The N.E.W.S. (Nexus of Early Warning Systems) is a monthly
publication aimed at decision-makers in Ireland, on the European
stage, and in the wider world, with an immediacy which comes through
the use of new technology. The N.E.W.S provides monthly summaries of
food security situations in selected developing countries. Each
month, researchers at the famine centre compile food security
information from the Internet and the World Wide Web. Currently, a
combination of an approximate twenty five web sites and situation
reports from various active organisations are accessed.
Food insecurity alone is not a satisfactory indicator of famine,
thus problems such as conflict and unfavourable climate are also
discussed. Once this information is collected, the editorial team
decide which countries are facing problems of food insecurity.
WFP has appealed for US$ 205 Million. So far, donors have
provided more than 70 percent of the total 1.4 million tonnes of food
aid that Ethiopia requires for 2003. But, without the 300,000 tonnes
still needed to feed drought-affected farmers for the remainder of
the year, WFP fears there will be a break in supplies in August. Over
130,000 tonnes of food aid were dispatched for 10 million Ethiopians
in March, but the risk of food stocks running out within a few months
saw the monthly cereal ration cut from the normal 15 kilograms per
person to 12.5 kg. WFP is also extremely concerned about the
insufficient availability of nutritious fortified blended foods to
assist malnourished children and mothers. To date, Ethiopia has
received little more than 50 percent of the almost 128,000 tonnes of
blended food stipulated for programmes run by WFP, DPPC and NGOs in
2003. Aid agencies have expressed concern that malnourished children
are being "slowly starved". Donors have been criticised for
overlooking the crisis in Africa (USAID,
29 April, 2003)(USAID
FEWS, 22 April, 2003)(IRIN,
22 April, 2003),(Addis
Tribune, 18 April, 2003),(The
Daily Monitor, 14 April, 2003).(United
Nations, New York)
In response to these appeals the United States Government have
pledged an additional 43,000 MT of food assistance. The food
assistance will be distributed by WFP
(Addis Tribune, 9 May, 2003).
The United States has already diverted some 50,000 mt of food aid
intended for Iraq to Ethiopia, "because of the concerns we have about
the prevailing drought" Ambassador Aurelia Brazeal revealed. The U.S.
diplomat stated that her government was appreciative of Ethiopia's
decision to support "the Coalition of the Willing" during the war on
Iraq (DPA,
14 May, 2003).
The Government, NGOs and UNICEF have expanded therapeutic feeding
interventions considerably in April to meet the needs of the
increasing numbers of malnourished children in several regions. 26
Therapeutic Feeding Centers (TFCs) are soon planned or are currently
in operation. Nutritional surveys recently carried out in Somali,
SNNPR and Oromiya regions can be viewed here (UNDP
EUE, 2 May, 2003).(Government
of Ethiopia, 24 April, 2003).
CRDA has handed over part of 4000 quintals of famix (highly
nutritious food), to three local NGOs engaged in the distribution of
relief food in areas affected by the current drought. The food will
be used in supplementary feeding programs for children in areas of
Amhara, SNNPRS, Oromia and Afar. Recent surveys by the DPPC have
revealed chronic malnutrition among children, women, and the elderly
in the areas (Addis
Tribune, 25 April, 2003).
Ethiopia and the World Bank have signed a Development Grant
Agreement to finance the Emergency Drought Recovery Project (EDRP).
Under the agreement, the International Development Association (IDA)
would provide USD $60 million to Ethiopia to implement the EDRP. The
EDRP is a three-year project and is expected to be effective by the
end of this month. It will be implemented in 35 selected
drought-prone woredas of Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, SNNPR, Somali and
Afar. The project will be managed by the Food Security Department of
the Ministry of Rural Development. Actual implementation will be
handled by the regions and beneficiary woredas (Addis
Tribune, 9 May, 2003).
The government of Sweden has said that it will be forced to
re-examine its support programs to Ethiopia if the country resumes
war with Eritrea. The statement came amid speculations that the two
countries could once again go to war as the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary
Commission recently made it clear that Badme, the flashpoint of the
two-year war, was on the Eritrean side of the border. Sweden and
Ethiopia recently signed a 1.5 billion birr grant agreement to
support Ethiopia's poverty reduction programmes (Addis
Tribune, 18 April, 2003),(Daily
Monitor, 15 April, 2003)
Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin has accused the independent
Boundary Commission of "belittling" Ethiopia's calls for changes to
the new border with Eritrea. Seyoum Mesfin has said his government
has the "right to reject unjust decisions" regarding the border with
Eritrea, but it will not resort to force. Eritrea has rejected any
notion of dialogue over the matter.(IRIN,
12 May, 2003),(IRIN,
14 April, 2003), (IRIN,
16 April, 2003).(Addis
Tribune, 11 April, 2003)(AFP,
18 April, 2003)
The resettlement of people from famine stricken areas to those
that are more food secure is having adverse impacts and in some areas
reached crisis point, due to a lack of organisation and preparation.
Problems are particularly acute in Bidre, Oromiya region (MSF,
12 May, 2003).
The resettlement programme has been endorsed by the government
and international donors through the PRSP (IRIN,
29 April, 2003).
A statement by Professor Mesfin Wolde-Mariam declares that the
causes of Ethiopia's successive famines are found in socio-economic
and political factors, rather than solely environmental.
Vulnerability to famine has been generated by the oppression and
exploitation of the peasants by despotic regimes and unfavourable
market forces (Addis
Tribune, 25 April, 2003).
Speakers of the House International Relations Committee have
blamed the policies of the Ethiopian government for the current
famine in country. In addition the donor community has been urged to
invest more in recovery and prevention initiatives while promoting
good government policies (Addis
Tribune, 11 April, 2003).
The Ethiopian Government is planning its own "Live Aid" Appeal.
It will be held in Addis Ababa on the 25 May, 2003. A number of stars
including Sade have been asked to appear. The organisers hope to
raise $1.7m for famine relief (Addis
Tribune, 25 April, 2003).
A new WFP Emergency Operation for Ethiopia (EMOP 10030.2),
"Relief Food Assistance to Small Scale Farmers and Drought-Affected
Pastoralists" has recently been approved (UNDP
EUE, 18 April, 2003).
IFRC is training up a team of fast response experts aimed at
tackling disasters in the Horn of Africa region and elsewhere. The
37-strong team will be used to combat crises such as the volcano
eruption that devastated Goma in eastern DRC or droughts in the
region. The training includes "hands on" disaster response activities
in the areas of health, relief, water and sanitation, logistics,
media relations, finance and administration (IRIN,
28 April, 2003).
High-ranking officials from the World Bank and WFP have met in
Addis Ababa to strengthen their cooperation. This will focus on food
security, emergency operations, school feeding, nutrition and
HIV/AIDS (The
Daily Monitor, 11 April, 2003).
Due to falling global coffee prices, Ethiopia's coffee farmers
are facing a crisis. Many have already turned to alternative crops
such as chat (IRIN,
9 April, 2003).
However, a number of initiatives have been established which
attempt to promote a fairer trade of coffee and its production
(Addis
Tribune, 2 May, 2003).
In addition, organic coffee production is offering opportunities.
Recently, coffee farmers in Kaffa Zone, south Ethiopia, have started
selling dried organic coffee to a German company, GEO (Addis
Tribune, 25 April, 2003).
Tamene Gossa, head of Emergency Water Resources at Ethiopia's
Water Resource Ministry has stated that poor water management has
contributed to Ethiopia's problems. It is hoped that a new
multi-billion dollar 15-year scheme will remedy this. US $7.2 billion
for is needed to finance the scheme (IRIN,
15 April, 2003).
There has been a call for the increased protection of
Intellectual Property. An office for Ethiopian Intellectual Property
was set up by the Government last year (The
Daily Monitor, 23 April, 2003).
Ethiopian police have shut down the Ambo Agricultural College,
located 125 km. west of Addis, following student unrest there. It has
been reported that one student was shot dead and two sustained
serious injuries in an incident described as a clash between students
from different ethnic groups, mainly Oromo and Tigrian students
(Addis
Tribune, 2 May, 2003)
UNICEF and Ethiopian government have started a campaign to tackle
mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, which has affected as many
as 200,000 children in Ethiopia (IRIN,
2 May, 2003).
The HIV/AIDS prevention and control office under the Prime
Ministers Office has formed a national partnership, to help it fight
AIDS in Ethiopia. The partnership (National Partnership Against Aids
in Ethiopia) forum, including NGOs, governmental offices, private
sectors faith based organizations and the media is aimed at helping
the society understand and protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. This
will complement the government's 5 year multi sectoral strategic
program funded by theWorld Bank, Government and other donors
(The Daily
Monitor, 24 April, 2003).
The Federal Drugs Administration and Control Authority this week
announced that Ethiopia and South Africa were selected from African
countries to produce Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs and, subsequently,
the Authority selected two factories in Ethiopia to produce ARV and
licensed 2,540 institutions involved in drug retails (Addis
Tribune, 18 April, 2003).
The number of AIDS orphans in Ethiopia is increasing alarmingly,
a survey conducted on the prevalence and characteristics of AIDS
orphans in the country has revealed. According to the study, by the
year 2010 among all the orphans the percentage of AIDS orphan in
Ethiopia will reach 43 per cent or 2.2 million from the current 26
per cent (Daily
Monitor, 9 April, 2003).
Ministry of Health has stated that over 40 million Ethiopians are
currently living under malaria risk throughout the country. Close to
six million malaria cases occur annually in the country (The
Daily Monitor, 24 April, 2003).
The role of NGOs in Ethiopia and their relationship with the
State have been discussed in a series of articles by John Graham
(head of SCF-UK in the country). He suggests that the long term
sustainability of NGOs, particularly INGOs, is being increasingly
challenged as donors move to providing aid through Direct Budget
Support with the Government (Addis
Tribune, 25 April, 2003).(Addis
Tribune, 18 April, 2003)(Addis
Tribune,11 April, 2003)
The charges against the head of Ethiopia's National Election
Board, Assefa Birru, who was arrested on charges of corruption, have
been dropped. Assefa faced a single charge of abuse of power and also
obstructing the work of the two-year-old anti-corruption commission.
At least 24 anti-corruption cases are still pending in Ethiopia
involving several hundred people (IRIN,
5 May, 2003)(IRIN,
30 April, 2003).
More than 1,000 people were victims of "unlawful killings" in
Ethiopia last year - many at the hands of the security forces, the US
State Department has stated (IRIN,
10 April., 2003).
The deputy minister of general education, Dereje Terefe, has
declared that Ethiopia aims to harness alternative basic education as
a way of tackling the millions of children left out of school. He
stressed that non-formal education (aided by the decentralisation
process) was vital if the government is to achieve education for all
by 2015
(IRIN, 30 April, 2003).
USAID had allocated an additional fund valued at US 3.28 million
for an expanded education program in Ethiopia as of May 1 this year.
According to Save the Children US (SC/US), the fund would be
implemented through SC/US with its partners CARE, World Learning and
Goal to "mitigate the impact of the current drought" (Addis
Tribune, 9 May, 2003).
A forum that discussed the new draft press law was held at the UN
Conference Hall on 16th April. Civil society groups and others
expressed concern that the law needed amending before it is approved
by parliament. Not least the law imposes strong restrictions on the
free press and denies political parties forums for discussion
(International
Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearing House, Toronto, 23 April,
2003).
The lack of adequate Foreign Direct Investment in Ethiopia is
said to have had an adverse effect on the economy and will continue
to do so. The escalating corruption and lack of transparency, weak
communication system, absence of property rights, the slow pace of
privatization, non-liberalized financing sectors and large size of
non-performing loans among others were some of the serious problems
the country is facing to day (Addis
Tribune, 18 April, 2003).
The Ethiopian government has committed itself to boosting the
private sector in the country and has acknowledged that investment in
the country is low (IRIN,
14 April, 2003).
Eritrea
The drought situation in Eritrea continues to have serious
humanitarian consequences throughout the country. Livestock, one of
the main sources of livelihood for many rural households, are
suffering from acute shortages of water and fodder. Particularly hard
hit areas are parts of Anseba and Debub regions. The latest WFP
Vulnerability Assessment Mapping Eritrea Update has warned that
recorded rainfall for March and April is below normal for the season,
especially in the central highlands (WFP,
9 May, 2003).
WFP still faces a shortfall of 53 percent in order to cover its
overall requirements for 2003. This represents a gap of 137,447 tons
of food, valued at USD 54,019,122. On 06 May, WFP held a meeting with
the donor community in Asmara in order to update them on the gravity
of the present humanitarian situation, and urge for further
contributions towards meeting the needs of the affected population
(WFP,
9 May, 2003).(ICRC,
8 May, 2003).
Water continues to be a critical problem across the country.
UNICEF has delivered 4000 litre water containers in Anseba and SRS
regions, in support of 65 schools benefiting from WFP school feeding
activities. WFP has extended support in Debub region to implement
Therapeutic Feeding Programmes (TFP). This brings the total number of
TFP sites to 20 (WFP,
2 May, 2003).(ICC,
18 April, 2003).
In the Northern Red Sea Zone, WFP suspended its wet feeding
program because of lack of water. In the Anseba Zone, malnutrition
rates have increased from 0.2 percent in February to 2.2 percent in
March. On March 31 OCHA reported that food distributions have been
reduced to 60 percent of the normal rations due to minimal food aid
pledges by the international community. The OCHA report also
indicated that widespread water shortages in the Anseba, Northern Red
Sea, Southern Red Sea, Gash Barka, and Debub zones have reached a
critical stage, with the average ground water table down to 10 meters
and people having to walk an average of 4-5 kilometers for potable
water sources. A Government of the State of Eritrea report,
distributed on March 27, indicated that 2.3 million people are facing
acute food and water shortages due to current drought conditions,
HIV/AIDS, and the lingering effects of the 1998-2000 border conflict
with Ethiopia. The GSE report indicated that livestock prices have
fallen by 30 percent and local grain prices have increased by 100
percent since December 2002
(USAID, 30 April, 2003)(UN
OCHA, 22 April, 2003).
According to the 2003 UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for
Eritrea, launched in November 2002, an estimated 1.4 million out of a
total of 3.3 million people are affected by drought conditions
associated with major crop failure in agricultural areas and the
substantial loss of livestock among pastoral communities. The UN has
identified an additional 910,000 people comprised mainly of HIV
infected individuals, demobilized soldiers, internally displaced
persons (IDPs), and returned refugees that are also deemed vulnerable
and are targeted for assistance under the Consolidated Appeal
bringing the total number of vulnerable individuals in Eritrea to 2.3
million (USAID,
30 April, 2003).
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that
Eritrea is one of the most needy countries in sub-Saharan Africa in
terms of food aid. It noted that the Eritrean government appealed for
476,000 mt of emergency food assistance last year and had repeatedly
called for increased contributions from the international community.
In March, the FAO and World Food Programme (WFP) jointly approved an
emergency operation worth US $46.5 million to assist about 900,000
people for a period of 10 months (May 2003 - February 2004) (IRIN,
8 May, 2003).
23,750 mt of relief food, donated by the European Union, arrived
at Massawa port in the first week of May. This is the first shipment
of a contribution totalling 55,000 mt, which is part of the EC pledge
to the drought appeal issued by the Government of Eritrea in November
2002. The rest of the food aid will arrive in the end of June or
beginning of July. The food will be distributed by ERREC to the
vulnerable people in the rural areas of South Red Sea, Northern Red
Sea, Anseba and Maekel. It is stated that 490,000 people are being
supported by this EC food aid. In total the European Union and the
European Commission has so far provided 37.5 million Euro to
alleviate the current crisis in Eritrea. CARE and Oxfam have urged
the EU to increase their aid(EC,
7 May, 2003)(IRIN,
8 May, 2003)(Oxfam,
4 April, 2003).
Reports from Nairobi based meteorological information management
suggest that the agricultural outlook for the country is not
encouraging. There have not been signs of Azmara rain. Nevertheless,
the MoA together with members of the Food Security Sectoral Working
Group is striving to secure seed for farmers for the coming planting
season. The Ministry appealed for 16,247 MT of assorted seeds. The
pledges secured yet are 17% from ERP and 30 % from NGOs and FAO. The
MoA renewed its appeal in the past meeting of the SWG to partners to
step up their efforts to provide farmers with adequate amount of seed
before the rainy season (ICC,
18 April, 2003).
The ICRC has distributed 115 tonnes of cereal seed so far this
year to farming families who were displaced during the 1998-2000
border war with Ethiopia. One quarter of a planned total of 457
tonnes of grain (sorghum, maize, barley, etc.) has thus been
distributed. ICRC state that the operation is on schedule. The
programme is focussing on Debub and Gash Barka regions (ICRC,
13 May, 2003).(ICRC,
8 May, 2003).
Eritrea and the Commission of the African Union have signed a
grant agreement to the tune of US$ 200,000 in response to the general
appeal by the former for assistance to combat drought and famine in
the country (Addis
Tribune, 26 April, 2003).
The Canadian Government, through CIDA, has committed $3 million
to provide emergency assistance to the country. The assistance will
be channelled through a $1 million contribution to the Canadian
Foodgrains Bank, a $1 million contribution to WFP and a $1 million
contribution to UNICEF (Government
of Canada, 9 April, 2003).
International press watchdogs have drawn attention to the
deteriorating human rights situation in Eritrea in connection with
World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, although the Eritrean government
insists that people are free to express their opinions as they wish.
The Committee to Protect Journalists placed Eritrea on a list of the
10 worst places in the world to be a journalist. It said the country
had been Africa's "foremost jailer of journalists since September
2001, when the government banned the entire private press and
detained independent reporters". It noted that 18 journalists were
now in secret jails (IRIN,
5 May, 2003).
Eritrea together with Somalia and Sudan has been cited as being
amongst the world's most repressive regimes, according to the
US-based independent advocacy group, Freedom House (UN
OCHA, 15 April, 2003).
The Eritrean government has issued a statement on freedom of
religion in the country amid criticism by human rights watchers that
it is restricting the right to worship (IRIN,
1 May, 2003).
The opposition Eritrean National Alliance (ENA) says it has set
up a military wing aimed at bringing down President Isayas Afewerki.
General Secretary Hiruy Tedla Bairu stated that the 13 opposition
groups that make up the ENA had agreed to set up a single military
force at a key meeting in Khartoum early last month(IRIN,
1 May, 2003)
The Eritrean government says the number of malaria cases in the
country has dropped by 60 percent. The health ministry said the
number of deaths from the mosquito-borne disease had decreased from
13.3 percent in 1999 to 4.2 percent in 2002. The statement noted that
57 percent of the country's population - estimated at around 3.8
million - live in malaria risk areas. It attributed the downturn to
initiatives such as the wide distribution of insecticide-treated
nets, spraying vulnerable areas, community participation and
sensitisation (IRIN,
29 April, 2003).(Government
of Eritrea, 23 April, 2003).
Recent assessments indicate that the cereal production in Somalia
has been good. The Deyr rains have fallen throughout Southern
Somalia. This has greatly improved the condition of crops and
livestock.
Pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in Middle and Lower Juba are
experiencing food insecurity due to conflict and general insecurity
in the region. This has disrupted their normal migration patterns and
has led to looting of assets. Similar problems have also been
observed in Baidoa and Burhakaba. In North Gedo, the region remains
precarious despite the fact that livestock have benefited from the
good Deyr season.
WFP distributed a total of 860 tons of food, of which 201 tons
was for relief food aid in the Northwest; 351 tons in the social
sector support and 308 tons in rehabilitation activities(WFP,
16 May, 2003).
In April CARE distributed a total of 1,772 MT in Gedo region to
35,440 beneficiaries. There is still approximately 300 MT of food
relief in the pipeline for Gedo region, distribution is expected to
take place in May (Food
Security Assessment Unit, 14 May 2003).
As a result of heavy rain in the Ethiopian highlands and Somalia,
localised and destructive flooding is occurring in the Juba and
Shabelle river basins, endangering the food security of people living
there.
The Gu rains have commenced throughout Somalia, except in some
pastoral pockets in northern and central Somalia, where no rain has
fallen yet. If the Gu rains continue, most areas will recover. The
Sool Plateau in the north of Somalia continues to be an area of
concern (Food
Security Assessment Unit, 14 May 2003).(USAID
11 May)
Flooding to date has been localised, and not very serious. Action
has been taken to strengthen river banks by closing breaches and
raising degraded banks with sandbags, especially in Jowhar District.
Attempts have also been made to divert water from the Shebelle by
opening sluice gates to flood areas not under cultivation. Relief
agencies and NGOs are ready to offer some assistance (OCHA,
9 May, 2003).
In early April, the Somaliland administration announced most
parts of the country were facing serious water and food shortages,
with the eastern regions being the most affected. The administration
appealed to the international community for assistance to address the
situation. However, heavy rains were reported throughout Somaliland
in the second half of the month. Very heavy rains in Hargeisa caused
floods, damaging a dam in the Dami area and killing at least five
people. It is still unclear what impact these rains will have on the
overall food security situation (UNICEF,
30 April, 2003).
The Somali peace talks, currently under way in Nairobi, have
entered their final and critical stage. Somali leaders have been
asked to put their differences aside for the sake of the Somali
people. The talks, which opened on 15 October 2002, have been held up
by wrangling over the allocation of seats to drafting committees and
to the plenary sessions. The third and final stage of the conference
is supposed to start in three to four weeks time
(IRIN, 15 May, 2003)(IRIN,
9 May, 2003)
The Kenyan mediator to the Somali peace talks says a consensus is
emerging on the controversial issue of a federal charter. Ambassador
Bethwel Kiplagat said the conference would soon receive a set of
recommendations to pave the way for setting up new transitional
institutions in the country (IRIN,
12 May, 2003).
More than 170 delegates have been expelled from the peace talks
for allegedly using fake documents to register themselves. In a
similar incident in October last year, some 300 delegates were
dismissed after it was discovered they were bogus, prompting the
talks to shift to Nairobi from Eldoret (The
Nation, 8 May, 2003).
A number of candidates and political parties have already come
forward to show their interest in competing for the Somali
presidency. The party that wins the first ever free and fair
elections set for between June and July will form a transitional
government. Apart from the transitional president, 450 members of
parliament who will be nominated by the delegates attending the
Mbagathi peace talks will also be elected. The United Nations,
regional governments and international organisations will act as
observers of the Somali elections (The
Nation, 13 May, 2003)(African
Church Information Service, May 12, 2003)(East
African Standard, 8 May, 2003)(East
African Standard, 24 April, 2003).
The need for such a government has become more urgent with the
expiry, come August, of the terms and mandate of the Transitional
National Government (TNG). The TNG, headed by Abdulqassim Salad
Hassan, was formed after peace talks in Arta, Djibouti, in 2000.
However, the administration was immediately crippled by civil war and
lack of international recognition.(The
Nation, 25 April, 2003).
In the meantime conflicts and human misery continue throughout
the country as warlords and their clans continue to compete for power
despite signing up to a cessation of hostilities at the peace talks
last year. In addition a number of warlords are still boycotting the
talks. It is unlikely that peace in Somalia will be secured without
them. (The
East African, 5 May, 2003).
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a
four-person expert panel to investigate violations of the arms
embargo against Somalia. The decision to re-establish the team, to be
based in Kenya, came after the Council considered the Panel's latest
report, which stated that even after the signing of the Eldoret
Declaration, most factions in Somalia have continued to import or
receive weapons in breach of the arms embargo (United
Nations, 2 May, 2003).
Peace talks to end conflict in the self-declared autonomous
region of Puntland have become bogged down over the issue of
power-sharing and the formation of a new cabinet. Talks have been
under way in Bosaso, the commercial capital, since 10 May, between
the Puntland administration of Col Abdullahi Yusuf and "the armed
opposition" led by Gen Ade Muse Hirsi (IRIN,
15 May, 2003)(IRIN,
8 May, 2003).
The constitutional court of the self-declared republic of
Somaliland has confirmed the incumbent president, Dahir Riyale Kahin
(of the Unity of Democrats Party - UDUB), as the winner of last
month's presidential election. However, opposition party leader Ahmad
Muhammad Silanyo of the Kulmiye (Solidarity Party) is unhappy with
the court's ruling and the Party refuses to recognise UDUB as the
winner (IRIN,
12 May, 2003)(Somaliland
Times, 27 April, 2003)(IRIN,
12 May, 2003).
The economy of Somaliland has been crippled not only by a lack of
international recognition but also by a ban on livestock exports. The
ban was imposed in 1998 and again in 2000 after Saudi nationals died
of Rift Valley disease, believed to have been imported to the Arabian
peninsula from East Africa. Many Somali people are thus entirely
dependent on remittances sent to them from the Somali diaspora. It is
suggested that the diaspora injects some 150 million dollars a year
(Vanguard,
Lagos, 23 April, 2003).
The UN has welcomed a new initiative to support the development
and export of Somali livestock and meat products. Through an improved
system of disease surveillance, inspection and certification, a
Somali Livestock Board would be set up to help the industry meet the
requirements of importing countries for disease-free livestock and
meat products originating from the country (IRIN,
9 May, 2003).
Concern has been expressed over the plight of internally
displaced persons (IDPs) throughout Somalia. The UN estimates that
there are 350,000 IDPs, most of them women and children. Of this
number, about 150,000 live in the capital, Mogadishu, with another
15,000 in the southern port city of Kismayo, while the rest are
scattered around the country (IRIN,
29 April, 2003).
The first batch of 2,880 Somali refugees who have been
accommodated at Dadaab and Kakuma camps in northern Kenya, have begun
returning to Somalia, more than a decade after they fled their
war-torn country. The 2,880 returning refugees are part of 6,000
Somali refugees who signed up in 2001 to voluntarily return home.
Their return however was delayed by a combination of funding
difficulties and security problems in Somalia (IRIN,
13 May, 2003).
Classified as both a least developed and low-income, food-deficit
country, Sudan has been plagued by armed conflict for the last 18
years. The disastrous effects of fighting have been compounded by
recurrent drought. Efforts at national, regional and international
levels to bring peace and stability to the region have so far been
unsuccessful, and outbreaks of fighting and mass population
displacements have been frequent. Consequently, Sudan continues to
require massive quantities of relief food aid. In the south, civil
war continues to create significant emergency food requirements for
war-affected and displaced populations. Approximately 2.4 million
people are severely affected by the civil war in the south and an
additional 200,000 people have been displaced by drought in the
north.(World
Food Programme, 2003).
Food is growing scarcer in some parts of southern Sudan because
of drought and after almost two decades of war, the French aid group
Action Contre la Faim (Action Against Hunger) warned Wednesday.
With the rural population grappling with rising prices and
decreasing food supplies, many were moving to Wau, capital of Bahar
el Ghazal, which is under government military control, the
non-government organization said.(Sudan
Net, May 28 2003, Paris)
The food situation has deteriorated to alarming levels in several
parts of Bahr El Ghazal province, southern Sudan, the organisation
Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has warned.
It said the food shortage was particularly critical in the areas
of East-Aweil and Tonj and urged the UN's World Food Programme (WFP)
to continue its food distributions to avert starvation.
"The current situation is alarming," said Philippe Ribiero, MSF
head of mission in South Sudan. "It could become even more serious if
general food distributions are not organised quickly."
The deterioration in the food situation has been attributed
largely to the poor harvests following periods of dryness.
"The situation is all the more worrying as the depletion of food
stocks is occurring so early in the year, whilst the next harvests
are not expected until September," MSF said.(IrinNews.org.
April 25 2003, Nairobi)
Severe flooding in parts of northwestern Kenya washed away
the main bridge on the road to Lokichoggio thus completely cutting
off relief supplies into Southern Sudan. WFP temporarily moved part
of its air operations centre to Eldoret 130 km south of the bridge,
in order to avoid a complete disruption of food aid
deliveries.(WPF
Emergency Report, 13 June 2003)
The population in need of food aid in the Gogrial, Aweil West,
Pibor, Torit, Latjor, Bien, Ruweng and Liech regions is expected to
increase from a monthly average of 570 000 to 800 000 as the
May-September cropping season approaches.
As a result of insecurity, households may compromise their
regular cultivation in search for food, threatening the
September-October harvest.
An estimated 50 000 households, especially in Aweil West, Liech,
Gogrial, Ruweng, Bien, Pibor, do not have sufficient access to seeds
as the May-Spetember cropping season approaches, potentially leading
to another food insecure year ahead and worse if the season is
characterized by late or erratic rainfall.(Famine
Early Warning News Network, April 24 2003)
Zimbabwe faces acute food shortages with some 5.5 million people
in need of food aid. Food production in Zimbabwe has fallen by more
than 50 percent, measured against a five-year average, due mostly to
the current social, economic and political situation and the effects
of drought. The situation was compounded by the marked reduction of
the large-scale farm sector, which produced only about one-tenth of
their 1990s output. As a result, about half of the regional food
deficit of 2.65 million tonnes is in Zimbabwe. The shortfall means
that Zimbabwe will need to import almost 1.3 million tonnes of food,
either commercially or through food aid, to meet the minimum food
needs of its people.(World
Food Programme, June 12 2003)
Concerns however remain for Zimbabwe, where production is
expected to fall below requirements for the third consecutive year.
Despite an initial delay to the start of the rain abundant rainfall
since mid-February has improved crop conditions. Preliminary
indications suggest an aggregate maize output of 14.8 million MT,
slightly higher than last year's average level. This leads to an
estimated need of aggregate cereal import of 5.3 million MT, some 27
percent below last year. Putting aside commercial imports, the food
aid requirement remains around 700,000 MT.(International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, June 23, 2003)
The Zimbabwean economy continued to deteriorate with inflation
running as high as over 200%. The rate is expected to reach 500% by
the end of the year, unless stringent economic recovery measures are
taken. On top of that, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to worsen with
no significant sign of reduction in the infection rate.
Widespread food shortages have emerged as Zimbabwe's most
pressing problem despite international relief efforts, especially in
the rural areas where 65% of the country's 12 million people live.
The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 7.2 million people were
at risk of starvation during 2003.
According to the Famine Early Warning System Networks (FEWSNET)
the problem is likely to be long lasting since the areas planted
during the last season was less than 50% of the average cultivated in
recent years. This is an especially dangerous factor considering that
yields have also dropped. Another major impediment to an early return
to agricultural productivity is a chronic shortage of seeds and
fertilisers needed for farming.(International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, June 23, 2003)
The annual inflation rate rose to 300 percent during May,
compared to 269 percent in April. The figures were released this week
by the Government and take into account across-the-board price
increases as a result of the 210 percent fuel increase in mid-April.
Despite the harvest, food insecurity continues in parts of Midlands
Province. District authorities in Kwekwe report they receive an
average of ten people at their office each day begging for food.
Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots have scant supplies, often
delivering about 30 tons of food every other two or three months for
one ward where thousands of people. For those with cash, food
availability also remains problematic, as almost nothing is available
through formal retail channels. People are relying on the parallel
market where prices are up to three times higher. In drought-struck
Matabeleland, the food security situation remains precarious.
Villagers in Hwange District are eating Tende, a wild plant known to
cause joint problems. In Simanginai, some adults and children were
eating raw corn-soya blend soon after distributions. The GMB is
unable to distribute its limited supply of food to the rural areas
due to transportation problems. The food security situation in
Mashonaland West Province is worsening and the incidence of
malnutrition is rising, according to figures from the provincial
hospital. The majority of farm workers in Makonde District are in
need of assistance, as they were not allocated land when the farms
they were working on were resettled. In Manicaland Province, coping
mechanisms have gradually shifted from a reduction of meals to
begging. GMB depots in some parts of the province have supplies of
white maize, but the recent price increase has put the commodity out
of reach for the poor. Incidences of fish poaching in dam areas have
escalated.(World
Food Programme Emergency Report, June 20 2003)
As reflected in the FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment
Mission report, the recent harvest in Zambia has improved the food
security situation. However, small pockets of food vulnerability
remain in certain districts and continued food assistance, monitoring
and contingency planning will be necessary. Districts, which will
continue to require food assistance, are Chama, Itezi-Itezi,
Kazungula, Luangwa, Monze and Sinazongwe. Districts, which will
require monitoring and contingency planning are Gwembe, Kalabo,
Shangombo and Zambezi.(World
Food Programme Emergency report, June 20, 2003)
The FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM) ended
in May. Despite the late start of planting and late rains followed by
dry spells in some areas, indications are that the 2002/03 cropping
season will be better than the previous one. Maize prices have fallen
since January, reflecting the good harvest prospects and improved
maize supply, and are now below the price level of last year at the
same time. Although problems of access to food will persist, it is
anticipated that Zambia will not face a food deficit this
year.(FAO,
June 12 2003)
Recent reports by the Vulnerability Assessment Committee (VAC)
and WFP/FAO crop surveys indicate that Zambia will have adequate food
from the 2002/03 agricultural season. Vulnerability still exists in
certain districts though. Speaking at a press conference in
Johannesburg on 12 June, Ms Judith Lewis, Regional Co-ordinator for
the Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa, and
Henri Josserand, FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission,
explained that -"the gains made this year in food production are
limited and very fragile... and it was clear that Southern Africa
does not want to be dependent on foreign assistance"/
Between March 2002 and April 2003, most people in Zambia met
their energy requirements through various food sources. The situation
is expected to remain as such in view of the increased cereal
production for 2002/2003 season and a good input subsidy programme
for small-scale farmers. Though in six districts - Chama, Itezi
Itezi, Kazungula, Lwangwa, Monze and Sinazongwe - 60,000 people will
need target relief food which must be distributed commensurate with
the existing cereal gap in each district. Forty thousand more could
join them from four districts where there is a possibility of need -
Gwembe, Kalabo, Shangombo and Zambezi. Some of these have been
flooded. HIV/AIDS would increase the total number of people in need
of food aid to 120,000.(UN
Resident Coordinator, June 24 2003)
Rapidly rising food prices, low levels of maize stocks and
erratic weather including floods and droughts have exasperated
Malawi's ongoing hunger crisis. Rural poverty and population growth
have also played their part.
With maize production (currently estimated at 1.5 million metric
tons) 10 percent less than last year's already poor harvest, food
shortages have reached critical levels.
People have resorted to skipping meals or eating poisonous wild
roots in order to survive. An increasing number of cases of
malnutrition, and some cases of deaths due to hunger-related
diseases, are being reported by the district hospitals. Levels of
malnutrition are abnormally severe among women and children.
Although the national cereal deficit has been mitigated slightly
by increased production of roots and tubers, 277,000 tonnes of cereal
imports and 208,000 tonnes of food aid will still be required over
the coming year.
HIV/AIDS affects 19.5 percent of the population and has been
declared a national disaster.(Word
Food Programme, 2003)
Harvest estimates for 2002/2003 in Malawi -- still reeling from a
devastating food shortage -- will this year record a 38,000-tonne
deficit in the staple food, maize, while production in other crops
have increased significantly.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture,
Irrigation and Food Security, Malawi -- which requires at least
1,938,447 tonnes of maize to feed its population of 11 million people
-- has produced 1,900,350 tonnes of the crop. In 2002, Malawi
produced 1.7 million tonnes of maize. However, the deputy minister of
Agriculture, Irrigation and Food Security, Henry Mussa said Malawi
has enough stocks from the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA) to
offset the shortfall. NFRA has a current stock of some 223,500 tonnes
in the Strategic Grain Reserves.
According to the statistics, Malawi has also recorded an
increased production of other crops that would supplement the
country's food requirements.
Production of rice has gone down by 6 percent from 92,097 tonnes
last year, while there is a 22 percent increase in groundnut
production at 192,015 tonnes, while the production of pulses is
projected at 321,158 tonnes or an increase of 13 percent. Cassava
production has recorded 15 percent increase at 1,774,196 tonnes with
sweet potato production going up by 36 percent at 1,444,087 metric
tonnes.
Mussa credited favourable weather conditions, increased use of
fertilizer and good quality seed for the increase in production.
But he warned that some areas in the country would still need
food aid even before the end of 2003 because of flooding that washed
away vast areas of crop fields earlier in the year. Between November
2001 and March 2002, Malawi experienced the worst food shortage in 50
years with nearly 3.5 million people needing urgent food aid.
Government said at least 500 people starved to death between
November 2001 to March 2002, but civil and religious leaders think
the number was higher.(Pan
African News Agency, June 10, 2003)
In Malawi, crop production has improved significantly since the
widespread food shortages in 2002. Malawi has managed to produce or
has in reserve this year about 2.3 million tonnes of cereals, leaving
a national shortfall of only 90 000 tonnes.(World
Food Programme, June 12 2003)
The food security outlook of Malawi is much better than last
year. At national level, the country may not experience the same
level of production-related food security problems as it had in the
past two years. National food reserves have improved due to grain
imports by the government, NGOs and private imports, and a free seed
and inputs campaign. The situation has improved greatly a household
level where harvesting has started. Official production forecasts for
Malawi point to a maize crop of 1.9 million MT, higher than last
year's harvest of 1.55 million MT.
In February 2002, the food shortages in Malawi led the government
to declare a national disaster and make an urgent appeal for food
aid. Seventy percent of the country's 10 million people were at risk
of starvation in the worst food shortage in 50 years. Crop failures
and food shortages increased child malnutrition and school dropout
rates, families were split up as partners migrated to find work to
buy food at inflated prices, and over 800 people in the poorest
communities died of cholera because their immune systems were too
weak to fight the illness.
Wide-scale food aid will not be required for this year but the
emergency is not yet over. Food shortages still exist in parts of the
southern and northern regions, where there have been prolonged dry
spells. The main problem the country now faces is chronic food
insecurity resulting from a combination of factors including a
HIV/AIDS pandemic, declining productivity and deepening poverty.
Poverty remains a recurring emergency as 60 to 65 percent of the
people in Malawi are living in poverty.
The Malawi Red Cross Society (MRCS), with the support of the
Federation and partners, has provided food assistance to some 224,000
people. Nutritional intake of 16,000 orphans and people living with
HIV/AIDS has improved through monthly supplementary rations
incorporated with the home-based care programmes. In addition, nearly
87,000 farming families were given agricultural starter packs to
improve their agricultural production. Water and sanitation
activities also started in May in Nkhotakota district. The scale of
the existing food distributions will be considerably reduced at the
end of June 2003 as more integrated approaches are used to carefully
target vulnerable and destitute households. Regular coordination
meetings on the implementation of the food security operation in
Malawi continue to take place among MRCS, the Federation and
bilateral PNS (Participating National Society).(IFRC,
June 23, 2003)
More than 70 percent of the total population live below the
poverty line and some 50 percent of children under three years of age
suffer retarded growth due to a chronically inadequate diet.
Moreover, the country is disaster-prone and frequently at risk of
cyclones, droughts, and locusts.(World
Food Programme, 2003)
Although used to dealing with the harsh environment in which they
live, worsening drought conditions in southern Madagascar have left
hundreds of thousands of villagers reeling.
"In the past we have always managed to to get something into our
stomachs. When the maize ran out we could turn to the cactus fruit or
cassava, but this year even that has dried up because there has been
no rain. People around here aren't expecting anything from this
year's harvest.
This is definately the worst since 1992," village leader Zarandro
told IRIN. (In some parts of country, people have only one
name.)
The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that some 600,000 people
in 12 districts between Toliara in the southwest and Tolagnaro in the
southeast of the country are in need of emergency assistance.
Local health workers have reported that severe malnutrition among
young children has doubled in the last few months.
Augustine Manampototysy, a nurse at a local clinic, told IRIN:
"Since the start of the drought a few months ago we have seen the
health of the people in the area deteriorate to such an extent that
we had to open a therapeutic feeding centre to assist the children.
Just in the month of April seven children died in the area from
malnutrition."
Although WFP has assisted communities in several districts
through a food-for-work programme, the last supplies were in December
2002. Since then people have struggled to feed themselves.
Despite a worsening situation, calls for additional aid appear to
have gone unheeded, with WFP's US $8.1 million appeal in November
only half-funded.Irin,
Bedaro Village, May 15 2003)
From 29 May to 04 June, no WFP food distributions took place.
Despite significant pledges in the past few months, the arrival of
commodities has been very slow. As a direct result, this has led to a
suspension in food distribution to drought victims. Even with the
harvest of sweet potatoes and cassava, and contrary to the normal
trend, overall food prices remain unaffordable to most of the
population. In addition to chronic food shortage and the diminished
supply of wild fruits, the situation is exacerbated by the lack of
clean drinking water. As agricultural production is below normal due
to low and erratic rainfall, food availability is likely to remain
unchanged with further price increases expected Improvements in food
security will depend primarily on accelerated deliveries of relief
food during the next lean season starting from September 2003 to
March 2004. Public donations on behalf of the drought-affected
population of the south continue.(World
Food Programme, June 6 2003)
The World Food Programme (WFP) has extended its emergency appeal
for food aid in Madagascar until the end of 2003 as a result of
drought and the recent cyclones.
The appeal is also to address insufficient donor support, which
only covered 57 percent of the previous appeal meant to stabilise
communities affected by similar problems last year, a WFP statement
said on Tuesday.
"We are thankful to donors who responded to our appeal but there
are tens of thousands of people who urgently need assistance, and
will continue to do so, unless they're given a chance to restore
their livelihoods," Bodo Henze, WFP Country Director for Madagascar
said.
Last November WFP launched an emergency appeal for about US $8.2
million to provide food to about 400,000 people. However, the
underfunding means many vulnerable people are not receiving the
assistance they need.
The south of the country has not had a proper harvest in the past
two years, which has led to an increase in the number of severely
malnourished children arriving at government-run nutrition
centers.
To add to the region's problems, in May tropical storm Manou
killed more than 70 people, and caused significant damage to bridges,
roads and agricultural land.
In the southern Androy region the cactus fruits people have been
eating as a last resort are now exhausted. Harvesting of seasonal
sweet potatoes underway, but a lack of rain and the recent strong
winds are expected to adversely impact maize harvests next month and
quickly erode any reserves of sweet potatoes, the statement said "It
seems like Madagascar's food crisis has been forgotten," Henze
said.
"Different parts of Madagascar are exposed to different types of
natural disasters at different times of the year. From this
perspective, it's difficult to sensitise donors to the plight of
people affected by drought when another part of the population has
just been struck by a cyclone."
The current harvests are being monitored closely but the agency
is already anticipating a further deterioration in food security in
the south from September, when the lean season starts.(Irin,
Johannesburg, June 17 2003)
The World Food Programme (WFP) is giving 43,379 provisionally
released Rwandan prisoners US $735,080 worth of food aid. The WFP and
the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) are working
together to assist the prisoners who confessed to their crimes and
those who may have already served their expected sentences under law
if they had been convicted. The detainees, held in solidarity camps,
must complete a sixty-day course on civic education and counselling
on reconciliation. When the prisoners are finished with their
courses, they are to be reintegrated into their communities but will
later be tried under the new Gacaca justice system. Started in 2002,
Gacaca allows communities to try suspects in open court sessions held
at the village level. The WFP said the assistance would promote
national reconciliation and the peace process in Rwanda. The WFP has
not received any donor pledges but said that donor countries are
expressing an interest in contributing to the necessary food
requirements. The organisation plans to purchase the food aid from
local and regional distributors to encourage the production and
support of Rwandan agriculture markets. (IRIN
4 February)
According to a UNICEF report released on 18 March, the months of
speculation and tension leading up to the war in Iraq had
substantially depleted donor funds, affecting millions of people in
other parts of the world, including Rwanda. In February, the
organisation had received just 14 percent of the US$501 million
needed for emergency relief. Rwanda ranked as one of UNICEF's 12
countries in an emergency situation that had not yet secured any
assistance. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF, attributed
the lack of support to the uncertainty regarding the amount of aid
that would be needed in Iraq following the outbreak of war. On 15
April, the US Department of State released a promising article
titled, "Despite War in Iraq, African Health Issues not forgotten."
The report outlines the plans for US$55.8 million being donated to
Burundi, Rwanda, and Zambia to combat AIDS, Tuberculosis, and
Malaria. Rwanda will be given US$8.4 million to purchase
anti-retroviral drugs, improve counselling and testing centres
throughout the country, and build better medical centres. (UNICEF
18 March, US
Department of State 15 April)
The WFP Emergency Report, published on 17 April, is positive for
Rwanda. As of 6 March, UN Security Phases 2 and 3 were both
downgraded while 2,892 Rwandan refugees in surrounding countries were
repatriated and given food rations. Additionally, the WFP has
continued to provide assistance to provisionally released prisoners,
totalling 22,516 detainees. Food distribution was given in support of
29,534 refugees in three camps in Rwanda and food stock remained
adequate in March. (WFP
17 April)
On 27 March, the UN World Food Programme warned of food
insecurity in Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania from March to September
2003. The agency reported a need of nearly 49,000 mt worth of cereals
for the three countries along with 14,000 mt of pulses, 4,000 mt of
corn-soya-blend, 3,500 mt of oil, 740 mt of slat, 83 mt of sugar and
98 mt of biscuits. Following the WFP report, the recent USAID Famine
Early Warning System update states that food security in most of
Rwanda is "satisfactory" until the next harvest in June 2003. There
is growing concern about food shortage in the low altitude areas of
the Bugesera Region and the Kibungo Province in the eastern part of
the country. High temperatures and sporadic rainfall in March and
early April has affected the sorghum and bean crops, forcing many
people to seek off-farm employment. Additionally, the prices of sweet
potatoes, bananas, and beans, three mainstays in rural Rwandan diets,
have seen a dramatic increase. In urban areas, commodities such as
sugar and rice have climbed 17 percent in the last three years.
(IRIN
27 March,USAID
21 April)
Rwanda's Batwa population is appealing to the government for
affirmative action to aid the country's 20,000 Batwa who say they
suffer from discrimination in the social, political, and economic
arenas. According to Zephyrin Kalimba, president of the Rwandan
association for indigenous people, "The Batwa families are very
vulnerable and bound for extinction if nothing is urgently done." In
February, Minority Rights Group, an international NGO, spoke on
behalf of the Batwa claiming that the group had not received the
benefits of existing land rights legislation and more action should
be taken to guarantee the equality. (IRIN
27 March)
Amara Essy, chairman of the African Union Commission, has issued
a statement asking Rwanda and Uganda to avoid actions that could
damage the ongoing peace process in DR Congo. Essy expressed concern
of the escalating tension between the two countries and urged them to
stick to the points of the peace agreement they signed regarding the
civil war in DRC. In 1998, Rwanda stepped into the war in support of
the rebel group the Congolese Rally for Democracy, while Uganda lent
aid to a different rebel faction, the Movement for the Liberation of
Congo. Rwanda's aim was to help remove the government and protect
itself from Interahamwe and other Rwandan Hutu rebels blamed for the
1994 genocide. (PANA
26 March)
According to a French-Congolese observer group in DRC, the France
Congo Network, Rwandan soldiers and the Congolese Rally for Democracy
rebel group have carried out several massacres since the beginning of
April. One witness told reporters that on 13 April the two groups
stormed the village of Burhale, burning houses with people still
inside of them. In the Sud-Kivu province, civilians have been robbed
and killed in several towns in the Walungu area. One survivor said
that hundreds of Rwandan soldiers came into the villages and were
given orders to kill any male over the age of five. (16
April AFP)
On 10 April, South African President Thabo Mbeki hosted a meeting
in Cape Town with Presidents Joseph Kabila of DRC, Paul Kagame of
Rwanda, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania to
discuss the ongoing tension between Rwanda and Uganda. The conference
focused on allegations that Rwanda had either re-deployed or was
planning to re-deploy troops because of the continued presence of
Ugandan soldiers in the DRC. Museveni agreed to remove all troops by
24 April, the date set by an earlier agreement. On 29 April, the UN
peace mission in the DRC, MONUC, reported that it was pleased with
the country's progress. With the exception of continued fighting in
the eastern provinces of Orientale, Kivu Nord, and Kivu Sud, violence
had been isolated. As Museveni had pledged at the 10 April meeting in
Cape Town, Ugandan forces were pulled out of the Northeast.
(10
April PANA, 29
April AFP)
The Rwandan Parliament has adopted a draft constitution that is
scheduled to go into effect in July. On 26 May, a national referendum
will decide if the document provides the basic human rights and
government needed in the country. The new constitution would give
Rwanda an 80 seat National Assembly elected by the people along with
a 26 member Senate. MPs would serve five-year terms and the president
would be eligible for two seven-year terms. If parliamentary
elections go forward as planned in 2003, it will be the first time
since the genocide in 1993 that MPs are elected; the current members
were appointed. (24
April IRIN)
Years of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
have led to one of the worst emergencies in the world today, with
millions of people already dead and thousands of others continuing to
die from starvation and disease.(Doctors
Without Borders, June 3 2003).
The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) persists.
Continued fighting has already displaced some 1.7 million people
throughout the country and has cut off millions of others from their
traditional means of subsistence. Malnutrition rates are extremely
worrying. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of infant
mortality is associated with malnutrition, which adversely affects
education and socio-economic development.(World
Food Programme, 2003).
Peasant farmers in Ituri district have fled to safer areas,
leaving behind their fields and cattle and food insecurity has
increased in Ituri due to the insufficient availability of food and
resulting high prices. It is expected that malnutrition will grow
accordingly. WFP foresees possible implementation of income
generating activities to provide the affected population with an
access to basic food commodities.
In North Kivu province, over 57,000 people displaced from
Kanyabayonga towards Kayna to escape the recent outburst of violence
in the North of the North Kivu province.(WFP
Emergency Report, June 13 2003)
As of May, there were 828 patients suffering from severe
malnutrition and 3733 suffering from moderate malnutrition registered
in Action Against Hunger's feeding enters. A total of 1.606 patients
were admitted in April including 292 new cases of severe
malnutrition. Most of these new cases are children under five years
of age. Severe malnutrition is the form of malnutrition most likely
to lead to death, if untreated. Compared to the 88 new patients
admitted in the month of December with severe malnutrition, this
represents a 332% increase in the rates of admission in only four
months.(Action
Against Hunger, USA, May 28 2003).
The UN refugee agency and the government of Sierra Leone have
begun a large-scale registration exercise that will eventually enable
refugees in the country to receive identity cards and enjoy better
protection and assistance.
The census, which is gathering information on the number and
bio-data of refugees in the country, will help UNHCR to plan
programmes more effectively to ensure better protection and
assistance to people of concern to the agency. Sierra Leone hosts
75,500 Liberian refugees in eight camps, in urban settings and in the
border regions (UNHCR
23 May 2003).
The security situation across the country, including border
areas, remained calm and stable and social and economic activities
were normal. From 5 to 18 May WFP supported 160,386 beneficiaries
with 1,302 tons of food. A gender/SGBV (Sexual and Gender-Based
Violence) sensitisation campaign was conducted in two refugee camps,
Jimi Bagbo and Bandajuma, in the southern district of Bo. Food-Basket
monitoring in refugee camps took place and results should be ready in
time for the WFP/UNHCR Joint Assessment mission planned for June
(WFP
23 May 2003)
A global initiative to end the trade in "blood diamonds" has been
a mixed success in war-ravaged Sierra Leone with a sharp rise in
export earnings but illegal mining flourishing nonetheless. Mineral
Resources Minister Mohamed Swarray-Deen said the initiative, dubbed
the Kimberley Process after the South African diamond-mining area,
had helped to legitimise the industry in his country.
A decade of atrocities and the illegal trade in the tainted
stones, popularly known as "blood" or "conflict diamonds", have
helped make Sierra Leone the poorest countries in the world.(AFP
18 May 2003).
Sierra Leone's President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah will testify before
the west African country's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
before it ends its hearings on August 5, officials said Monday.
Kabbahs testimony is slated for July, TRC officials said. Other
high-ranking Sierra Leonean officials will also testify before the
TRC, including former president Joseph Momoh, whose government was
toppled in a coup in 1991, and former military leader Brigadier Maada
Bio.
The TRC was set up to probe the atrocities and rights abuses
committed during Sierra Leone's 10-year civil war, which officially
ended last January (AFP
12 May 2003)
From 21 April to 04 May, WFP supported a total of 116,399
beneficiaries with 561 tons of food countrywide. Due to an on-going
strike action by staff in the Bo Government hospital, a ten-day food
ration was issued to the Sierra Leonean Red Cross Society and to
UNHCR to ensure cooking for Liberian refugees admitted to the
hospital. A total of 0.33 tons was delivered in support of 50
beneficiaries.
The Bellu/Dandu bridge in Kailahun district was repaired and the
movements of convoys for Sierra Leonean returnees resumed. A total of
2,004 Sierra Leonean were repatriated and supported with a two-month
WFP resettlement ration, amounting to a total of 68.34 tons of food
aid. (WFP
9 May 2003)
Amnesty International has expressed deep shock at the
Sierra Leone Parliament's ratification of a reciprocal impunity
agreement with the United States of America (USA). On 6 May 2003,
despite strong opposition from civil society, Sierra Leone's
Parliament became the first in the world to ratify an impunity
agreement with the USA. The Sierra Leone Parliament supported the
impunity agreement which provides that Sierra Leone will not
surrender US nationals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity
and war crimes to the new International Criminal Court. Even more
disturbingly, as Sierra Leone has accepted the jurisdiction of the
International Criminal Court, the agreement is reciprocal providing
that the USA will not surrender to the International Criminal Court
Sierra Leonean nationals accused of the worst possible crimes in the
world.(Amnesty
International 8 May 2003)
Sam Bockarie, a former rebel commander from Sierra Leone who was
being sought for war crimes by a UN-backed special court, has been
killed in a shoot-out on the Liberian border with Cote d'Ivoire, the
Liberian government said on 6th May (UN
OCHA 6 May 2003).
From 15 to 21 May, there have been several incidents across
the country with outbreaks of factional fighting in the north and
skirmishes between local commanders and a number of terrorist attacks
in the south and southeast. All road missions remain suspended in the
southern part of the country and the security situation in the
northern and southern parts of the country has hampered food
distributions from WFP's Mazari Sharif and Kandahar Area
offices.
Also, from 15 to 21 May, 451,324 beneficiaries received 1,775
tons of food through various WFP projects, including Food For Work,
Food For Education, Relief and Resettlement of IDP's and refugees,
Urban Vulnerable Bakeries and Supplementary and Institutional feeding
activities in Fayz Abad, Mazari Sharif, Kabul, Kandahar and Hirat. In
addition, 3,852 civil servants in Badakhshan province in the
northeast received 48 tons of pulses through Civil Servants Salary
Supplement project implemented under WFP's EMOP.
In Hirat, WFP met with Government representatives, UNAMA and
UNHCR to discuss and seek long-term and durable solutions to support
internally displaced persons (IDP's) in camps. It was agreed to
replace free food distribution with Food-for-Work activities and to
develop new projects designed especially to support reintegration in
insecure areas. The Government representatives agreed to consider
assisting some of the IDP's through their projects, such as the
National Solidarity Programme. (WFP
23 May)
The ICRC is collecting data in almost 400 health-care facilities
throughout Afghanistan about the accidental detonation of mines and
other unexploded ordnance. This information is enabling the
organization to alert mine-clearance agencies to dangerous areas and
provide reliable statistics for all those working to eradicate the
explosive remnants of war.
Individual interviews with victims also help the ICRC to
understand these accidents - which number up to 100 a month in
Afghanistan -and to improve its technique in the thousands of
mine-awareness sessions it conducts every year throughout the
country.(ICRC
23 May 2003)
Australia would put Afghan refugees and asylum seekers at risk if
they are returned to an unstable Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch
warned. Australian authorities are maintaining that the country is
safe for many Afghans to return to. The government's Immigration
Department recently supplied Afghans with a four-page "country
information report" about Afghanistan, containing minimal substantive
information about country conditions, and giving misleading
information about human rights protections.
But Human Rights Watch has documented incidents of violence, rape
and home invasions in many regions of Afghanistan, inside and outside
Kabul. Afghan refugees in Australia are currently having their
temporary visas reviewed by the Australian government. However, many
Afghans who fled years ago may not even know how insecure conditions
are in their regions of origin. International law requires that
Afghans who harbor a well-founded fear of persecution be protected
from return to places where their lives or freedom are threatened.
Officials claim that returnees can, at least, live in Kabul, but this
is an unrealistic expectation for many Afghans, who originally come
from rural areas and need extended family networks to survive.
Australian authorities are not taking into account the specific
conditions that Afghans slated for return will face in rural areas.
(Human
Rights Watch 23 May 2003).
The first Therapeutic Feeding Centre (TFC) has been opened in a
government hospital in northern Afghanistan. This new centre is being
established and operated with assistance from the international NGO,
Save the Children and the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF).
According to several nutritional surveys carried by different aid
agencies over the past year, up to 16,000 children in northern
Afghanistan are severely malnourished and needed supplementary
feeding to recover and survive(UN
OCHA 20 May 2003)
A makeshift encampment perched on the Afghan-Pakistani border
criticised for its harsh living conditions in the months following
the 2001 Afghan war is slated to close by the end of July, following
an agreement by the two governments and the UN refugee agency.
Although life in Chaman's camp, known as the "waiting area", had
improved through the provision of medical care, water and food, the
continued concentration of thousands of Afghan asylum seekers in a
desolate spot right on the border had long presented what was
considered an unacceptable security problem.
Those Afghans who still do not want to return to their country
can move to the refugee camp of Mohammad Kheil, one of a string of
camps that were opened near the border to house Afghans fleeing the
US-led war that toppled the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan in late
2001 (UNHCR
20 May 2003)
From 08 to 14 May, WFP assisted 577,457 beneficiaries with 1,708
tons of food through various projects, including Food For
Work/FoodAC, Food For Education, Relief and Resettlement of IDP's and
refugees (RRIR), Urban Vulnerable Bakeries, and Supplementary and
Institutional feeding activities.
Food and nutrition training took place in Kabul from 11 to 15
May, with participation from the Ministry of Public Health, the
Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and
Development, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, FAO, UNICEF
and WFP Country Offices in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.
During the training, participants were able to gain a better
understanding of food and nutrition, including the types of
malnutrition, their public health significance and their underlying
causes in emergencies, and to practice basic relevant skills. In
Kabul, data collection training took place for the school-feeding
programme, with participation from the Ministry of Education.
(WFP
16 May)
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today
announced a major, three-year $100 million contract award to
Management Sciences for Health to strengthen the overall health
system in Afghanistan. The program, entitled Rural Expansion of
Afghanistan's Community-based Healthcare (REACH), will improve the
delivery of healthcare by providing basic essential health services
to an estimated sixteen and a half million people each year.
(USAID
14 May 2003).
On 12 May, Afghanistan destroyed the first pile of more than 500
land mines to demonstrate its commitment to the global mine ban
treaty. The mines, mostly anti-personnel, were blown up in the
outskirts of Kabul, following the March 2003 signing of the treaty by
Mr. Karzai's Government. Afghanistan's Defence Ministry said it was
ready to speed-up the mine destruction process, if the UN and donor
countries provided assistance. (UN
Mine Action Service 13 May 2003)
A new report by the independent Afghanistan Research and
Evaluation Unit (AREU) has found that land-ownership disputes are
fuelling local conflicts at a time when stability is needed for
reconstruction. "The number-one source of conflict here today is land
disputes," the think-tank's director, Andrew Wilder, told IRIN. He
added that factors such as the population growth rate, refugee
returns, and competition for access to pasture between settled
farming communities and nomads were exacerbating an already fragile
situation. "Resolving land conflicts and clarifying property law is a
key task of the current administration," the report said.
But the very substance of the land law is a matter of debate.
"Land tenure is currently covered by four separate legal systems,
ranging from customary traditions to civil law, with vast gaps and
loopholes," Wilder observed. AREU said although the current
administration had created a special court to hear land claims, it
needed to develop proper laws on which courts could base their
judgements. (UN
OCHA 12 May 2003)
Insect pests are threatening wheat crops in southern Afghanistan,
which is just starting to recover from years of drought, a UN
spokesman has said.
Infestations of sunn pest were threatening 56,000 hectares
(140,000 acres) of agricultural land in Helmand, including 70 percent
of the province's wheat crop, Manoel de Almeida e Silva told
reporters at a press conference (AFP
8 May 2003).
Amnesty International urged the European Union to postpone the
repatriation of thousands of Afghan refugees as EU governments
prepared to press ahead with the controversial plan.
"Afghanistan is not yet in a post-conflict situation and there is
no rule of law," the head of the pressure group's EU office, Dick
Oosting, said as EU justice and interior ministers held talks on the
repatriation drive. "While Amnesty does not oppose the voluntary
return of refugees to Afghanistan, the organisation is deeply
concerned that forcible returns are made possible by the EU return
plan," he said in a statement. (AFP
8 May 2003)
WFP Executive Director James T. Morris was the first Head of a UN
Agency to visit Baghdad on 11 May. Mr. Morris met with
representatives of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian
Affairs (ORHA) in Baghdad to discuss arrangements between WFP and
ORHA.Mr Morris reminded donors that WFP still requires about one
third of the USD1.8 billion cost of the six-month Emergency
Operation.
WFP was part of the first inter-agency mission to Kirkuk on 8
May. The mission visited the WFP warehouse for the first time since
the end of hostilities. The proximity of Erbil has meant that
national staff working out of Kirkuk (and Mosul) have been able to
travel there to discuss preparations for the receipt of the food
commodities and resolve problems. WFP currently has food stored in
the Kirkuk warehouse that used to serve as 'transit' warehouse for
food from the former Iraqi-controlled areas. The mission also visited
the Ministry of Trade warehouses, grain mills, and silos.
Arrangements were made to clean and repair the compound that was
looted so that it can begin to receive food. The most pressing issue
facing the MOT in Kirkuk is the need for security.
On 8 May a WFP team visited the southern governorate of Missan to
carry out a first Rapid Assessment with a programme and logistics
component. The Assessment Mission was informed that the ration centre
in Nasiriyah had safeguarded a master copy of its database and is
willing to provide it to WFP.
Goal distributed a two-week ration of 10,000 units of
Kuwaiti-donated pre-packed meals to five hospitals, three in Muthana
and two in Thiquar. WFP logistics team met with Ministry of Trade
(MOT) officials in Basrah on 10 May, to discuss working modalities
and logistics, including allocation of wheat grain. MOT confirmed
that it would provide enough space for forthcoming shipments of rice
and wheat flour. WFP logistics team agreed with the Coalition Force
in Basrah to use MOT local guards to protect the warehouses from
theft. (WFP
May 16 2003)
The overnight curfew imposed by the forces of the US-led
coalition in Iraq has been shortened in Baghdad to allow Muslims to
hold dawn prayers in the mosques, coalition radio has said (AFP
20 May 2003)
As Iraq's desperately over-stretched and under-resourced
hospitals struggle to meet the needs of war-wounded and other
critically ill patients, IOM is developing a two-pronged assistance
plan combining selective medical evacuations with help to re-build
the country's dilapidated national health system.
The initiative plans to match up 250 critically ill Iraqi
patients who cannot get the treatment they need inside Iraq with
donor countries prepared to offer free hospital beds and treatment.
Under the plan, drawn up in consultation with the WHO, ICRC, UNICEF
and others, Iraqi doctors and specialist agencies referring patients
to the programme will identify gaps in the Iraqi health system. The
programme will then facilitate secondments of specialists from donor
countries to help fill them - building Iraq's future capacity to
provide treatment inside the country.(IOM
20 May)
At Baghdad's Vaccine and Serum Institute, looters have
destroyed a large part of the country's vaccination supplies. A
series of cool rooms packed with vaccines against such diseases as
meningitis, measles, hepatitis, polio, tetanus and yellow fever were
wrecked in the attack on what was the country's main vaccination
store. What vaccines were not stolen or destroyed were rendered
useless by the absence of refrigeration, leaving the country to start
on its immunisation programme from scratch.(UN
OCHA Integrated Regional Information Network 19 May 2003).
According to the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), the
greatest concern facing the Dahuk governorate is a shortage of fuel.
The main source of fuel for Dahuk is Mosul, as the governorate does
not receive any fuel from Turkey. Gasoline tankers are available to
go to Mosul to deliver gasoline to Dahuk. Liquid Propane Gas (LPG) is
available from street side vendors in Dahuk. The price for LPG has
decreased from 90 Swiss Dinar to 60 Swiss Dinar in the past week.
There are two government and four private gas stations in Dahuk.
The United Nations Office of the Humanitarian Coordinator for
Iraq (UNOHCI) reported that, on May 18, the first shipment of
medicines and supplies from Kimadia/Baghdad was dispatched to the
three northern governorates. Southern Iraq
National Red Cross and Red Crescent societies from the region and
beyond are contributing to the International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC)-led movement to meet the most pressing needs of the
people of Iraq. As of mid-May, more than 20 national societies
provided assistance: the Kuwaiti Red Crescent developed numerous
projects in Basra including water, food and medicine distributions,
satellite communications, and an operation to reunite family members;
the Syrian Red Crescent transported medical equipment and fuel
tankers to Basra; and the Bahraini Red Crescent has been distributing
clothing, transported medical equipment to Basra, and provided 70
wheelchairs through the ICRC delegation in Kuwait.
According to the DART, the next food shipment to Umm Qasr port is
expected to arrive on or about May 20. The M/V Irazou is transporting
14,400 MT of bagged rice. The rice was a previous contract under the
Oil-for-Food Program with the authorities given to the U.N. under
1472/76. The World Food Program (WFP) has assumed responsibility for
the contract. WFP wants to retain the services of the same
stevedoring crew that unloaded the M/V Rise.
The WFP reported concerns over the coalition forces'
occupancy of the Ministry of Transportation warehouse in Al Hillah
and one of the silos in Karbala. The tight security at the warehouse
entrance does not allow more than nine laborers and seven local staff
at a time. Only 26 to 30 food agents are allowed to collect food per
day. The DART has confirmed that the Marines have vacated the
warehouse (USAID
19 May)
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