Report No. 41 of 1999 Date: 15 October 1999
This report includes: A) Burundi B) Tanzania C) Angola D) Djibouti E) Afghanistan F) Indonesia - East Timor.
>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. BURUNDI
1. Update - information as of 14 October a) On 12 October, two UN staff, WFP head of logistics for Burundi and UNICEF country representative, killed during UN assessment mission to Rutana, south-eastern Burundi; temporary suspension of UN activities followed. b) Bodies of the deceased returned to Bujumbura on a WFP flight, accompanied by the other mission members. c) On 14 October, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs travelled to Burundi to evaluate impact of incident on humanitarian operations. d) Before suspension of humanitarian activities, WFP teams assessed 18 sites for regrouped persons in Bujumbura Rural and distributed 127 tons of food to 14,860 persons.
B. TANZANIA
1. Update - information as of 14 October a) Some 4,200 refugees from Burundi arrived in Kigoma in October fleeing fighting in Makamba, Rutanda, Ngozi and Mrarya provinces in Burundi; new refugees transferred to Nduta camp in Kibondo; WFP provides them with high-energy biscuits. b) WFP, UNHCR and NGOs currently revising contingency plan for more refugee arrivals if situation deteriorates in Burundi. c) Julius Nyerere, former Tanzanian president and mediator in Burundi peace talks, died on 14 October in London.
C. ANGOLA
1. Update - information as of 14 October a) Uige: WFP sets up collective kitchens in Negage and in Uige for most vulnerable; according to CUAMM (NGO) survey, malnutrition rate in Negage was 36 percent in September. b) Huambo: WFP provided 64 tons of millet for SCF-UK for distribution; distribution by WFP of family rations to families of malnourished resident children continues until re-registration is completed. c) Landmines continue to be security concern: a ICRC-operated truck detonated on 13 October, but no casualties. d) Some 51,000 IDPs in Matala and 4,700 in Quipungo receive WFP food distributed by NRC. e) Benguela: security in Balombo improved and distribution of WFP food through implementing partners (GAA, ADPP, CRS and Caritas) to resume. f) Luanda: WFP started distribution of cooked rations for 1,350 children in school canteens in the periphery of the city.
D. DJIBOUTI - DROUGHT
1. Update - information as of 14 October a) WFP launches emergency operation for 30,000 drought-affected in Djibouti; an initial 410 tons of food, including rice, sugar and blended foods, funded from WFP Immediate Response Account (IRA).
E. AFGHANISTAN
1. Update - information as of 14 October a) Panjshir Valley: food, clothing and shelter urgently needed for IDPs as winter approaching; IDPs live on host population's crops not yet ready for harvesting; some 20,000 people believed to be without shelter. b) Last week no humanitarian access to 65,000 IDPs in Panjshir Valley due to fighting in the northern province of Takhar. c) WFP trucks currently mobilized to move through Anjuman into Pansjahir; snow already falling in higher areas of valley. d) Thirty work permits received this week in Kabul for WFP female staff and health educators. e) Military coup d'etat on 12 October in Pakistan makes no impact on UN humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.
F. INDONESIA - EAST TIMOR
1. Update - information as of 15 October a) Some 660 displaced people return from West Timor to Dili 8-10 October on four UNHCR flights; returnee families receive 50 kg of WFP rice each; WVI distributed 30 tons of WFP rice to returnees at the stadium in Dili. UNAMET assisted WFP distribution to returnees at Kampong Mosque in Dili. b) WFP convoy to Los Palos delivered over 10 tons of rice to CNRT and Catholic Church; another five tons were delivered to Fauloro. c) On 14 October UNHCR flight with 300 returnees from Jakarta arrived in Baucau. d) A total of 42 WFP staff now deployed in East Timor operation.
PART II - DETAILS
A. BURUNDI
1. UPDATE - information as of 14 October
1.1 UN operations in Burundi are suspended for three days following the killings in Rutana on 12 October of two UN staff members by armed men believed to be Hutu rebels. The victims were the WFP head of logistics in Burundi Saskia Von Meijenfeldt and the UNICEF country representative Luis Zuniga. UN agencies extended the initial 24-hour suspension of humanitarian operations declared for 12 October until Friday 15 October. The UN agencies will meanwhile assess what changes are needed to allow the UN to resume operations and to ensure a safe working environment for its workers.
1.2 At the request of Government authorities and upon reports of a worsening humanitarian situation, an inter-agency assessment mission comprising UNICEF, WFP and UNDP had travelled to Rutana, a province in south-eastern Burundi, on 12 October. The assessment team, escorted by a group of Burundian military, arrived in Muzye, a site about 12 km from the airport, hosting some 4,000 IDPs. There, the team immediately surrounded by some 35 armed men who opened fire, killing four of the soldiers escorting the team. The team members were then lined up against a wall and robbed, after which two UN staff were shot in the head and one was wounded, while the others managed to escape. Seven other people were also killed in the incident.
1.3 After the incident, the bodies of the deceased and the other mission members were flown back from Rutana to Bujumbura on a WFP flight.
1.4 The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs travelled to Burundi on 14 October, two days after the incident in Rutana. He was to meet representatives of the humanitarian community, concerned diplomats, and high level Government representatives in order to assess the humanitarian implications of the incident.
1.5 Until the suspension of humanitarian activities, WFP teams had assessed a total of 18 sites for regrouped persons in Bujumbura Rural and had successfully distributed 127 tons of food to 14,860 persons. Distributions were being planned for another 138,400 persons considered to be in need of food assistance.
B. TANZANIA
1. UPDATE - information as of 14 October
1.1 Some 4,200 refugees from Burundi who arrived in Kigoma area in October have been transferred to Nduta camp in Kibondo District where they have been registered. WFP is providing high-energy biscuits for newly arrived refugees and has further 56 tons in stock in Kigoma.
1.2 The camp of Nduta had reached its maximum capacity and cannot receive any more refugees. UNHCR is trying to identify empty plots in existing camps in Kibondo District such as Mtendeli camp and exploring the possibility of extending Mtendeli.
1.3 The influx started on 1 October when some 1,200 Burundians crossed into Kigoma area. During the four subsequent days, an estimated 3,000 Burundians were reported to have crossed into Tanzania, fleeing the offensive of the Burundian army against rebel-controlled pockets. Fighting was reported in Makamba, Rutanda, Ngozi and Mrarya Provinces.
1.4 By 10 October, the number of new arrivals had dropped significantly. This was attributed partly to the strong Burundi military presence at the Tanzania-Burundi border prohibiting any movement from Burundi to Tanzania. Some 630 refugees were assisted in returning, most of them women and children, out of fear of attacks on the refugee camps by the Burundian military.
1.5 The situation in the region remains volatile and new arrivals are possible. WFP, UNHCR and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are currently engaged in a revision of a contingency plan in the event that the situation deteriorates in Burundi and are trying to identify suitable sites to accommodate new arrivals.
1.6 Julius Nyerere, former Tanzanian president, the mediator in the Burundi peace talks, and an important national and regional political figure, died on 14 October in London.
C. ANGOLA
1. UPDATE - information as of 14 October
1.1 Uige: New internally displaced persons (IDPs) arrived in Uige last week and their number has not been established. WFP has set up collective kitchens (six in Negage and two in Uige) to assist the most vulnerable and try and reduce the rate of global malnutrition which, according to the Italian NGO CUAMM survey, was 36 percent in Negage and 9 percent in Uige in September among the under-five IDP and resident children.
1.2 Malange: A WFP mission visited Malange on 13 October and met with implementing partners in order to reassess the caseload and include those needy who had been left out of the assistance programmes before. WFP will continue to distribute half rations until all implementing partners agree on the figures of beneficiaries to be assisted.
1.3 Bie: The lack of seeds and tools, combined with the fact that the military tension is increasing now, during the planting season, hampers the agricultural resettlement of approximately 14,000 IDP families in the framework of food-for-work activities with WFP commodities.
1.4 Huambo:
a) Representatives of WFP and implementing partners have met to define a common strategy to reduce the high global malnutrition rate of 17 percent registered in September in the municipalities of Huambo and Caala. It has been decided that cooperation between therapeutic centres and supplementary feeding centres should be strengthened. In addition, nine new NGO-run nutritional centres are planned to open. Last week, WFP has provided Save the Children Fund/UK with some 64 tons of millet for this initiative. WFP continues to distribute family rations to the families of malnourished resident children in the city of Huambo until distribution starts. SCF/WFP started registering persons entitled to receive food aid last week and the process was expected to be completed on 16 October.
b) Landmines continue to be a grave security concern. On 13 October, a lorry operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) detonated an anti-tank landmine near the city of Huambo, but no casualties were reported in the incident.
1.5 Huila: new IDPs have been reported in Matala and Hoque. A WFP/OIKOS/ MINARS mission visited the area to assess the situation and confirmed the presence of 285 new families in Matala and 700 new IDPs in Hoque. Some 51,020 IDPs in Matala and 4,700 in Quipungo are receiving WFP food distributed by NRC (Norwegian Refugee Council). Under the current WFP food-for-work activities, schools and latrines are being built in both Matala and Hoque.
1.6 Kuando Kubango: Following the conclusions of the WFP mission who visited Menonge last week to assess the distribution capacity of implementing partners, it was decided that WFP would carry out the distribution operations. WFP is now arranging the registration process of people in need and identifying local experienced workers to carry out the distribution operations.
1.7 Benguela: Following the improvement of the security situation in the Municipality of Balombo, WFP implementing partners including German Agro Action (GAA), Humana People to People (ADPP), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Caritas, which had been evacuated three months ago, will resume the distribution of WFP commodities.
1.8 Luanda: Last week, 6,015 beneficiaries received some 80 tons of food from WFP (2,145 vulnerable persons, 3,795 IDPs and 75 workers on rehabilitation projects). In the framework of an agreement signed between WFP and the Ministry of Education, WFP has started to provide cooked rations to 1,350 children in school canteens located in the periphery of the city of Luanda.
D. DJIBOUTI - DROUGHT
1. UPDATE - information as of 14 October
1.1 WFP has started an emergency food intervention to assist some 30,000 people affected by drought in Djibouti. An initial 410 tons of food, including rice, sugar and blended foods, are being funded through WFP's Immediate Response Account (IRA).
1.2 Drought is causing serious food insecurity in five districts, three of which border Ethiopia and Eritrea, with women, children and the elderly being the most affected. Although drought in Djibouti is a cyclical phenomenon, the current situation is considered especially serious. Findings of a joint WFP/Government assessment mission indicate that 80,000 to 100,000 people will be in urgent need of food relief in the coming six months, if climatic conditions do not improve.
E. AFGHANISTAN
1. UPDATE - information as of 14 October
1.1 Panjshir Valley
a) Food, clothing and shelter materials are urgently required by displaced people in the Panjshir Valley as harsh winter weather conditions are approaching. Most of the displaced left their homes in the Shomali Plains with few, if any, of their possessions and do not have warm clothing or sufficient food to carry them through until the spring. The sudden influx of population into the valley since early August has put a strain on the resources available in the valley, which normally imports up to 35 percent of its cereal needs. Reports continue of the displaced living off the host population's crops not yet ready for harvesting. In addition, close to 20,000 people are believed to be living in the open while another group has taken shelter in public buildings which provide insufficient protection from cold weather.
b) For the past week, international aid agencies including WFP have not had access to approximately 65,000 internally displaced currently in the Panjshir Valley due to fighting between Taliban and Northern Alliance troops in the northern province of Takhar. Fighting continues to be reported in the area and more people are believed to be moving east towards Faizabad city.
c) WFP trucks are currently being mobilized for moving through the Anjuman into the Panjshir. The route to the valley is accessible by truck May through November and is closed for the remaining five months because of heavy snowfalls. The UN team currently located at the UN base camp in Bazarak, in the central part of the valley, reports that snow is already falling in higher areas of the valley.
d) WFP is transporting its second shipment of 500 tons of wheat to the valley along the Anjuman. This stock is intended for distribution to the most vulnerable amongst the displaced and host population in order to cover minimum food needs over the coming months. To supplement these stocks, WFP recently completed the local purchase of 100 tons of wheat which had been transported into the valley by commercial traders. An additional purchase of 500 tons has been authorized by the Country Office and will be carried out in the coming days.
e) Contrary to recent news reports, there has been no confirmation of deaths of over 300 displaced people, mostly children, due to malnutrition and cholera.
1.2 Kabul
a) Approximately 60,000 IDPs are believed to have arrived in the capital since 5 August when intense fighting broke out in the Shomali Plains between Taliban forces and Northern Alliance troops. Recent reports indicate that some displaced may still be arriving in the city. Close to 13,000 displaced people have sought shelter in the former Soviet Embassy compound. Families have crowded into the compound's blocks of apartments which have been severely damaged by war and decay. WFP continues to provide a daily meal of corn soy blend porridge while families also receive bread provided by the local authorities. Blankets and other essential non-food items such as soap are also distributed.
b) Thirty work permits have been received this week in Kabul for WFP female staff and health educators working on the widow's bakery project. These permits are expected to allow WFP Afghan female staff to safely carry out programme activities.
1.3 The military coup d'etat on 12 October in Pakistan has not had an impact on the ongoing UN humanitarian operations in Afghanistan.
F. INDONESIA - EAST TIMOR
1. UPDATE - information as of 15 October
1.1 A total of 660 people displaced by civil strife from East to West Timor returned to Dili 8-10 October on four UNHCR flights. Each returnee family received 50 kg of rice provided by WFP and non-food items. World Vision International (WVI) has distributed more than 30 tons of WFP rice to returnees at the stadium in Dili and in the surrounding areas between 8 and 10 October. UNAMET assisted WFP distribution to returnees of 50 kg bags of rice at the Kampong Mosque in Dili on 10 October.
1.2 East Timor
a) A geographical breakdown by district has been agreed upon for NGO distributions. Caritas and CRS will distribute in Baucau and Viqueque districts; CARE in Los Palos, Ainaro, Manatuto and Dili; and WVI will be responsible for Ermera, Liquica and Aileu. Due to security concerns the districts of Kova Lima, Bobonaro and Manufahi have not been allocated to NGOs.
b) On 9 October a WFP convoy to Los Palos delivered over 10 tons of rice to CNRT (National Council for Timorese Resistance) and the Catholic Church representatives there. Another five tons were delivered to Fauloro. c) On 14 October the first flight of 300 returnees from Jakarta arrived in Baucau. The repatriation, organized by UNHCR and the International Organization for Migrations (IOM), is expected to bring back some 9,000 persons at a rate of three flights per day. Transport for returnees to East Timor will be organized from Surabaya, Denpasar (Bali) and Jakarta to Baucau and Dili.
d) A total of 42 WFP staff are now deployed in the East Timor operation (Dili, Baucau and Darwin).
e) Flights of the WFP airbridge carrying humanitarian staff depart from Kupang for Dili on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to facilitate connections with Surabaya, Denpasar and Jakarta.
Note: all tonnage figures in report above refer to metric tons
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 41 of 1999 - October 15, 1999)
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