By Arusha Times Correspondent

The acute shortage of water which normally affects the residents of Nkoaranga area in Arumeru district will soon be over following the completion of a Sh. 74 million water project, local officials said.

This was revealed last weekend by Mr. Loth Nnko, the acting executive secretary of the Meru Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) when he addressed the villagers.

He said the project was financed by the church in collaboration with the Nkoaranga Lutheran Hospital after realizing that the people living there were forced to travel long distances to fetch the precious liquid especially during the dry seasons.

He explained that the project would be completed in the next two months and that it has been prompted by the deterioration of the water supply infrastructure in the area which was put in place many years ago.

Mr. Nnko stated that under the project, water pipes would be laid down from the slopes of Mt. Meru which is also the source of many rivers and streams which flow into the lowlands, especially to the south east of the mountain.

The official explained that because of the decayed infrastructure, water which used to reach many families could not be tapped and is 'lost' downstream, leaving the targeted users without it.

"We as the church have been forced to make a quick intervention in this because we cannot standby while the villagers are having problems with water for their daily use. We will ensure it is completed within two months", he reiterated.

The church official explained that the water project would benefit all families within the expansive village which is located about five kilometres from the Arusha-Moshi highway where the Lutheran Hospital also stands.

He added that the Meru Diocese was still searching for additional water sources on the slopes of the giant mountain because of the growing demand given the rising population in the district which is the most densely populated in Arusha region.

He, however, called on the residents of the area to ensure that they cooperated well with the firm which has been contracted to execute the project and that there should be no acts of vandalism at the sites.

POSTED BY WENCHI YU / OCTOBER 21, 2012

Wenchi Yu serves in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues.

Since 2008, the drought-induced food crisis that affected many countries in the Horn of Africa not only cost the regional economy billions of dollars, but also exacerbated regional instability, insecurity in distressed communities, and tribal competition for scarce resources.

Josephine Ekiru, a 26-year-old conservationist from the Turkana tribe near Shaba in Kenya, was determined to do something for her community after witnessing the devastating impact of frequent conflict on both the region's people and wildlife. She started by talking to the women in her community, hearing about their common concern of losing husbands and sons in the conflicts. She also reached out to women of the other major tribe, the Borana, with which the Turkanas were in conflict. After years of work, she gained trust from both groups. In May 2010, Josephine's work helped unite the two tribes to form a conservancy, a community-based conservation initiative, as part of a quiet movement in Northern Kenya, where over 100,000 people have dedicated their land, 3 million acres in total, to wildlife conservation. Josephine played a key leadership role in this effort and was elected as the chair of the Nakuprat-Gotu Conservancy, which now includes thousands of people living in Gotu and Ngare Mara locations of Isiolo County. This conservancy initiative brings together the Borana and Turkana tribes who have been in constant conflict in the past mainly due to mistrust, cattle raiding, and competition for pasture.

On a recent joint USAID-State Department, gender-assessment trip as part of the U.S. government's response to droughts in the Horn of Africa, I had the honor of meeting Josephine. She told us how she had built sustainable peace and wildlife conservation through this community-led approach. Even though the region is known as a hub for poaching, conservancy-led awareness education efforts have helped poachers from within the region realize the economic benefits of conservation. As a result, many former poachers are now part of the conservancy security team helping to protect the wildlife. Through building the conservancy initiative, Josephine has also been able to talk about sensitive issues such as child marriage. According to Josephine, adolescent girls are expected to be married between the ages of 12 and 17; she was married at 16. But now, there's an increasing awareness that delaying young girls' marriage is good because people like Josephine can do more for the communities if they stay in school and receive higher education.

Men from Josephine's community came to listen while we discussed her work. When asked how they feel about the conservancy model and Josephine, they expressed support and pride in her leadership. Josephine added that her work has helped her gain confidence and courage despite death threats in early days. Her approach exemplifies the community-driven solution to promoting sustainable development, conflict resolution, and women's empowerment. Josephine's story also reaffirms the benefits of involving women in the peace building process and investing in women for effective development.

NAIROBI, 22 October 2012 (IRIN) - Thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Luuq, in Somalia's southern Gedo Region, say their overcrowded settlements are desperately short of basic needs, from shelter to clean water.

"The majority of the population here in these camps are women, children and elderly people who fled from recent battles and droughts in Bay, Bakool and lower Juba. There has been no basic human needs provision for the last months, the condition of the camps is deteriorating as there is no shelter, food or adequate health attention, and it's the raining period," said Ali Mohamed, leader of one of the makeshift camps in the area.

According to Mohamed, up to 3,000 families are in need of humanitarian support. He noted that the situation was particularly serious as the 'Gu' seasonal rains - which last from September to December - had started and were putting the population at risk of waterborne diseases.

Ahmed Dagawyne, head of the local NGO Centre for Research and Integrated Development (CeRID) told IRIN that, although humanitarian assistance had started trickling in, there remains a wide gap in addressing the IDPs’ needs.

Andreas Needham, public information officer for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), told IRIN that the agency was aware of the situation in Luuq.

"UNHCR is operating through local partner organizations on the ground, and on 10 October distributed 2,000 emergency assistance packages and 2,000 hypothermia kits to 4,000 needy households," he told IRIN via email.

The emergency assistance packages - also known as non-food items - include blankets, sleeping mats, a plastic sheet, a kitchen set, a jerry can and soap. The hypothermia kits contain blankets, mattresses and plastic sheeting, among other things.

"This initiative is being undertaken as a result of lessons learned following the 1992 famine, when a number of children succumbed as a result of the onset of the cold conditions," Needham said.

UNHCR estimates that the current IDP population in Luuq is 16,380, occupying 10 settlements; many of them were displaced over the last two years following the 2011 food crisis.

mod/kr/rz

In 2011 over 11 million people in the Horn of Africa were hit by the worst famine in 60 years. In response SOS Children’s Villages set up emergency relief programmes in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

The focus was first to save lives and then to reduce vulnerability to further drought. Many of those affected were pastoralists who had lost their livestock and thus their only means of subsistence. Those who benefited from the programmes were selected using vulnerability criteria (pregnant and breatsfeeding women, children, people living with AIDS and disabled and elderly persons) and a community based targeting approach – when community members, local government representatives and other stakeholders participate in selecting the neediest households as beneficiaries.

In Somalia, SOS Children’s Villages, in partnership with ECHO (EU humanitarian aid), has been running an emergency programme in Mogadishu for many years, focusing on mother and child health. (SOS Children’s Villages has had a children’s village, school and hospital in Mogadishu since the late 1980s. Despite the war, all still function, although for safety reasons premises have temporarily relocated.)

The drought emergency relief programme (ERP) focused on internally displaced people and agro-pastoralist vulnerable households in the Bay and Banadir regions of central Somalia. Overall, the SOS emergency response in Somalia supported over 178,000 people.

The town of Marsabit, in northern Kenya, was the focus of another ERP. While many humanitarian organisations gave assistance to pastoralists in the rural parts of Marsabit region, to avoid duplication SOS Children’s Villages chose to concentrate on villages and schools located around the town. It was here that we successfully pioneered our ‘smartcard’ food relief system. Over 21,000 people were beneficiaries of this ERP.

Meanwhile, in Gode Zone, located in southeast Ethiopia, where SOS Children’s Villages already runs a children’s village, school and medical centre, the organization reached out to over 21,000 people who had lost their livelihoods, first with food relief, and then with long-term interventions.

(Ouagadougou/Dakar), 22 octobre 2012: Après le Niger et le Mali, la mission de la délégation humanitaire de partenariat Nations Unies et Organisation de Coopération Islamique (OCI) dans le Sahel a achevé la dernière partie de sa visite au Burkina Faso.

Eprouvé par une série de crises alimentaire et nutritionnelle depuis 2005, le Burkina Faso connaît une fois encore une urgence humanitaire. En effet, près de trois millions de personnes ont souffert de la faim cette année, dont 100 000 enfants qui se trouvent confrontés à des risques de malnutrition aiguë sévère. La situation a été exacerbée par l’afflux de près de 35.000 réfugiés maliens fuyant l’insécurité dans le nord du Mali et qui ont trouvé refuge dans des communautés d’accueil déjà éprouvées.

« Il ne fait pas de doute que l’action du gouvernement, appuyé par la communauté humanitaire a permis d’éviter une catastrophe humanitaire au Burkina Faso », a déclaré l’Ambassadeur Yehia Lawal, Directeur du Département Afrique de l’OCI. Celui-ci conduisait conjointement la mission aux côté de Pascal Karorero, Coordonnateur Humanitaire et Coordonnateur Résident du Système des Nations Unies au Burkina Faso. « Toutefois, nous ne pouvons pas sous-estimer la gravité de cette crise dans ce pays ainsi que dans l’ensemble de la région du Sahel qui exige que nous travaillions ensemble, Aucun pays ou organisation, a-t-il dit, ne pourra vaincre seul le cycle infernal de la faim qui coûte des centaines de milliers de vie même en situation hors crise».

Après avoir rencontré les membres du gouvernement ainsi que ceux de la communauté humanitaire, la mission s’est rendue dans le camp de Mentao Nord abritant des réfugiés maliens qui ont fui l’insécurité au Nord de leur pays. Elle s’est entretenue avec les autorités régionales et les réfugiés qui ont exprimé leur gratitude au Burkina Faso pour l’élan de solidarité à leur égard et le sentiment de se sentir protégés. Ils ont exprimé aussi l’espoir de pouvoir rentrer dans leur foyer, précisant que ce dont ils avaient le plus besoin de la part de la communauté internationale ce ne sont pas uniquement des vivres ou de l’eau mais aussi la possibilité de retourner dans un pays pacifié.

A l’heure actuelle, 56 organisations humanitaires sont présentes au Burkina Faso. Les agences des Nations Unies et leurs partenaires ont fourni une aide nutritionnelle à plus de 200 000 personnes. Plus de 800 000 personnes ont également bénéficié d’une aide alimentaire et près de 600 000 personnes ont reçu une aide à l’agriculture. Toutefois, même lorsque les récoltes sont bonnes, un million de Burkinabés ne mangent pas à leur faim.

«Cette mission intervient à un moment crucial où la nécessité de trouver un nouveau paradigme permettant de renforcer la capacité des populations les plus vulnérables à absorber les chocs successifs s’impose.», a déclaré à son tour Pascal Karorero. « Ce n’est que de cette manière que nous ferons une différence durable dans la vie de millions de personnes dans le Sahel et au Burkina Faso en particulier», a –t-il conclu.

Pour davantage de détails sur les activités avec la presse et pour toute demande d’interviews avec les membres de la mission, veuillez contacter: Franck Kudzo Kuwonu OCHA-Niger, (+227) 96 00 94 96, E-mail, kuwonu@un.org; Katy Thiam OCHA- Mali, (+263) 772125298, E-mail: thiamk@un.org, Emmanuelle Schneider OCHA-Burkina Faso, (221) 77 450 6232, E-mail: schneider1@un.org, Jens Laerke OCHA-Geneva, (41) 79 472 9750, E-mail: laerke@un.org .
Les communiqués de presse d’OCHA sont disponibles à l’adresse suivante ; OCHA http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.

Highlights

• The cost of living as reported by Central Statistics Agency increased by 19 % in September 2012 compared to last year the same month. In September 2012, the year-to-year food and cereal inflation rate increased respectively by 17.7% and 24.1%.

• The trend of import parity prices in the reference markets has showed stable situation at high level; compared to August 2012, wheat and sorghum price showed 2% and 1% price increases whilst maize decreased by 3%.

• The nominal wholesale prices of monitored cereals were showing mixed trends with steadily upward push. However, in September the prices of white maize, the most widely consumed cereal, has shown major changes in most of wholesale markets.

• In September 2012, the nominal retail price of maize in most monitored markets showed mixed changes not exceeding 5% against previous month; except at Yabelo and Alamata where price increased by about 7% and price decreased by 14% at Gode market.

• The price of shoat in Gode and Dire Dawa has increased following improved demand for livestock both locally and in the Gulf countries. This situation coupled with stability of staple cereal price in these markets lead to improved terms of trade.

I. LES TITRES
• Le Tchad multiplie les actions contre la mortalité maternelle (Xinhua, 17 oct.)
• Pratique de l’avortement clandestin au Tchad (tchadpages.com, 16 oct.)
• Le HCR transfère des réfugiés centrafricains depuis des camps régulièrement inondés (HCR, 12 oct.)
• UN warns of looming worldwide food crisis in 2013 (The Guardian, 13 Oct.)
• Six Africains, dont cinq humanitaires, enlevés dans le sud du Niger (AFP, 15 oct.)
• Le Tchad expulse un évêque italien après un sermon critique (AFP, 12 oct.)
• Tchad: Me Jacqueline Moudeina reçoit le prix Nobel alternatif (Journal du Tchad, 16 oct.)
• MDG on education set to be missed amid fears that aid is drying up (The Guardian, 16 Oct.)

BAMAKO, Mali 19 October 2012 -- Any conversations about military intervention in Mali must begin with consideration for the most vulnerable groups, particularly children, who are at risk of getting caught in the crossfire, says World Vision. The organization is calling for all groups to keep the needs of the most vulnerable women and children first and foremost. and to consider the humanitarian consequences of possible military operations. This means, vitally, unimpeded access for humanitarian actors, and ensuring sufficient humanitarian assistance for children and their families.

"Mali is a country whose people are dealing with immense challenges from dire poverty, a food and nutrition crisis, and the political and security crises. We have seen hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee their homes, especially women and children," said Chance Briggs. World Vision's national director in Mali. "It would be intolerable to see further pain and suffering heaped on children and their families in Mali. They have enough to deal with in the past few months."

World Vision is actively monitoring the situation and is prepared to respond if there is any increase in humanitarian need, such as people displaced from their homes. The organization has been responding to the needs of displaced populations in Mali, both from the current drought and food crisis and the escalating violence by providing cash for work and food for work programs, child nutrition feeding programs, shelter, and water purification kits.

Sarah Wilson
Senior Emergencies Specialist
World Vision UK
www.worldvision.org.uk
Mobile: 07557 567 753
Direct Line: 01908 244446
Skype: wv_swilson
E-mail: sarah.wilson@worldvision.org.uk

by Catherine Ndungu

“Don’t forget your book,” cries Halimo’s mother. A young girl bounds in and retrieves her book before setting off for school. “I want to show our teacher. I’m a good student so I never forget my book.” Twelve year old Halimo Bashir Omar shows us her 30 minute journey by foot to the recently established Adeso mobile school. It is located near the pastoralist settlement of Jiingada, Sanaag region.

Halimo lives with her parents and is child number seven out of nine siblings. Her life is very much set in the pastoral routine. “I still have to help Mum in the household chores but my brothers look after the livestock.” Her family has five camel and a few shoats, diminished in number due to recurrent droughts.

“I’ve been to school before in a nearby town but only for a short period,” she said. Halimo’s parents could not afford to keep her in school as they could not pay for her and a brother studying in Erigavo. Another reason was their migration patterns prevented them from staying in one place. Halimo used to stay with her aunt so she could attend formal schooling.

“When Dad heard about a school settling near us he said I have to go there as soon as possible,” says Halimo. “It suits us because when we have to move to get access to the rains and fodder for our livestock, the school will move with us.”

“So far, I’m enjoying learning Maths. It’s nice to be able to go to school but also to help out in the house. When I was with my aunt I always used to worry that my Mum was doing too much. I also get to see my family.”

“I really want the mobile school to continue so that I can get to a higher level and my younger siblings have a chance to study. I’m already showing them what I’ve learnt in school and they are always interested when I explain my lessons to them,” she explains. Halimo’s parents are also happy with the school and would like to see the initiative carry on. “Our children will not lose the pastoral lifestyle but will also have the chance to get the education we had no access to,” says Halimo’s mother.

10/22/2012 12:19 GMT

OUAGADOUGOU, 22 oct 2012 (AFP) - La rébellion touareg du Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad (MNLA) a démenti "formellement" lundi un afflux de jihadistes soudanais et sahraouis dans le nord du Mali, y voyant une "intoxication" destinée à décourager une intervention armée internationale.

"L'arrivée de convois de combattants jihadistes du Soudan et du Sahara occidental est une information archi-fausse. Nous démentons formellement", a déclaré à l'AFP Ibrahim Ag Mohamed Assaleh, l'un des responsables du MNLA vivant à Ouagadougou.

Des témoignages, confirmés de source sécuritaire malienne, ont fait état de l'arrivée ce week-end de "centaines" de jihadistes venus du Soudan et du Sahara occidental et prêts se battre au côté des groupes islamistes occupant le nord du Mali depuis près de sept mois, en cas d'intervention armée internationale.

Il s'agit d'une "intoxication pour intimider les armées internationales qui veulent intervenir dans le nord du Mali", a poursuivi M. Assaleh.

"Nous reconnaissons qu'il y a depuis longtemps quelques Soudanais dans les forces du Mujao (Mouvement pour l'unicité et le jihad en Afrique de l'Ouest, l'un des groupes islamistes du Nord), dont l'un est au commissariat de Gao (l'une des grandes villes de la région) pour l'application de la charia" (loi islamique), a-t-il seulement admis.

Le MNLA, qui a lancé une offensive armée dans le nord du Mali en janvier, s'est ensuite allié aux différents groupes islamistes armés pour prendre les principales villes du nord, avant d'en être évincé par Al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique (Aqmi) et ses alliés.

Ces informations sur l'arrivée de renforts jihadistes sont intervenues après une réunion internationale vendredi à Bamako qui a demandé au Mali de redoubler d'efforts pour faciliter l'envoi d'une force armée ouest-africaine soutenue par l'ONU pour reconquérir le nord.

roh-tmo/de

© 1994-2012 Agence France-Presse

10/22/2012 13:17 GMT

OUAGADOUGOU, Oct 22, 2012 (AFP) - Tuareg rebels on Monday denied reports that massive numbers of jihadists had surged into northern Mali to discourage foreign military intervention against armed Islamists occupying the region.

Reports of "the arrival of convoys of jihadists from Sudan and the Western Sahara are totally false. We categorically deny it," said Ibrahim Ag Mohamed Assaleh, an official with the Tuareg rebels' National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) who is living in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou.

Residents of cities in northern Mali, backed up by military sources, said at the weekend that hundreds of jihadists had just poured into the region ready to fight alongside Islamist groups in the event of foreign armed intervention.

But from the neighbouring country, Asseleh dismissed such reports as "propaganda to intimidate the international armies who want to intervene in northern Mali.

"We recognise that for a long time there have been a few Sudanese in the forces of MUJAO (the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa), of whom one is at the police post in Gao (a major northern town) to oversee the application of sharia", or Islamic law, he said.

The MNLA, which launched an offensive in northern Mali in January, initially allied itself with different Islamist groups to take the main towns of Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal, but the Tuaregs were eventually overpowered by Al-Qaeda's north African branch and its allies.

The Tuareg are historic, nomadic inhabitants of northern Mali and lay claim to the Azawad part of the Kidal region. They have waged several rebellions against Bamako.

The task of the Islamists in seizing the vast north of the arid west African country was facilitated by a March coup, which created chaos and weakened the army.

Residents of Timbuktu and Gao reported the large influx of foreign fighters as the west African regional bloc ECOWAS forged ahead with plans to try and reconquer northern Mali, amid fears that the region will become a sanctuary for radicals like Afghanistan a decade ago.

A Malian security source confirmed to AFP on Monday in Bamako "the arrival of new terrorists in the north of Mali", but said claims that there were "several hundred" of them were "exaggerated".

African and European representatives met in Bamako on Friday to discuss the logistics of a bid to recapture the north. The talks came a week after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution giving ECOWAS nations 45 days to set out plans for intervention.

roh-tmo/nb/jhb

© 1994-2012 Agence France-Presse

Genève / Niamey (CICR) – Le président du Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR), Peter Maurer, effectue une visite au Niger et au Mali afin de se rendre compte et de témoigner de la situation humanitaire dans ces deux pays.

Arrivé hier dans la région, M. Maurer se rendra successivement à Niamey et Agadez au Niger, et à Mopti et Bamako au Mali, avant de repartir le 24 octobre.

Durant son séjour, M. Maurer s’entretiendra avec des autorités au plus haut niveau au Niger et au Mali, ainsi qu'avec les responsables de la Croix-Rouge nigérienne et de la Croix-Rouge malienne. Parmi les questions prioritaires qui seront abordées lors des discussions figurent notamment les conséquences humanitaires du conflit au Mali ainsi que les opérations que mène le CICR pour répondre aux besoins immenses des populations.

« La situation humanitaire dans le nord du Mali est très préoccupante et a des répercussions sur d'autres pays du Sahel, dont le Niger, a déclaré M. Maurer. Des milliers de personnes ont dû fuir les combats à la hâte, soit vers des pays voisins tels que le Niger, le Burkina Faso et la Mauritanie, soit à l'intérieur même du Mali. Ma visite doit servir à attirer l'attention sur ces populations affaiblies par les multiples crises alimentaires et par le conflit armé qui fait rage dans le nord du Mali. »

Le CICR poursuit depuis le mois de juillet ses distributions de nourriture dans le nord du Mali, avec pour objectif d'assister 420 000 personnes d'ici la fin de l'année. Il continue de soutenir l'hôpital de Gao, ainsi que des centres de santé communautaires dans le nord du pays, en leur fournissant des médicaments et du matériel médical.

La visite de M. Maurer fait suite à un deuxième appel de fonds (25 millions de francs suisses soit plus de 20 millions d'euros) que le CICR a lancé à ses donateurs en septembre pour ses opérations humanitaires dans le nord du Mali et dans la région. « Les fonds actuellement disponibles ne suffisent malheureusement pas à soutenir l'aide humanitaire aux personnes frappées par cette crise », a ajouté M. Maurer.

Le CICR est présent à Niamey et à Agadez au Niger, et à Bamako, Gao et Mopti au Mali. Il maintient aussi une présence permanente à Kidal et à Tombouctou.

Informations complémentaires :
Germain Mwehu, CICR Niamey, tél. : +227 97 45 43 82 ou +223 76 99 63 75
Carla Haddad Mardini, CICR Genève, tél. :+41 22 730 24 05 ou +41 79 217 32 26
Jean-Yves Clémenzo, CICR Genève, tél. : +41 22 730 22 71 ou +41 79 217 32 17

Rainfall Performance (15th to 21stOct. 2012) Wet conditions persisted in the south and central parts of Somalia over last week. There were isolated cases of flash floods in the central parts of the country due to heavy rains in the area. Eyl and Galckayo recorded a total of 100 mm and 108 mm respectively. Currently observed river levels along the Juba and Shabelle Rivers are slightly higher than normal .

Rainfall Forecast (22nd to 28th Oct. 2012) The Juba and Shabelle River basins both in Somalia and Ethiopian highlands are expected to receive moderate to heavy rains over the forecast period while the rest of the country may receive light to moderate rains within the same period.

Relief Food Update

As of 18 October, dispatch of sixth round relief food, targeting 3.8 million people, reached 91 per cent, including 93 per cent to areas covered by the Disaster Risk Management and Food Security Sector (DRMFSS), 90 per cent to WFP-covered areas in the Somali region, and 89 per cent to areas covered by the NGO consortium Joint Emergency Operation (JEOP). For more information, contact: wfp.addisababa@wfp,org

(excerpt)

This week, armed violence continued to escalate in Syria with heavy fighting occurring in Homs, Daraa, Deir Ezzor, Idlib, Latakia, Aleppo and Damascus. The Government has been accused of using cluster munitions in populated areas. There is an increasing risk of regional spill over, the most recent event being the assassination of a senior intelligence official leading to unrest in Lebanon. Recent reports indicate that more than 900,000 people have been affected by conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile state in Sudan. There is no humanitarian access to more than 320,000 affected people in the two provinces. Nigeria has recently witnessed large scale flooding, affecting 1.3 million people, and an increase of violence by extremists in the north and central regions. A drought in the north of Sri Lanka has affected 1.3 million people.

Global Emergency Overview web interface

White maize is the main staple grain consumed in Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia. In Uganda, white maize is grown mainly as a commercial crop for export in the region. Imported rice is a major staple for Djibouti and Somalia, which mainly consume belem—the imported red rice. Tanzania is also a major producer and source of rice in the region while Kenya and Uganda are minor producers.
Both red and white sorghum are produced and consumed in the region. This is an important staple in Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia as well as in other marginal agricultural areas of the region. It is also a substitute cereal among the rural poor. Red sorghum is mainly grown in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia, and is the preferred type for households in Djibouti. Beans are an important source of protein and a complementary food crop grown in the high potential agricultural areas of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Ethiopia. It is consumed across household types. Maize and beans are the most heavily traded commodities in the region. The cooking banana– matoke—is the primary staple in Uganda. Uganda is also a main source of cooking and other types of bananas traded in the region especially in Southern Sudan. However, bananas are not traded nearly as heavily as maize or beans.

Trading their animals instead of holding on to large flocks and using their land in different ways may help herders in northern Kenya survive when drought and hunger strike

Read the full article in the Guardian.

West Africa can be divided into three agro-ecological zones or three different trade basins (West Basin, Central Basin and East Basin). Both important for understanding market behavior and dynamics.

The three major agro-ecological zones are the Sahelian, the Sudanese and the Coastal zones where production and consumption can be easily classified. (1) In the Sahelian zone, millet is the principal cereal cultivated and consumed particularly in rural areas and increasingly, when accessible, in urban areas. Exceptions include Cape Verde where maize and rice are most important, Mauritania where sorghum and maize are staples, and Senegal with rice. The principal substitutes in the Sahel are sorghum, rice, and cassava flour (Gari), the latter two in times of shortage. (2) In the Sudanese zone (southern Chad, central Nigeria, Benin, Ghana, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, southern Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Serra Leone, Liberia) maize and sorghum constitute the principal cereals consumed by the majority of the population. They are followed by rice and tubers, particularly cassava and yam. (3) In the Coastal zone, with two rainy seasons, yam and maize constitute the most important food products. They are supplemented by cowpea, which is a significant source of protein.

The three trade basins are known as the West, Central, and East basins. In addition to the north to south movement of particular commodities, certain cereals flow horizontally. (1) The West basin refers to Mauritania, Senegal, western Mali, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and The Gambia where rice is most heavily traded. (2) The Central basin consists of Côte d'Ivoire, central and eastern Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo where maize is commonly traded. (3) The East basin refers to Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Benin where millet is traded most frequently. These three trade basins are shown on the map above.

Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 22, 2012

The United States continues to be concerned by the crisis in the Horn of Africa. Although the famine in Somalia ended earlier this year, more than two million people in that country still urgently need humanitarian aid. And the overall humanitarian situation in the region remains fragile; more than 9 million people in the Horn need assistance.

That's why today we are announcing an additional $58 million in assistance for people in the Horn of Africa who are still living with the effects of conflict, economic challenges and environmental shocks, such as flooding and drought. The United States is also fighting chronic food insecurity by helping vulnerable communities diversify and adapt their livelihoods, improve smallholder agricultural and other efforts so they can become more resilient.

The United States is proud to be the largest humanitarian donor to the region. Since 2011 we have provided over $1.3 billion in emergency assistance for affected populations in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. We will keep working with our partners and targeting those most in need until every man, woman, and child has the chance to live healthy lives and realize their potential.

PRN: 2012/1685