Report No. 27 of 1999 Date: 9 July 1999
This report includes: A) Democratic People's Republic of Korea B) FR Yugoslavia and region - Kosovo crisis C) Afghanistan D) East and Central Africa: Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo/Brazzaville E) Ethiopia.
>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 or Natasha.Nadazdin@wfp.org (fax 39 06 6513 2854). 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.
PART I - HIGHLIGHTS (Details below in Part II)
A. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
1. Update - information as of 8 July a) Report of FAO/WFP crop and food supply assessment mission to DPR Korea from 1-8 June concerned at declining nutritional standards; uncovered import requirement for period November 1998/October 1999 at some 98,000 tons, mostly cereals; WFP delivers food aid to north-eastern areas especially affected by food shortages; food production outputs highly constrained by lack of land, fertilizer and energy and farmers turning to more lucrative crops than cereals. b) The full report of the FAO/WFP crop and food supply assessment mission available on the Web at <http://www.fao.org/giews/english/alertes/sptoc.htm>.
B. FR YUGOSLAVIA AND REGION - KOSOVO CRISIS
1. Update - information as of 9 July a) Return of Kosovo refugees continues, as well as movement of Kosovo Serbs to Montenegro and Central Serbia; WFP opened six offices in Kosovo; WFP plane service from Rome to Pristina available as of 8 July; WFP scaling down operations in Albania and FYR of Macedonia. b) WFP Operations Weekly Brief on the Balkans operations available at <http://www.wfp.org>, click on Kosovo Alert, then on Weekly Brief.
C. AFGHANISTAN
1. Update - information as of 8 July a) According to a recent FAO/WFP crop and food supply assessment mission, more than 1 million people will need relief and rehabilitation aid in following 18 months due to reduction in cereal production of 16 percent; commercial cereal imports reach just 800,000 tons, leaving a shortfall of 323,000 tons; with WFP planned aid of 97,000 tons, remaining deficit 226,000 tons. Full report available at <http://www.wfp.org>, go to field operations, then Afghanistan. b) The Government of Uzbekistan agrees to delivery of humanitarian assistance by barge across Amu river into Balk Province of northern Afghanistan; WFP re-establishing an office in Mazar.
D. EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: BURUNDI, TANZANIA, UGANDA, D.R. CONGO AND CONGO/BRAZZAVILLE
1. Burundi - information as of 8 July a) Following the security incident of 30 June, on 5 July UN agencies decided to extend the suspension of their activities outside Bujumbura.
2. Tanzania a) Refugees from D.R. Congo continue to arrive; upon arrival, refugees settled in Nyaruguu and Lugufu refugee camps; total of 68,400 Congolese refugees registered since January. b) WFP recently approved a school feeding programme to support primary education in drought-prone and pastoralist areas, to assist some 79,150 beneficiaries for a duration of 24 months with a total project cost of approximately USD 7 million.
3. Uganda a) In Bundibugyo district, Ugandan army started providing security for WFP convoys and deliveries expected to reach 800 tons a month; due to frequent attacks on civilians some 90,000 people fled their homes in Bundibugyo, many of them subsistence farmers now unable to feed themselves. b) WFP and ICRC form a joint team for monitoring, planning and implementation to overcome constraints of relief operations in Uganda.
4. D.R. Congo and Congo/Brazzaville a) Some 6,250 displaced persons in Lubumbashi; people continue to flee fighting in Katanga province. b) UNHCR set up a transit camp for refugees from the Pool region in Brazzaville in Mbanza-Ngungu, near Kinshasa; WFP provides relief food for refugees in camp. c) Thousands of Angolan refugees arrive in Bas-Congo province fleeing renewed hostilities in Lunda Norte province in Angola
F. ETHIOPIA
1. Update - information as of 8 July a) Hostilities continue between Ethiopia and Eritrea; port of Assab attacked; escalation of fighting along the Mereb-Setit front. b) Food security situation deteriorating; a donors' assessment mission estimates some 5.3 million persons in need for food aid. c) WFP emergency operation (EMOP 6080) remains critically under-resourced; only 27.7 percent of its total food requirement received; donors requested to contribute. d) WFP delivered a total of 5,330 tons of mixed commodities for distribution to refugees from Sudan, Somalia and Kenya.
PART II - DETAILS
A. DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA
1. UPDATE - information as of 8 July
1.1 A joint FAO/WFP crop and food supply assessment mission was fielded to DPR Korea from 1-8 June to review an assessment made last October at the time of the main harvest. The Mission report, released on 29 June, reiterates concerns raised by earlier assessments, particularly regarding declining nutritional standards (see Nutrition Survey Report by the EU, UNICEF and WFP of a study undertaken in collaboration with the Government to DPRK November 1998, available at http://www.wfp.org/OP/Countries/dprk/assessment.html).
1.2 Based on production and commercial import estimates, and given the 642,000 tons of emergency food aid already delivered or in the pipeline, the report established the uncovered import requirement for the period November 1998/October 1999 at approximately 98,000 tons.
1.3 Even if the weather improves, food output this year will remain well below needs as productivity remains highly constrained by the lack of land, fertilizer and energy. Concern remains for the population in the north-eastern industrial parts of the country with limited agricultural production, to which WFP has already been channelling food.
1.4 DPR Korea experienced well below average rainfall in June causing a serious concern to agricultural experts. If there is no country-wide rain in a few days this year's harvest will be adversely affected.
1.5 The full report of the FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission is available on the Web at <http://www.fao.org/giews/english/alertes/sptoc.htm>.
B. FR YUGOSLAVIA AND REGION - KOSOVO CRISIS
1. UPDATE - information as of 9 July
1.1 Kosovo refugees continue their journey home. As of 8 July, 628,800 had returned and 127,600 remained outside Kosovo. At the same time, the movement of Kosovo Serbs to Montenegro and Central Serbia continues.
1.2 WFP has opened six sub-office in Kosovo and inaugurated its plane service to Pristina on 8 July available daily from Rome with stopovers in Tirana and Skopje. On 8 July WFP fielded a mission to Central Serbia to assess food needs for the most vulnerable populations affected by war. WFP is scaling down its operations in Albania and FYR of Macedonia, as refugees go back to Kosovo.
1.3 Details of WFP relief operations in the Balkans are available in the Balkan Operations Weekly Brief at <http://www.wfp.org>. Click on Kosovo Alert, then on Weekly Brief.
C. AFGHANISTAN
1. UPDATE - information as of 8 July
1.1 According to a FAO/WFP report based on a recent crop and food assessment mission to Afghanistan, more than 1 million people in Afghanistan will need relief and rehabilitation assistance over the next 18 months because of a sharp reduction in cereal production this year. The report forecasts that the cereal production will drop to 3.24 million tons, or 16 percent below the average. The drop is due to bad climatic conditions, increased pest infestations and a trend among farmers to turn to the cultivation of more lucrative crops. Cereal import requirements for the next 12 months are estimated at a record 1.1 million tons, of which more than 95 per cent is wheat. As commercial cereal imports reach just 800,000 tons, there is a shortfall of 323,000 tons. WFP has already procured 97,000 tons of emergency food aid, but the FAO/WFP crop and food supply assessment mission finds that further food aid is needed to cover the remaining deficit of 226,000 tons which is especially hard on the poor and vulnerable categories of population. The full document of the report is available at <http://www.wfp.org>, go to field operations, then Afghanistan.
1.2 Insecurity is high in some parts of central, western and northern Afghanistan. An increase in troop movements through Herat, in western Afghanistan, and Kabul city has been reported. Intense fighting is reported to have broken out on the outskirts of Herat.
1.3 The Government of Uzbekistan has agreed to allow the delivery of humanitarian assistance by barge across the Amu river into Balk Province of northern Afghanistan. This agreement will permit the movement of WFP commodities into Mazar where the sub-office is being re-established. All international UN personnel were evacuated from the area in the autumn of 1997. In addition, assurances have been received that international UN personnel will be allowed to cross over into that country in case of an emergency.
1.4 The second phase of the Central Highlands emergency distribution of1,850 tons of wheat and 308 tons of blended food started on July 8 to some 12,330 families.
1.5 UNHCR has reported that less than 2,000 Afghan refugees have returned from Iran since the beginning of the year. The expected return of 120,000 Afghans for 1999 has been scaled back to 60,000. WFP, in a joint WFP/UNHCR project, is providing 300 kg of wheat per returning family.
D. EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA: BURUNDI, TANZANIA, UGANDA, D.R. CONGO AND CONGO/BRAZZAVILLE
1. BURUNDI
1.1 Following the security incident on 30 June in which a WFP vehicle was ambushed and WFP staff member was shot, it was decided at the Security Management Meeting on 5 July that the UN agencies will extend the suspension of their activities outside Bujumbura until the next review of the security situation on 12 July. NGO activities continue but at a smaller scale.
1.2 This year, WFP aims to provide 50,000 tons of food aid to more than 300,000 internally displaced and vulnerable people in Burundi at a cost of USD 46 million.
2. TANZANIA - information as of 9 July
2.1 Refugees continue to arrive in Tanzania fleeing fighting in eastern Congo. Over the past week 5,900 Congolese refugees were registered at Kibirizi reception centre. After registration, refugees are settled in Nyaruguu and Lugufu refugee camps. Owing to the resulting congestion in the camps, which causes sanitary and environmental hazards, efforts are being made to augment existing facilities to cater for the increasing caseload. There are ongoing discussions between UNHCR and Government authorities for the provision of additional sites to settle refugees. A total of 68,400 Congolese refugees have been registered since January this year. WFP provides food aid to refugees.
2.2 The caseload for food aid planning purposes is increasing at a rate of 10,000 per week, and is now much higher than the caseload on which the current food aid budgets are based. The pipeline and resourcing projections are being adjusted accordingly.
2.3 WFP has recently approved a school feeding programme to support primary education in drought-prone and pastoralist areas. The programme will assist some 79,150 beneficiaries for a duration of 24 months with a total project cost of approximately USD 7 million. Chronic food insecurity and frequent droughts are the major causes in preventing many children from attending schools. The project is expected to build up local capacity for school feeding and enhance awareness of gender issues at schools and amongst local communities.
3. UGANDA
3.1 Reports received from Bundibugyo, south western Uganda, indicate that 10 persons have been killed and an unspecified number abducted during a recent rebel attack. The recent attacks follow the Government's initiative to resettle the displaced persons at sites close to their home villages and fields. The Government wanted to enable IDPs to access local food resources, namely cassava (manioc) and matoke (plantain) to supplement the food aid rations.
3.2 In Bundibugyo district the Ugandan army has recently started providing security for WFP convoys. It is expected that the deliveries will be doubled and reach 800 tons a month, starting next week. As a result of recent attacks on civilians in Bundibugyo, an estimated 90,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes, many of them subsistence farmers who are now unable to feed themselves. WFP resumed food deliveries to the area in May after a three-week suspension caused by a worsening security situation.
3.3 Insecurity, limited resourcing and logistical constraints have hindered operations in the south western region. Relief organizations are having difficulties to reach all the people in need of food aid. WFP and ICRC have agreed to set a joint team responsible for monitoring, planning and implementation to ensure that people most in need receive sufficient food and non-food assistance.
4. D.R. CONGO AND CONGO/BRAZZAVILLE - information as of 25 June
4.1 Military activities in Katanga province have forced thousands of people to abandon their homes and property. Local authorities in Lubumbashi are apprehensive about the massive population movement fearing that the displaced persons may seek refuge in town, where no assistance is available. Currently, there are 6,250 displaced persons in Lubumbashi.
4.2 UNHCR has set up a transit camp in Mbanza-Ngungu, 150 km from Kinshasa in D.R. Congo, for new and returning refugees from the Pool region in Brazzaville escaping the heavy fighting between the Government and rebel troops in Congo/Brazzaville. WFP is providing relief food to the refugees in the camp.
4.3 Thousands of Angolan refugees have arrived in Bas-Congo province fleeing renewed hostilities in Lunda Norte province in Angola. A joint UN verification mission will visit Bas-Congo to assess the situation. Since early May 1998, insecurity and political instability in Angola prompted thousands of people to seek asylum in D.R. Congo. WFP has been providing food aid to the Angolan refugees.
E. ETHIOPIA
1. UPDATE - information as of 8 July
1.1 Hostilities continued between Ethiopia and Eritrea, with the port city of Assab being attacked by Ethiopia in late June and the escalation of fighting along the Mereb-Setit front.
1.2 Food security situation continues to deteriorate. It is not yet clear how many people have been affected. The Government estimates the number at 4.6 million (of whom, approximately 400,000 are IDPs). A recent donors' assessment mission reports the number to be 5.3 million. This increase was reported as a result of four joint Government-donor assessments carried out during June to several parts of the country, all of which reported the need for food aid intervention over the coming months.
1.3 The WFP emergency operation (EMOP 6080) which provides food assistance to 272,000 Ethiopians internally displaced by the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, remains critically under-resourced. To date, the WFP operation which started in March and was planned to be completed by December received only 27.7 percent of its total food requirement. Further donor contributions are requested. The only commodity received by IDPs is cereals, with the expectation of supplementary food and oil being distributed during July.
1.4 WFP delivered a total of 5,330 tons of mixed commodities for distribution to 265,778 refugees from Sudan (63,909); Somalia (196,929) and Kenya (4,940) during the month of June.
1.5 Return packages for 1,474 Ethiopian returnees from Debab, Kenya have been delivered with people expected to arrive in early July. The total quantity is 243.80 tons.
Note: all tonnage figures in report above refer to metric tons
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 27 of 1999 - July 9, 1999)
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