IDPs will be necessary prior to the next distribution.
1.5 As of 27 January, communications between WFP Conakry and WFP Freetown have been restored by means of satellite telephone links.
1.6 Elsewhere in Sierra Leone, the displacement of people into Kenema town has continued following an attack on the evening of 24 January on nearby Hangha and surrounding villages. An additional 16,800 newly displaced persons have been recorded, bringing the total number of registered IDPs in Kenema to 57,630. Many humanitarian agencies have relocated from Kenema to Bo due to insecurity.
C. EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: BURUNDI, TANZANIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND CONGO/BRAZZAVILLE
1. REGIONAL
1.1 On 21 January, the WFP Executive Board approved a Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation for the Great Lakes region (PRRO 6077), with a total WFP cost of USD 270 million. This two-year regional operation will be implemented between 1 August 1999 and 31 July 2001 and will assist 1.25 million beneficiaries (people made vulnerable by civil conflict, refugees, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable populations) through the provision of 422,480 tons of food commodities.
2. BURUNDI
2.1 Following the suspension of the economic sanctions, the ordering, import and distribution of fuel in Burundi for humanitarian purposes will no longer be WFP's responsibility. International air carriers are expected to resume flights for passengers and cargo in the near future.
3. TANZANIA - information as of 24 January
3.1 There has been a steady increase in the influx of Congolese refugees to Kigoma, with a total of 5,980 Congolese refugees received at the Kibirizi reception centre over the past week. The daily influx rate is between 900-1,000 refugees. As of 21 January, UNHCR has been transferring Congolese refugees from Nyaragusu camp to Lugufu camp, as the absorption capacity of the former has been exhausted.
4. DR CONGO AND CONGO/BRAZZAVILLE - information as of 25 January
4.1 Following recent fighting, UN personnel were relocated from Brazzaville to Kinshasa. UN staff will be undertaking field trips to Brazzaville on a daily basis, security permitting, to provide humanitarian assistance to the neediest people.
4.2 Most sites hosting displaced persons in Brazzaville are overcrowded and lacking basic facilities. The nutritional and health situation of these displaced people remains critical. The number of malnourished children in nutritional centres continues to increase. WFP is assisting 50,000 neediest persons. Their food needs are estimated at 25 tons per day.
4.3 The airlift of 600 tons of food from Pointe-Noire to Brazzaville was completed with 340 tons airlifted during the week ending 24 January. Of this quantity 200 tons of cereals and 100 tons of pulses were ferried by barge to Kinshasa.
4.4 UNHCR reported an increase in the number of refugees arriving from the Republic of Congo in Luozi, Bas-Congo province (DR Congo). New arrivals are also reported in Mbanzakongo. Food assistance will be based on the findings of the upcoming inter-agency mission.
D. SUDAN
1. UPDATE
1.1 The 1999 UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for Sudan released on 25 January is designed to meet the emergency needs of more than four million war and drought-affected persons in southern Sudan and the greater Khartoum area. The UN agencies are requesting some USD 198.5 million for twenty-four emergency and rehabilitation projects. The WFP portion of the appeal amounts to USD 142.3 million.
1.2 Both the Government and the SPLA have informed the press that they are agreeing to an extension of the ceasefire, effective 15 January, for three months. It is foreseen that this ceasefire extension will expand to a greater region which in addition to Bahr el-Ghazal and Western Upper Nile will include some areas of Central Upper Nile.
1.3 The most recent OLS/WFP Juba barge convoy completed its voyage down the Juba corridor on 9 January. During its six-week voyage, the convoy delivered 2,540 tons of food for 392,000 beneficiaries in Upper Nile, Jonglei and Equatoria regions.
1.4 The nutritional status in parts of Bahr el-Ghazal is improving and a number of agencies are scaling down their feeding centres. WFP and several NGOs have agreed on strategies to ensure adequate follow-up of people discharged from supplementary feeding programmes.
1.5 The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General visited Sudan from 7-15 January. The Special Envoy, accompanied by the head of Operation Lifeline Sudan Southern Sector and the WFP acting Field Coordinator, visited Mapel and Panthou (Bahr el-Ghazal). In Panthou, he observed that the WFP/MSF-H coordinated feeding programme had improved the general status of the population in the area.
E. IRAQ
1. UPDATE - information as of 28 January
1.1 On January 21, the WFP Executive Board approved Iraq Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO 6085) for assistance to malnourished children, their families, patients in hospitals and residents in social institutions. The PRRO will fill a gap in the oil-for-food programme by providing children and their families with commodities containing vitamins and minerals that are missing or incomplete in the SCR 986 food basket. By providing these rations in a health care context where the nutritional impact will be maximized, the project aims to lower the still high malnutrition rates in Iraq. Approximately USD 21 million are urgently required to purchase a specially blended food and other commodities required to meet the needs of these vulnerable people for one year. Results of a nutritional survey in Iraq conducted by UNICEF and the Ministry of Health in October 1998 indicated continuing high levels of malnutrition, especially among children under five years of age. Compared to similar surveys conducted a year previously, this survey showed no improvement in the nutritional status of infants despite the increase of food availability under SCR 986. This is due, in a large part, to a lack of resources to improve water and sanitation services, health facilities, education and electrical power, all factors important for nutrition.
1.2 As a result of low world oil prices and lack of pumping capacity, it is expected that Iraq will only be able to export just over USD 3 billion worth of oil over the next six months - far short of the USD 5.25 billion approved by the UN Security Council under the oil-for-food agreement. This has meant a decrease in revenue available for the humanitarian programme.
1.3 WFP operations in Iraq have continued despite recent security incidents in the country. International WFP observers continue to travel throughout the country, over-nighting at designated security points along with other UN staff. Due to the recent air strikes around Basra, the UN Security Coordinator has temporarily suspended the travel of international UN staff to the three southern governorates of Basra, Messan and Dhi Qar. International observers continue with their regular work in all other governorates as scheduled.
F. AFGHANISTAN
1. UPDATE - information as of 22 January
1.1 Upon completion of the emergency winter distribution in Bamyan/Hazarajat region, WFP national staff were evacuated following the anti-Taliban attack on Yakawlang on 16 and 17 January. Earlier, WFP provided 60 tons of wheat for institutional feeding to the only functioning hospital in the town. Another 15 tons of wheat were sent for hospital feeding to the town of Bamyan. As a result of the attack on Yakawlang, the status of an estimated 45 tons of relief wheat remains unknown.
1.2 The WFP Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping Unit (VAM) now has three field teams active and is collecting information on food security of vulnerable groups in Jalalabad, Mazar-i-Sharif and Faizabad. In Jalalabad, one VAM team is on a three-week mission similar to the recently completed Kabul exercise and is collecting information on the food security of vulnerable groups in the city. WFP activities in Jalalabad were suspended since the evacuation dating from August 1998. The second WFP VAM team arrived in Mazar-i-Sharif to assess the food security situation in the area after prolonged instability and the drastic reduction of activities of the UN and other agencies since September 1997. The third WFP VAM team, recently returned from Faizabad town, is analyzing data on the food security of vulnerable groups in Faizabad.
1.3 The WFP VAM Unit has also produced a brief and begun monitoring the implications of this year's reduction in precipitation in Afghanistan and in particular has identified the areas where lack of precipitation may adversely impact crop production. Analysis of this information will assist WFP and other agencies in determining future assistance to the population.
1.4 With a recent donor contribution of vegetable oil, the full requirements of the PRRO for 1999 have been met.
G. CIS: CAUCASUS (ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA)
1. UPDATE ON POLICY STRATEGY
1. 1 WFP is currently reviewing its emergency relief operations in the three southern Caucasus countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia following the international community's renewed interest in the region as a result of the growing internal social pressure and political instability, aggravated by the decline of the Russian economy which has directly affected these countries. WFP will annually review its phase-out plan and adjust it depending on each government's capacity to expand the social welfare coverage to its vulnerable population.
1.2 In Azerbaijan, WFP plans to end its food assistance operations as soon as the outcome of the peace talks sponsored by the Minsk Group (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) allows internally displaced persons to return home and enough oil revenues enable the Government to better finance its social welfare obligation. This is expected to happen between the years 2000 and 2005.
1.3 In Armenia, WFP plans to end food assistance in the next three years in coordination with other UN agencies, including the international financing institutions. Meanwhile, WFP will continue to provide assistance to 220,000 IDPs and vulnerable people in a programme involving general food distribution and food for work aimed at rehabilitating the social infrastructure.
1.4 In Georgia, while decreasing its operation in coordination with UNHCR, WFP plans to refocus on the most vulnerable population, irrespective of their status mainly through food-for-work projects. WFP Vulnerable Analysis and Mapping Unit (VAM) working in cooperation with USAID will help to identify the most vulnerable population.
Note: all tonnage figures above refer to metric tons
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 04 of 1999 - January 29, 1999)
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