Report No. 43 of 1999 Date: 29 October 1999
This report includes: A) Indonesia - East Timor B) Angola C) Sierra Leone D) Burundi 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. INDONESIA - EAST TIMOR
1. Update - information as of 27 October a) New WFP emergency operation (EMOP 6177) approved, for 413,000 victims of civil strife in East Timor; cost USD 21.6 million, duration six months, total food requirement 25,805 metric tons; full rations to be provided for 225,000 people expected to be almost fully dependent on food aid; another 188,000 people with more access to food to receive half rations; supplementary rations to be provided for children-under-five, pregnant women, nursing mothers and elderly persons. b) UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal released on 27 October contains 48 projects requiring USD 183 million for East Timor and 16 projects (USD 16 million) for West Timor; some 40 humanitarian agencies currently work in East Timor and more than 15 in West Timor; WFP share is USD 46 million of total USD 199 million requirement of the Consolidated Appeal. c) UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) established by UN Security Council on 27 October.
B. ANGOLA
1. Update - information as of 25 October a) Benguela: WFP to resume flights in Catumbela after two months suspension due to insecurity. b) Huambo: According to SCF/UK registration, some 200,000 residents and IDPs in city of Huambo are food insecure; WFP starts food distribution to approximately 19,000 in Calomanda, together with partner SCF/UK. c) Uige: A survey by the NGO CUAMM finds malnutrition rate of 43 percent among IDP children under five in Negage; increasing number of IDPs and residents reported to be attending nutritional and therapeutic feeding centres. d) New IDP movements: Huila - some 800 new IDPs arrive in Hoque from Caconda, mostly women, children and elderly; Lunda Sul - new 550 IDPs registered in Saurimo, bringing total of new arrivals in area to 1,360 last week. e) UK contribution of USD 6 million received for the WFP emergency operation (EMOP 6138).
C. SIERRA LEONE
1. Update - information as of 28 October a) Clashes reported between RUF and AFRC in Makeni and Lunsar; NGO assets looted last week in Makeni during fighting; WFP postpones needs assessment mission to Kambia district due to insecurity. b) A WFP/WVI mission to Daru and Kailahun is planned for early November. c) Total EU contribution to WFP protracted relief and recovery operation (PRRO 4604.07) is USD 17 million, for Sierra Leone and Sierra Leonean refugees in neighbouring countries.
D. BURUNDI
1. Update - information as of 27 October a) UN operations in Burundi still suspended; UN agencies discuss with Government how to ensure necessary security for humanitarian and UN staff; suspension imposed after killings on 12 October of WFP and UNICEF staff members in Rutana. b) More fighting reported in Bujumbura Rural. c) UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast starts two-week mission to Africa in Burundi.
E. ETHIOPIA
1. Update - information as of 28 October a) WFP emergency operation (EMOP 6080) received pledge of 10,000 tons of maize from the US in September; while other commodities resourced, cereal shortfall is currently 16,000 tons. b) Under WFP emergency operation (EMOP 6143), designed for 1.2 million people affected by crop failure, WFP food now being distributed to over 3 million people. c) Estimated additional 1.6 million people will need food aid for last quarter of 1999. d) FAO/WFP preparing for joint UN/Government/donor assessment of Meher crop in November-December.
PART II - DETAILS
A. INDONESIA - EAST TIMOR
1. UPDATE - information as of 27 October
1.1 New WFP Emergency Operation (EMOP 6177)
a) On 1 November WFP will start a new emergency operation (EMOP 6177) to provide food assistance for East Timorese victims of the civil strife which followed the independence vote on 30 August. The new operation, which was approved on 26 October, will provide 25,805 metric tons of food aid for 413,000 beneficiaries at a total cost of USD 21.6 million over a period of six months.
b) This operation follows the initial emergency operation (EMOP 6175) which was designed to provided emergency food assistance to 150,000 persons for the first two months of the East Timor crisis.
c) The new operation will provide full rations for a total of 225,000 people without sufficient resources to either produce or purchase food, who are expected to be almost completely dependent on food aid. The remaining caseload of 188,000 beneficiaries will be those who have some access to alternative sources of food and will receive half rations. In order to avoid dependency, WFP intends to shift gradually from relief distributions to food-for-work distributions. Furthermore, special provisions are made under this operation for children-under-five, pregnant women, nursing mothers and elderly persons who will receive supplementary rations.
d) WFP food assistance will be distributed mainly through non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including CARE, Caritas, World Vision International and German Agro Action, which whom WFP has already established working relations under the initial emergency operation.
e) The principal aim of the new operation is to provide adequate nutritional support for six months to displaced and returning populations who have lost most of their livelihoods and were unable to engage in agricultural activities. Most of the displaced rely on agriculture as their main source of income and to meet their food needs. Maize, the main staple crop, is planted in November, and it is feared that many rural displaced populations will not return to their land in time to sow, or will not have access to seeds.
1.2 An FAO/WFP crop and food supply assessment mission to East Timor is planned for late November.
1.3 The UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for East Timor was released on 27 October, in Geneva, New York and Dili. This Appeal covers emergency and transitional programmes for the nine-month period from 15 October 1999 until end June 2000. It contains 48 projects requiring approximately USD 183 million for East Timor and 16 projects requiring USD 16 million for West Timor. At present, some 40 humanitarian agencies are active in East Timor and more than 15 in West Timor. The WFP share in the total USD 199 million requirement of the Consolidated Appeal is approximately USD 46 million.
1.4 The UN Security Council adopted on 26 October a resolution establishing a UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). The UN administration will comprise three main components: governance and public administration, humanitarian assistance and emergency rehabilitation, and a military component. The military component will have a strength of up to 8,950 troops and up to 200 military observers. Civilian police will be part of the public administration component with a strength of up to 1,640 officers.
1.5 Distributions of WFP food in East and West Timor continue at various locations, including border crossing points for displaced people returning from West to East Timor. WFP food is being distributed with the help of INTERFET to 4,000 people in the enclave of Oekussi (Tetun name of Ambeno). At a first general distribution in Suai, WFP food was given to 5,500 people. General distributions are planned for some 20,000 people in Same. The WFP helicopter continues to transport food and non-food items and personnel to areas either difficult to access or where road convoys have not been given security clearance to travel.
B. ANGOLA
1. UPDATE - information as of 25 October
1.1 Over the last week, the Government reported that its forces had seized Nharea, a third city in the Central Highlands after Bailundo and Andulo.
1.2 An increased number of mine accidents is being reported in the Central Highlands. During the first three weeks of October, 10 accidents were reported around the city of Luena (Moxico Province), in which 13 civilians were killed. On 21 October, a truck contracted by WFP for the transport of food hit an anti-personnel mine close to the city of Malange. WFP will evaluate the security situation very carefully before increasing road transport in the Central Highlands.
1.3 Benguela: On 27 October, WFP received guarantees from a senior military authority at the air base in Catumbela that the security level was sufficient for WFP air cargo and passenger transport operations to proceed safely. A successful WFP test flight without cargo was made to Balombo airport after a two-month suspension due to security problems. As soon as WFP air capacity allows, support activities to priority programmes in Balombo and Ganda, such as nutritional and therapeutic centres, school canteens and collective kitchens, will resume.
1.4 Huambo: Save the Children Fund/UK has completed the registration of residents and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the city of Huambo. According to the preliminary estimates, there are some 200,000 food insecure IDPs and residents in Huambo municipality; final figures are expected next week. Due to the high incidence of malnutrition in Huambo (16.7 percent global malnutrition rate registered in September), precise criteria to define food insecure beneficiaries have been applied for the registration process. On 26 October, with the collaboration of its implementing partner SCF/UK, WFP started food distribution to approximately 19,000 beneficiaries in Calomanda.
1.5 Uige: A survey carried out by the Italian NGO CUAMM revealed a malnutrition rate of 43 percent among IDP children under five years of age in Negage. WFP will provide food to 2,030 children through supplementary feeding in six collective kitchens to be opened and managed by CUAMM. An increasing number of both IDPs and residents are reported to attend nutritional and therapeutic feeding centres which capacity is no longer sufficient. ICRC is building a new nutritional centre which will be run with WFP food.
1.6 New IDP movements:
a) Huila: Some 800 new IDPs who had arrived in Hoque from the municipality of Caconda at the beginning of October have been registered for the next WFP food distribution. They are mainly malnourished women, elderly people and children under five years of age with high rates of malaria, anaemia and diarrhoea. The composition of WFP food rations will take into account the nutritional status of new beneficiaries.
b) Lunda Sul: Over the last two days, 547 new IDPs have reportedly been registered in Saurimo. Other concentrations of IDPs are being reported in Catoca, a mining town north-west of Saurimo. In all, 1,363 new IDPs have reportedly been registered over the last week and more population displacements are expected to the west of Saurimo in the next month. WFP has obtained security clearance to visit the areas and assess the actual numbers and food aid needs.
c) Uige: Last week, 193 new IDPs coming from Sanza Pombo were assisted in Uige with WFP food. The IDPs - whose numbers have rapidly increased in the province over the past four months - and residents compete for food, the more so as high prices limit access to major products, such as rice and beans, the prices of which have increased by 33 and 15 percent respectively in one week.
1.7 During the week of 18-23 October, WFP Angola delivered a total of some 1,710 tons of food and non food items by air, while some 660 tons of food commodities were transported by road from Luanda to both Malange and Dondo; in addition 18 tons were distributed by road in Luanda and Bengo provinces.
1.8 The expected arrival of an EU donation of 15,000 tons of maize has been delayed and will not reach Angola until the end of December. WFP Angola will be making local/regional purchases of cereals to prevent a break in the pipeline in December.
1.9 WFP has recently received a new contribution from the UK's DFID (Department for International Development) of USD 6 million for its ongoing emergency operation (EMOP 6138). Other major contributions for this operation have been made by the US and the EU. The UK donation will be used to provide over 8,000 tons of various food commodities.
C. SIERRA LEONE
1. UPDATE - information as of 28 October
1.1 According to recent reports, clashes continue between supporters of Foday Sankoh's RUF and Johnny Paul Koroma's AFRC in Makeni and in Lunsar. During the fighting in Makeni last week food, trucks and other assets belonging to NGOs in the area were looted. Some NGO staff left Magburaka for Mile 91 due to the insecurity in Makeni. ECOMOG could not grant road security clearance for WFP to deliver 60 tons of food from Freetown to Lungi via Rogberi and Port Loko. Also as a result of the security situation, WFP has put on hold its planned needs assessment mission to Kambia district in the north. WFP implementing partner MSF/Holland is providing limited health and nutritional programmes in Kambia using transport by sea for both supplies and personnel. As soon as security improves, WFP will go ahead with the mission.
1.2 WFP in collaboration with World Vision International is considering another mission to start food-for-work projects on the road to Daru, Kailahun district in the east. The needs of the vulnerable groups in Daru will also be addressed. The mission is tentatively planned for the first week of November once all security clearances have been obtained. WFP has been meeting with the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) in Freetown regarding the rehabilitation of roads between Kenema and Daru, and north to Kailahun
1.3 In addition to 6,000 tons donation announced in the WFP Emergency Report no. 42, the EU confirmed further quantities, bringing its current donation to a total of USD 17 million for the protracted relief and recovery operation (PRRO 4604.07) for Sierra Leone and Sierra Leonean refugees in neighbouring countries (10,000 tons of cereals, 1,000 tons of vegetable oil, 500 tons of sugar, 2,500 tons of pulses, 3,000 tons of blended food).
D. BURUNDI
1. UPDATE - information as of 27 October
1.1 The UN operations in Burundi remain suspended. The UN agencies' representatives are considering together with the government authorities security measures which could ensure safety of the UN and other humanitarian staff. UN agencies have reduced the numbers of their international staff members. All the UN activities have been temporarily suspended as a result of the killing of two UN staff members (WFP and UNICEF) on 12 October in Rutana in south-eastern Burundi.
1.2 Security is still troubled in some areas of the country with rebel infiltrations reported in the eastern part of Burundi. Fighting continues in Bujumbura Rural province and civilian populations are still in regroupment camps. However, ambushes on main roads have decreased but the outskirts of Bujumbura remain insecure.
1.3 The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast started on 29 October a two-week mission to Africa to discuss ways to revive peace efforts in Burundi. The visit was prompted by the deteriorating political and security situation in Burundi and by the death of former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, who was the facilitator of the Burundi peace talks.
E. ETHIOPIA
1. UPDATE - information as of 28 October
1.1 WFP operations for populations affected by the border conflict with Eritrea
a) WFP emergency operation (EMOP 6080) received an additional pledge of 10,000 tons of maize from the US in September, to assist populations displaced by the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Although other commodities (pulses, blended food, oil, salt, sugar) have been fully or almost fully resourced, the total cereal commitment to this project is some 20,510 tons or 56 percent of the required 36,720 tons of cereals. With a shortfall of over 16,000 tons, currently no cereals are available and the need to secure additional resources remains critical.
1.2 WFP operations for populations affected by crop failure
a) WFP emergency operation (EMOP 6143) was launched in June to meet the needs of some 1.2 million people affected by crop failure. To date, over 75,000 tons of WFP food (73 percent of the total tonnage to be resourced by WFP) has been distributed or is under distribution, to over 3 million people. This significant increase in the coverage of beneficiaries compared to the planning figures has resulted in a decrease in ration size, with entire families receiving only 10 to 12.5 kg of food aid per month regardless of the number of family members.
b) Based on reports from the joint assessment teams who had visited various parts of the country, and information from the regional offices of the Government Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Commission (DPPC) concerning the condition in pastoral areas, it is estimated that an additional 1.6 million people require assistance for the last quarter of 1999. WFP is preparing a budget revision to generate additional resources for an increased number of beneficiaries.
c) WFP is working closely with FAO and Government agencies on the preparations for the forthcoming joint UN/Government/donor Meher harvest assessment, with 20 assessment teams scheduled to travel to all regions throughout the country (including three pastoral areas) in November-December.
Note: all tonnage figures in report above refer to metric tons
(End WFP Emergency Report No. 43 of 1999 - October 29, 1999)
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