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World: Una visión nueva sobre resiliencia comunitaria

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Source: IFRC, CARE, Cordaid
Country: Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Nicaragua, Philippines, Uganda, World
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El caso para cambiar | Noviembre 2012

El riesgo de desastres se está incrementando rápidamente. Los más pobres y vulnerable son quienes más sufren. Muchas amenazas son ahora más frecuentes y menos predecibles como resultado del cambio climático. Al mismo tiempo, la degradación ambiental deteriora la capacidad de la naturaleza de autoregularse y proveer alimento y agua. El resultado es que más personas se encuentran atrapadas en el círculo vicioso de la pobreza, el riesgo y la vulnerabilidad, lo cual conlleva a pérdidas económicas y causa costos mayores para la rehabilitación con la ayuda de gobiernos y agencias.

Fortalecer la resiliencia es clave para romper este ciclo. Los esfuerzos actuales por reducir el riesgo o la adaptación al cambio climático se planifican en sectores distintos y los resultados de las acciones individuales son menores que la suma de todas las acciones en conjunto. Además, hay una falta de compromiso a nivel local, donde los desastres son mayores y podrían llevarse a cabo las intervenciones más efectivas para reducir el riesgo. La Alianza por la Resiliencia (PfR, por su sigla en inglés) ha reconocido la necesidad de cambiar el curso urgentemente. Siendo el primer programa de su tipo a gran escala, unimos nuestra experiencia de manera holística.

Creemos que nuestra visión de resiliencia es la forma de avanzar hacia un rango mayor de inversiones para la reducción de riesgo de desastres. Pone a las comunidades en el centro, al empoderarlas y fortalecer sus medios de vida; conecta disciplinas al combinar las fortalezas de organizaciones que trabajan en asociación, expande su enfoque al abarcar ecosistemas más grandes, considera plazos más amplios, además conecta los enfoques humanitarios y de desarrollo.


Mali: Nord du Mali : situation humanitaire alarmante après de longs mois de privations

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Source: Oxfam
Country: Mali

La région de Gao, au nord du Mali, fait face à une grave insécurité alimentaire causée notamment par le manque de céréales sur les marchés, l’augmentation des prix et l’isolement, annonce aujourd’hui l’organisation internationale Oxfam.

Dans une évaluation récente menée en janvier-février 2013 dans le cercle de Bourem, l’une de ses zones d’intervention dans la région de Gao, Oxfam constate qu’à certains endroits, 80 pour cent des adultes, par manque de ressources, se privent afin de permettre aux enfants d’avoir au moins deux repas par jour. De surcroît, ils réduisent leur ration alimentaire quotidienne ou alors partagent les vivres qu’ils reçoivent en dons avec les voisins et d’autres membres de la famille.

Une enquête distincte sur les marchés du cercle indique qu’en janvier dernier, du fait de l’opération militaire, les prix des denrées de base ont augmenté jusqu’à 70 pour cent. Ces prix, anormalement élevés et largement au dessus de la moyenne des cinq dernières années, n’étaient pas stabilisés en février. Par ailleurs, Oxfam constate qu’en février 2013, le sorgho, le mil et le maïs n’étaient plus disponibles sur les marchés. Toutefois, la situation commence à s’améliorer. Quant aux autres denrées comme les pâtes, l’huile, le sucre et le riz, éléments de base dans l’alimentation de la population de Gao, elles provenaient de l’Algérie dont la frontière reste fermée.

En outre, la pénurie de carburant, dont les prix connaissent aussi une hausse, et les dommages causés par le conflit perturbent entre autres la fourniture en eau et en électricité de la ville de Gao.
L’intervention militaire menée au début de l’année a occasionné la fermeture des routes et le départ des principaux acteurs économiques qui ne sont pas revenus. De plus, les petits détaillants, dont une majorité de femmes, ont perdu leurs marchandises et leurs fonds suite à l’incendie du « marché des légumes » lors des combats au sol en février. Ce petit commerce permettait aux plus pauvres de s’approvisionner parce que ne pouvant acheter que par petites quantités.

Selon Philippe Conraud, Directeur pays d’Oxfam au Mali, « à Gao, les prix ont augmenté et le riz local a connu une flambée de plus de 50 pour cent depuis octobre dernier. Cela reste éprouvant pour la population qui, du fait de l’absence d’institutions financières, n’a pas d’argent liquide à sa disposition et ne pourra plus faire face à ses besoins essentiels si cela perdure ».

Face à ce constat, Oxfam invite les acteurs humanitaires et les bailleurs de fonds à se mobiliser pour apporter une réponse rapide aux plus vulnérables. Au 15 mars 2013, l’Appel d’urgence des Nations Unies pour le Mali était financé à hauteur d’un peu plus de 56 millions de dollars, soit seulement 17 pour cent, sur un montant total de plus de 386 millions.

Aussi, Oxfam craint-elle que la question sécuritaire ne fasse oublier les besoins humanitaires et appelle, dès aujourd’hui, les bailleurs de fonds à combler le manque de financements des secteurs-clés que sont la sécurité alimentaire, l’eau, l’hygiène et l’assainissement, la protection, l’éducation, la santé, et le soutien des moyens d’existence.

Pour les six prochains mois, Oxfam a besoin de plus de 9 millions de dollars en vue de mettre en place des programmes humanitaires dans les régions de Gao et de Ségou pour lesquels certains bailleurs, comme l’Office d'aide humanitaire de la Commission européenne (ECHO), ont déjà donné un soutien considérable.

Oxfam a pour objectif d’atteindre à Gao quelque 70 000 bénéficiaires par le soutien des moyens d’existence et des distributions de vivres dont la dernière en date a pris fin début mars 2013.

Pour recevoir des informations supplémentaires, merci de contacter:
Habibatou Gologo – Bamako – hgologo@oxfam.org.uk Tel + 223 – 66 75 2553
Charles Bambara - Dakar – cbambara@oxfam.org.uk tel +221 77 639 41 78

Mauritania: As more and more Malian refugees arrive in Mauritania, UNICEF steps up relief efforts

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Source: UN Children's Fund
Country: Mali, Mauritania

By Brahim Ould Isselmou and Etienne Yongwe

As more and more Malians arrive at Mbéra refugee camp in Mauritania, UNICEF and partners are scaling up life-saving services for refugee and host community, alike.

Visit Humanitarian Action for Children 2013: Mauritania

MBERA REFUGEE CAMP, Mauritania, 19 March 2013 – Nightfall in Mbéra refugee camp brings some relief for the refugees and humanitarian workers after a hard day in this hot, dry, remote region.

Mbéra is a busy place, home to more than 75,000 refugees who continue to arrive in Mauritania, having fled conflict in Mali. It is the largest refugee camp that has been established to respond to the crisis, compared to those in Burkina Faso and the Niger, and it continues to grow.

Rescue and relief efforts are urgently being scaled up to meet the basic needs of the refugees.

Mohamed treated for malnutrition

Mohammed and his four children are among the refugees to arrive since the beginning of 2013. Leaving their home near Timbuktu was a difficult decision – they faced an uncertain future. They fled and took only what they could carry.

When the family reached the Fassala refugee transit centre, just over the border into Mauritania, the children’s health was assessed. Three-year-old Mohamed was diagnosed with malnutrition and given treatment, including fortified milk.

Within four days, the family was settled in the Mbéra camp, which was re-established by UNHCR and the Government of Mauritania in 2012. There, they receive assistance from a range of organizations, including UNICEF.

Water, sanitation and hygiene package provided

UNICEF is working alongside UNHCR and partners to reinforce interventions in Mbéra camp and to respond to the needs of new refugees. Life-saving humanitarian services are provided to children and women, including a comprehensive water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) package.

Access to safe drinking water, latrines and hygiene materials such as soap is of critical importance in preventing disease. In response to the needs of Malian refugees and the nutritional crisis of 2012, as of November, UNICEF had provided 5,598 WASH kits and awareness messages to severe acute malnutrition-affected carers/mother and child.

The effects of the WASH package are immediate. According to WASH specialist Etienne Yongwe, of United Nations Standby partner CANADEM, “WASH interventions are having a positive impact on the lives of refugees and helping the new arrivals to rapidly meet their essential needs. The needs of women and children are also addressed through a ‘WASH in Nutrition’ integrated service in nutrition centres. By working on the two sectors simultaneously, we improve and reinforce the health outcomes for children.’’

Refugees and host communities benefit

UNICEF is also expanding its interventions for host communities in the area surrounding the camp. A WASH package has been extended to assist children and women in the area who have also been affected by the nutritional crisis across the Sahel.

“We are providing life-saving and resilience services to the newly arrived refugees, and we are striving to support local population with a comprehensive vision to meet UNICEF’s Core Commitments for Children,” stresses UNICEF Representative in Mauritania Lucia Elmi. “Currently, our results and achievements cannot keep pace with the dire and growing needs of children in Mauritania. More resources and more support are required from all our donors and partners.”

The WASH and WASH in Nutrition interventions complement health, nutrition, child protection and education actions. Together, they bring a broad package of relief and resilience services to refugees and host communities.

Mohammed and his family are now getting used to life in Mbéra camp, and little Mohamed is beginning to recover. Like many other children in the camp, he faces an uncertain future, but here, he is at least safe and has access to basic services. The whole family is now benefitting from integrated interventions, and they can begin to look to the future with hope.

Mali: North Mali: alarming humanitarian situation following months of hardship

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Source: Oxfam
Country: Mali

A serious food security crisis is developing in the Gao region of northern Mali due to a shortage of cereals on the market, rocketing food prices and restricted access, warned international aid agency Oxfam today.

In a recent survey conducted between January and February 2013 in the circle of Bourem, an area in the Gao region where Oxfam carries out programmes, the agency found that up to 80 per cent of adults have reduced their daily food intake, in order to allow their children to eat at least twice a day. They have also had to reduce their daily food rations or share the food they received with neighbours or family members.

A separate market survey in the same area revealed that in January 2013 the price of basic foodstuffs went up by as much as 70 per cent as a result of the military operation. By February, these abnormally high prices, far greater than the five year average, had still not stabilised. Oxfam‘s survey found that cereals like sorghum, millet and corn are no longer available on the market. While the availability of certain cereals is now improving, the continued closure of the Algerian border is preventing access to other key products in the diet of northern Malians, such as pasta, oil, sugar and rice.

Fuel shortages and rising fuels prices and conflict-related damage have also affected the water and electricity supply in the town of Gao.

Military interventions carried out since the beginning of the year have led to road closures and the departure of traders, who have still not returned to the area. Furthermore, a large number of small traders, many of whom are women, lost their goods and cash in a fire in the Gao vegetable market during fighting in February. This trade was essential to allow the poorest households to buy food in the small quantities they were able to afford.

”In Gao, prices have increased dramatically and local rice is gone up by more than 50 per cent since October last year. This is having a dramatic effect on the population. The banking system is completely disrupted and the population has very little cash available. They will find it difficult to meet their immediate needs if the situation doesn’t improve”, says Philippe Conraud, Oxfam Country Director in Mali.

The agency is calling on the humanitarian community and donors to mobilize and provide rapid assistance to those most in need. As of 15 March 2013, the UN’s emergency appeal for Mali had only received $56 million, just 17 per cent of the total $386 million requested.

Oxfam is concerned that an overwhelming focus on the military intervention and operations is overshadowing urgent humanitarian and protection needs and calls on donors to step up their funding for key sectors such as food security, water, sanitation, protection, education, health and sustainable livelihoods.

Oxfam needs more than $9 million for 2013 to be able to implement its humanitarian programmes in both the Gao and Segou region for the next 6 months. Certain donors such as the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Agency, ECHO, have already provided significant support.

Oxfam is aiming to reach 70,000 people via support to livelihoods and food distributions. The latest food distribution was completed at the beginning of March.

For more information please contact: Habibatou Gologo – Bamako – hgologo@oxfam.org.uk Tel + 223 – 66 75 2553 Charles Bambara - Dakar – cbambara@oxfam.org.uk tel +221 77 639 41 78

Mali: Mali conflict ups pressure on climate-stressed herders

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Source: AlertNet
Country: Mali

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:50 GMT

Source: alertnet // Soumaila T. Diarra

BAMAKO (AlertNet) – The recent conflict in northern Mali, where the situation remains volatile, has left many livestock herders in fear of losing millions of cattle, sheep and goats at a time when they were already struggling to find enough pasture for their animals due to drought.

View full report on AlertNet

Mali: A year after coup, Mali split over election readiness

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Mali

03/20/2013 16:00 GMT

by Stéphane Jourdain

BAMAKO, March 20, 2013 (AFP) - A year after a coup which opened the door to the Islamist invasion of northern Mali, politicians are split over the nation's readiness for elections as it remains entangled in a war with the extremists.

Interim President Dioncounda Traore, supported by government parties and much of the international community, has said he wants elections by the end of July.

However Nouhoum Keita, a leader in the African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence party, the main supporters of the revolt, said this would be a "near-impossible task".

On March 22 last year army captain Amadou Sanogo led a group of mid-level officers to overthrow then-president Amadou Toumani Toure, upending what had been considered one of west Africa's most stable democracies.

The coup paved the way for Al-Qaeda linked Islamists to seize vast swathes of northern Mali, prompting a military intervention by French and African troops in January which has chased the rebels from the region's main cities.

However, fighting continues in desert areas of northeastern Mali where armed Islamists are entrenched, and many obstacles block the path to July elections, say supporters of Sanogo's junta.

"There are too many problems to be solved by then: the electoral law to enable the vote; the election commission -- a source of contention between the political forces -- the return of displaced persons, some of whom are not even in Mali", Keita told AFP.

Echoing the views of many who supported the government's overthrow last year, Keita said the idea of hurrying a "botched election under pressure from donors and Western powers" was out of the question.

"We do not even know when the war will be settled," he told AFP.

Although fighting is now concentrated in the extreme north-east the security situation remains fragile in and around Gao, the largest city in northern Mali.

Yet powerbrokers on the other side of the deeply-divided nation's political debate, who condemned the coup, are impatient for the transition to democracy to be completed.

"If the timetable for the election is linked to the security situation, when will we ever organise it, in how many years?" said Boubacar Toure, of the Rally for Mali party.

"Must there be zero cannon fire and zero gun fire before we can vote?"

-- Getting the displaced to polling booths --

For Mamadou Samake, a political scientist at the University of Bamako, Mali's political schism can be explained very simply.

"There are anti-coup parties, and almost all parties in the National Assembly, who want elections to take place quickly, to get out of the transition phase as soon as possible, so that those who are in power now don't get a taste for it." he said.

But the pro-coup factions are demanding that Mali takes its time, insisting that the need for successful elections is greater than the need for a quick transition, Samake told AFP.

In Bamako, where people look in vain for bill posters, bunting or other signs of a pre-election campaign, many suspect that junta chief Sanogo wants to run for the highest office.

But those who are insisting on a delay have more to their argument than simply the instability caused by the ongoing military operation.

"There would need to be a change in the law to allow for refugees and internally displaced people who fled the north to vote where they are currently staying. This hasn't been done," said Samake.

Some 170,000 Malians fled to neighbouring countries and 260,000 others have been displaced internally since early 2012, according to the United Nations.

"These elections are not completely independent of the security environment and of the national dialogue," Edmond Mulet, the UN's assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, said at the weekend.

The "dialogue" remains in limbo, however, with the crisis exacerbating tensions between communities and raising the spectre of Mali's "Tuareg question" after rebels from the Nomadic Saharan ethnic grouping rose up and claimed independence for the north last year before losing it to Islamist fighters.

"Technically, we can make these elections happen within the announced timescale," a European diplomatic source told AFP.

But a lack of cash to cover election expenses is another serious obstacle, she admitted, saying: "They don't have 60 percent of the required budget".

Mali's partners in the international community are already resigned to the need to break up the elections, according to the same source.

"The idea now is that the presidential elections would go ahead in July and the legislative elections some time later."

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

Chad: Chad: 2013 humanitarian response threatened by funding crisis

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Source: UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad
Country: Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan

(N’Djamena, 20 March 2013): The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad Mr Thomas Gurtner is today meeting with key regional partners in Dakar in order to develop a common Sahel strategy and to raise the alarm on the funding crisis facing humanitarian actors in Chad. Almost three months into the year, the 2013 humanitarian Common Appeals Process (CAP) of $500 million in Chad is only financed at 9% and UN agencies forecast that humanitarian funding this year could only reach a third of the amount received in 2012.

“I have spent the last days consulting with key humanitarian actors and we all are becoming increasingly concerned by a looming funding gap that endangers to wipe out the positive advances our humanitarian programmes were able to achieve during 2012,” said Mr Gurtner. “The humanitarian situation in Chad continues to be precariously volatile and we need immediate funding in order to maintain the most critical current activities, let alone respond to new crises.”

Despite a higher-than-average harvest of 3.8 million metric tons in cereals in 2012-2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 2 million people will need assistance this year, mainly in flooded areas and the Sahel belt. Malnutrition rates are expected to soar during the lean period starting in June and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has had to increase its target of children to be treated for severe acute malnutrition this year to 150,000. The deteriorating security situation in neighbouring Darfur and the Central African Republic has also created an unexpected additional strain on humanitarian actors, with the influx of more than 12,500 Sudanese refugees and 4,000 Central African refugees to Chad in the past month.

Aminata Gueye, representative in Chad for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said: “We are facing the greatest influx of Sudanese refugees since 2004 and the UNHCR is even more concerned about the developing situation in the Central African Republic, from where we could expect more than 15,000 new refugees in the coming months. Right now, we simply do not have the funding to respond simultaneously to these emergencies and we are obliged to pull resources from existing programmes in order to assist these extremely vulnerable refugees.”

Examples of funding gaps include:

-UNICEF is in urgent need of $7 million to ensure a continuous supply of therapeutic food and adequate care for severely malnourished children across the country.

-The budget for UNHCR in Chad has been reduced by 50% over the last 2 years and currently only 30% of the required funds have been secured to maintain the 2012 levels of operation to assist 358,000 refugees and 90,000 internally displaced people. UNHCR estimates it needs $5 million to respond to the present emergencies.

-The FAO has less than 15% of the funds needed to provided seeds and agricultural equipment to 360,000 people.

-The International Organization for Migration (IOM) does not have funding available to assist more than 2,000 Chadian returnees fleeing Darfur and more than 1,000 returnees that have been forced to leave Libya under extremely harsh conditions since January, with many more expected in the coming months.

  • With the influx of new refugees, the World Food Programme (WFP) now faces a funding shortfall of $52 million to assist refugees throughout the country. Moreover, the food required for refugees in Eastern Chad for the July- November period must be prepositioned by June at the latest due to the inaccessibility of these regions during the rainy season.

  • The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) which provides air transport for humanitarian programmes in Chad has only received pledges to cover 44% of its 2013 operational budget and is being forced to reduce its fleet and aircraft sizes to maintain a limited service throughout the year.

Bruno Maes, UNICEF representative for Chad said: “This funding crisis is literally a question of saving lives: without proper treatment, a child with severe acute malnutrition is nine times more likely to die than a well-fed child. Malnutrition rates in Chad have not dropped significantly and we simply must sustain our efforts in the 426 nutrition centers across Chad or we will face dramatic consequences.”

Mali: Mali: début du retrait des troupes françaises "à partir de la fin avril" (Ayrault)

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Mali

03/20/2013 17:46 GMT

PARIS, 20 mars 2013 (AFP) - Le Premier ministre français Jean-Marc Ayrault a annoncé mercredi que le retrait des troupes françaises du Mali débuterait "à partir de la fin du mois d'avril", et promis que "tout" serait fait pour libérer les otages français en Afrique.

Evoquant une réunion lundi prochain avec des personnalités de l'Assemblée nationale et du Sénat, M. Ayrault a précisé que cette rencontre permettrait de faire le point sur l'opération militaire conduite par la France au Mali, "même si nos troupes vont commencer, à partir de la fin du mois d'avril, à rentrer".

Un débat aura lieu sur cette opération conformément à la Constitution, a ajouté le chef du gouvernement.

Le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, Laurent Fabius, avait évoqué dans un premier temps un début de retrait en mars du contingent français. Puis le président François Hollande avait promis une diminution du nombre des soldats "à partir du mois d'avril".

Le gouvernement évoque donc désormais fin avril pour un début de désengagement de ses 4.000 soldats déployés dans le cadre de l'opération Serval.

Le Premier ministre a rendu à l'Assemblé un vibrant hommage à l'armée française engagée depuis le 11 janvier. Elle est "notre honneur", "la preuve que la France peut être à la hauteur de ses ambitions et je m'y engage, elle continuera à le faire partout où ce sera nécessaire".

Cinq soldats français ont péri dans des combats depuis le début de l'opération visant à chasser les groupes islamistes armés du nord du Mali.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse


Mali: French troops to pull out of Mali 'from end' of April: PM

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Mali

03/20/2013 17:57 GMT

PARIS, March 20, 2013 (AFP) - French troops will begin pulling out of troubled Mali "from the end of April", French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told parliament on Wednesday.

Ayrault said a meeting next Monday between lawmakers in France's National Assembly and Senate would assess the involvement of French troops to help flush out Islamist rebels in the west African country "even if our troops will begin coming home from the end of April".

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius first said the 4,000-strong French contingent would be withdrawn from March. President Francois Hollande then promised a troop reduction from April.

In his speech to parliament Ayrault paid tribute to the French forces, which have been in Mali since mid-January.

They are France's "honour" and "proof that France can be up to its ambitions... and will be so wherever necessary", he said.

Five French soldiers have died in combat since the start of the operations to drive out the rebels from areas they control in the north.

Currently about 1,200 troops are still deployed in the northeast carrying out clean-up operations.

There are still pockets of resistance in areas such as Gao, the largest city in northern Mali, which has been hit by stray attacks and suicide bombings since the Islamists fled.

The French troops in the region are backed up by African forces. Soldiers from Chad, whose experience and training have made them key in the French-led offensive, have also suffered casualties, with at least 26 deaths.

Paris deployed the forces on January 11 to help stop Al-Qaeda-linked fighters who had controlled northern Mali since April 2012 from moving southward and threatening the capital Bamako.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

Mali: Dossier Mali

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Source: Action Contre la Faim
Country: Mali, Mauritania
preview


DOSSIER MALI

20 mars 2013

Page 1 : Quelles perspectives pour le Nord Mali ?
Page 3 : Focus - Dans un camp de réfugiés en Mauritanie

Alors que la situation sécuritaire et alimentaire demeure précaire au Nord Mali, la population adopte des mesures extrêmes qui auront un impact nutritionnel à court terme sur les plus démunis. Plusieurs facteurs suscitent l'inquiétude :

· Près d'un demi-million de Maliens sont déplacés dans leur pays ou dans les pays voisins, du fait de la violence depuis début 2012 et ont peur de revenir dans leurs foyers au Nord.

· La hausse des prix, le manque de liquidités et de stocks alimentaires pèsent sur les populations.

· Alors que les filières agricoles ont été affectées successivement par la crise alimentaire de 2012 et la confusion sécuritaire qui règne aujourd'hui, des inquiétudes portent sur la saison agricole qui débutera en juin.

Action contre la Faim envisage 3 scénarios possibles, dans un contexte d'insécurité et d'incertitude.

L'organisation, présente au Mali, vient aussi en aide aux réfugiés en Mauritanie, comme dans le camp de M'bera

Contacts presse : Christina Lionnet 01.43.35.82.37 clionnet@actioncontrelafaim.org ou Julia Belusa 01.43.35.82.22 jbelusa@actioncontrelafaim.org . Urgences et jours fériés : 06 70 01 58 43 , où les taux de malnutrition aigüe dépassent les seuils d'urgence.

Niger: Niger Food Security Outlook Update March 2013

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Niger
preview


Strong demand continues to drive up cereal prices

KEY MESSAGES

  • Continual high demand from institutions, as well as from consumers and private entities, has driven February cereal prices (especially for millet) upwards to their highest levels in the past five years with prices at major markets anywhere from 14 to 40 percent above-average. However at this time, these unusually high prices are not severely curtailing household food access.

  • Currently, poor households are highly dependent on market purchases to meet their food needs. However, good food access and purchasing power are generally helping to keep food insecurity to a minimum due to the availability of cereal stocks for certain households and to incomes from wage labor and the sale of irrigated crops and livestock for others.

  • However, certain departments of Tillabéri will require humanitarian assistance from the government and its partners during the month of March to prevent food consumption gaps.

Somalia: ACTED launches a new REACH mapping exercise in IDP settlements in South Central Somalia

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Source: Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development
Country: Somalia

NAIROBI [ACTED News] - ACTED recognizes the lack of centralized and integrated datasets on internally displaced persons’ (IDP) settlements in South Central Somalia and, through the REACH programme, aims to develop a more uniform process of data collection, integration and dissemination to enhance the accountability, targeting, and effectiveness of humanitarian programming in Mogadishu. In partnership with IMPACT Initiatives, ACTED plans to map between 9 to 11 camps in Mogadishu using a combination of secondary and primary data collection, involving secondary data review, data collection from partner agencies, satellite mapping, remote sensing and enumerator’s observation of camps and household conditions, with support from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department. The assessment will result the production of maps, reports and factsheets for use by approximately 80 organizations including cluster members, UN agencies, NGOs and donors.

Chad: La Réponse humanitaire de 2013 menacée par une crise de financement

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Source: UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Chad
Country: Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan

(N'Djamena, 20 Mars 2013): Le coordonnateur résident et humanitaire des Nations Unies pour le Tchad, M. Thomas Gurtner rencontre aujourd'hui les principaux partenaires régionaux à Dakar en vue d'élaborer une stratégie commune pour le Sahel et pour donner l'alarme sur la crise de financement à laquelle les acteurs humanitaires font face au Tchad. Près de trois mois après le début de l'année, l’Appel humanitaire Consolidé (CAP) de 2013, d’un montant de 500 millions de dollars, n'est financé qu’à 9% et les agences de l'ONU prévoient que le financement humanitaire de cette année ne pourrait atteindre que le tiers du montant reçu en 2012.

«J'ai fait des consultations ces derniers jours avec les acteurs humanitaires clés et nous sommes tous de plus en plus inquiets du déficit de financement imminent qui risque d’emporter les avancées positives que nos programmes humanitaires avaient pu réaliser en 2012 », a déclaré M. Gurtner. «La situation humanitaire au Tchad continue d'être dangereusement volatile et nous avons besoin de financement immédiat afin de maintenir les activités actuelles les plus importantes, sans parler de réponse à de nouvelles crises."

Malgré une récolte 2012-2013 de 3,8 millions de tonnes de céréales (supérieure à la moyenne annuelle), l'Organisation pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO) estime que 2 millions de personnes auront besoin d’assistance cette année, principalement dans les zones inondées et la bande sahélienne. Les taux de malnutrition sont attendus à la hausse au cours de la période de soudure à partir de juin et le Fonds des Nations Unies pour l'enfance (UNICEF) a dû augmenter à 150 000 le nombre d’enfants malnutris aiguë sévère à traiter cette année. La détérioration de la sécurité dans les régions voisines du Darfour et de la République centrafricaine a également créé une pression supplémentaire et inattendue sur les acteurs humanitaires, avec un afflux de plus de 12 500 réfugiés soudanais et 4 000 réfugiés centrafricains au Tchad au cours du mois passé.

«Nous sommes face au plus grand afflux de réfugiés soudanais depuis 2004 et le HCR est encore plus préoccupé par la situation qui se développe en République centrafricaine, d'où on pourrait s'attendre à plus de 15.000 nouveaux réfugiés dans les prochains mois. À l'heure actuelle, nous n'avons tout simplement pas les fonds nécessaires pour répondre simultanément à ces situations d'urgence et nous sommes obligés de tirer des ressources des programmes existants afin d'aider ces réfugiés extrêmement vulnérables," a dit Aminata Gueye, représentante du Haut Commissariat pour les réfugiés (HCR) au Tchad.

Voici quelques exemples de déficits de financement:

-L’UNICEF a urgemment besoin de 7 millions de dollars pour assurer, en continu, un approvisionnement en aliments thérapeutiques et des soins appropriés pour les enfants souffrant de malnutrition sévère à travers le pays.

-Le budget du HCR au Tchad a été réduit de 50% au cours des 2 dernières années et actuellement, seulement 30% des fonds requis ont été obtenus pour maintenir le niveau d'opération de 2012 afin d’assister 358 000 réfugiés et 90 000 personnes déplacées. LE HCR estime un besoin de 5 millions de dollars pour répondre à ces urgences actuelles.

-La FAO a moins de 15% des fonds nécessaires à la fourniture des semences et du matériel agricole prévus pour 360,000 personnes.

-L 'Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM) n'a pas de fonds disponibles pour aider plus de 2 000 retournés tchadiens fuyant le Darfour et plus de 1 000 retournés qui ont été forcés à quitter la Libye dans des conditions extrêmement difficiles depuis janvier, avec de nombreux autres attendus dans les prochains mois.

  • Avec l'afflux de nouveaux réfugiés, le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM) fait face à un déficit de financement de 52 millions de dollars pour aider les réfugiés à travers le pays. De plus, la nourriture nécessaire pour les réfugiés à l'est du Tchad pour la période juillet-novembre doit être pré-positionnée avant juin au plus tard en raison de l'inaccessibilité de ces régions pendant la saison des pluies.
  • Le service aérien humanitaire des Nations Unies (UNHAS) qui assure le transport pour les programmes humanitaires au Tchad n'a reçu des promesses pour couvrir que 44% de son budget de fonctionnement 2013 et est ainsi forcé de réduire sa flotte et la taille de ses avions pour maintenir un service limité tout au long de l’année.

Le représentant de l’UNICEF au Tchad, Bruno Maes, a pour sa part déclaré que «Cette crise de financement est littéralement une question de sauver des vies: sans traitement approprié, un enfant souffrant de malnutrition aiguë sévère est neuf fois plus à risque de mourir qu'un enfant bien nourri. Les taux de malnutrition au Tchad n'ont pas baissé d’une façon significative et nous devons absolument poursuivre nos efforts dans les 426 centres nutritionnels à travers le Tchad ou alors nous ferons face à des conséquences dramatiques. "

Bureau du Coordonnateur Résident et Humanitaire
Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter: (+235) 22 51 71 00, (+235) 6293 1168, coordination.chad@undp.org.

Burkina Faso: Tensions mount on Mali-Burkina Faso border as cattle farmers vie for land

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Source: Guardian
Country: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger

Malian farmers and livestock, forced south by conflict, put pressure on land and water resources in the borderlands

The movement of hundreds of thousands of cattle from Mali is threatening peace across the border in Burkina Faso, where tensions are mounting as Malian refugee pastoralists come head to head with local agricultural farmers.

Read the full report on the Guardian.

Niger: Niger : Bulletin humanitaire numéro 11 du 19 mars 2013

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Mali, Niger
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Faits saillants

  • Plan de contingence dans les régions: les mises en oeuvre sont souvent difficiles.

  • Camp des réfugiés d'Abala: une expérience de scolarisation réussie.

  • Santé: renforcer le CSI de Tlemcess en attendant la relocalisation des refugiés.


Mali: More than four million people in Mali need help

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Source: British Red Cross
Country: Mali

As the humanitarian situation in Mali reaches crisis point, the British Red Cross has given £200,000 from its Disaster Fund to help provide vital aid. The money will be channelled through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is working across Mali.

Increased fighting

Fighting and military campaigns in the north of Mali have worsened the already vulnerable situation of many thousands of people. According to the UN, more than 4.3 million people in Mali now need help.

The ICRC has good access across Mali, including in the conflict areas in the centre and north of the country. Together with the Mali Red Cross, it is providing food, essential household items and seed, and helping people improve their livelihoods.

Worsening crisis

The whole Sahel region of west Africa was severely affected by food crisis last year. Many people in Mali still have difficulty accessing food, and the situation is worsening as thousands of people flee their homes.

Around 267,000 people are now displaced within Mali, creating new and intensified needs for food, protection, water, and healthcare. To make matters worse, many humanitarian agencies cannot access areas of Mali or reach affected communities.

The current military operations have also disrupted food supplies to the northern regions. This means there is less to buy at the market, and people’s supplies of food and money are running out.

To date, the Red Cross has given a £325,000 from its Disaster Fund to support the ICRC’s work in Mali. The latest contribution will provide 17,520 people with food parcels containing rice, wheat, oil and salt for one month.

Mali: Au Mali, les munitions abandonnées mettent des vies en danger

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Source: IRIN
Country: Mali

DAKAR, 21 mars 2013 (IRIN) - Les raids aériens et les affrontements au sol ont laissé les régions du nord et du centre du Mali truffées de munitions non explosées (unexploded ordnance, UXO) qui mettent sérieusement en péril la vie des enfants et empêchent le retour des personnes déplacées.

Le Mali a sombré dans le chaos début 2012, et l'offensive lancée en janvier 2013 par les forces françaises pour contenir l'avancée vers le sud des militants islamistes a entraîné une intensification des combats et de nouveaux déplacements de population.

Parmi les 53 personnes qui ont été blessées par des explosifs abandonnés entre avril 2012 et mars 2013, 38 étaient des enfants. Cinq enfants et deux adultes ont également été tués pendant cette période, selon le Fonds des Nations Unies pour l'enfance (UNICEF).

« Nous recommandons vivement aux habitants de ne pas rentrer tout de suite chez eux, car la sécurité n'a pas encore été rétablie. [L'élimination des] mines antipersonnel [et des munitions non explosées] est l'une des conditions préalables au retour des personnes déplacées. Nous les exhortons donc à demeurer là où elles sont pour le moment », a dit Eduardo Cue, porte-parole du Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (UNHCR) au Mali.

M. Cue a dit que des rapports non confirmés indiquaient qu'environ 250 personnes rentraient chez elles chaque semaine. « La route est ouverte et il y a des bus qui desservent la région de Mopti depuis Bamako, mais l'afflux est très limité. Les responsables des gouvernements locaux et régionaux ne sont pas encore rentrés et il n'y a donc pas d'administration dans ces régions. Les services n'ont pas encore repris », a-t-il dit à IRIN.

Selon le Bureau de la coordination des affaires humanitaires des Nations Unies (OCHA), environ 431 000 personnes (260 665 PDIP et 170 313 réfugiés) ont été déplacées et 4,3 millions d'habitants ont besoin d'une aide humanitaire.

Les obus d'artillerie, les roquettes, les grenades, les balles, les bombes aériennes et les mortiers abandonnés ont surtout été retrouvés dans les villes de Diabali, de Douentza, de Konna et de Gao.

« [Les munitions non explosées] sont partout ; dans la rue, près des écoles et des centres de santé », a dit à IRIN Hector Calderon, responsable des communications de l'UNICEF au Mali. « Les enfants sont plus vulnérables parce qu'ils jouent, qu'ils courent dans tous les sens et qu'ils peuvent, par curiosité, décider de ramasser des munitions abandonnées. »

À la suite du renversement du gouvernement malien, en mars 2012, le nord du pays a été successivement contrôlé par les rebelles séparatistes touaregs et par des militants islamistes liés à Al-Qaida. Les militants islamistes ont été chassés de la plus grande partie de la région, mais l'accès des travailleurs humanitaires est toujours difficile et la situation sécuritaire demeure incertaine.

Sidiki, 13 ans, décrit les dommages infligés à son école, à Konna, pendant les combats.

« Des soldats tiraient des missiles juste derrière l'école. Ça faisait beaucoup de bruit et j'étais effrayé. J'avais peur qu'on reçoive des balles », a dit Sidiki à l'UNICEF. « Nous avons fui. Nous avons tous couru nous réfugier chez nous. »

« À notre retour, nous avons constaté les dégâts. Il y avait de gros trous dans les murs et [des munitions] partout dans la cour de l'école, toutes sortes de munitions... petits et gros calibres. »

« Menace directe »

« En plus de constituer une menace directe pour la vie et l'intégrité physique, la présence de débris de guerre explosifs affecte négativement les moyens de subsistance et perturbe la vie quotidienne des habitants. La présence de ces objets dangereux est une source évidente de crainte et de détresse qui empêche les communautés affectées de reprendre une vie normale », a dit Marc Vaillant, responsable de programme auprès du Service de la lutte antimines des Nations Unies (UNMAS) au Mali.

En décembre, l'UNICEF estimait à au moins 100 000 le nombre d'enfants à risque d'être blessés par des munitions non explosées. Ce nombre a par ailleurs doublé depuis le début de l'offensive dirigée par l'armée française et l'escalade des hostilités qui s'est ensuivie.

« Les civils sont conscients de la menace que représentent ces explosifs », a dit M. Calderon. « J'ai vu une mère qui hésitait à amener son enfant au centre de santé parce qu'elle craignait qu'il y ait des munitions non explosées. Il est évident que leur présence a un impact sur la vie des membres de ces communautés. »

Les munitions non explosées proviennent surtout des récents affrontements, mais, selon l'UNMAS, il pourrait également y avoir des mines antichars dans le nord du Mali, le long de la frontière algérienne, qui dateraient d'avant le conflit.

Les engins explosifs improvisés (EEI) qui peuvent être déclenchés à distance, les attentats suicides ou aux voitures piégées, le stockage non sécurisé des munitions et la prolifération généralisée des armes légères et de petit calibre font aussi partie des menaces sécuritaires qui pèsent sur le Mali, a indiqué l'UNMAS.

« Nous avons le devoir de remédier à cette situation en déployant rapidement des équipes d'enquête et d'élimination [des munitions non explosées] et en sensibilisant les personnes exposées aux risques », a dit M. Vaillant à IRIN. L'UNMAS a déployé des équipes d'enquête dans les régions de Mopti et de Tombouctou et formé 30 soldats de l'armée malienne pour éliminer les munitions non explosées.

Les forces françaises, qui combattent actuellement les rebelles islamistes aux côtés des troupes tchadiennes dans le massif des Ifoghas, près de la frontière algérienne, ont récemment découvert environ 800 kilogrammes de matières explosives dans une maison de Gao. C'est là que, le mois dernier, des petits groupes de militants ont lancé des attaques de représailles, notamment des attentats suicides, après que le gros de leurs forces eut été chassé de la ville. [ http://news.yahoo.com/french-mali-troops-recover-explosives-gao-13592812... ]

ob/cb-gd/amz [FIN]

Kenya: Refugee radio journalists on air in Dadaab

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Source: European Commission Humanitarian Aid department
Country: Kenya, Somalia

19/03/2013 – In February Internews’ Humanitarian Information Service in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camps began broadcasting a Somali language program on humanitarian issues. ‘Gargaar’ (‘Assistance’) is produced by local and refugee journalists and broadcast daily. Internews receives support from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) and USAID’s Office for Transitional Initiatives (OTI).

When Somali journalist Shine Jamac was forced to flee his homeland in 2009 he first sought asylum in Ethiopia. It was not long before his profession began to cause him problems.

‘When I was seeking asylum at the border a journalist asked to interview me because it was World Refugee Day. He asked me what I did for a living in Somalia, and I told him I was a fellow reporter. In Ethiopia they do not respect journalists, so when they heard this they put me in jail for 20 days,’ Shine says with a rueful smile.

After returning to Somalia, Shine again suffered from an unfortunate coincidence. Whilst travelling through al Shabaab territory on his way to Kenya he was recognised as a journalist by an old acquaintance.

‘This was late in 2011 when the Kenya Defense Force was just crossing into Somalia. The al Shabaab people captured us and thought we might be spies.’ Shine goes quiet after this. He prefers not to remember his interrogation.

Now, one year after arriving in the Dadaab refugee camps, Shine is working as a journalist again.

The world’s largest refugee camp is currently home to around 450,000 refugees, and the need for information on basic issues and services is critical. Internews is partnering with local Somali language radio station Star FM to broadcast a daily program on humanitarian issues in Dadaab.

The program, which began broadcasting in February, is called Gargaar – a Somali word for ‘assistance’ or ‘support’. Issues covered on the show so far have ranged from access to basic services, child labour, changes to health delivery, traditional birth practices or the role of community leaders in camp management. For Shine the response has been overwhelming,

‘People in the camp feel that this programme is theirs. They feel this programme belongs to them. Many people with problems come to me now to share them and this is giving me many ideas for stories to cover. For example, I spoke with a disabled man who didn’t have a wheelchair, so I did a feature story about people living with disability.’

Shine is one of 15 refugee journalists who have been trained by Internews as part of the Humanitarian Information Service (HIS) project. With the support of Star FM and Internews staff and funding from ECHO and OTI, these refugee youth are currently producing the majority of the show’s content. Levels of experience amongst this group vary, and for youth like Sahal Ashli Hussein, Gargaar was their first opportunity to hear their own work on the radio.

‘You can imagine how I felt when my story started,’ Sahal grins, ‘I was so happy to hear my voice. Everybody in my household gathered around the radio to listen together and they were also very proud.’

In order to measure the impact of the project a baseline survey was recently conducted to assess information needs and media usage in Dadaab, the results of which will be published shortly. A similar study was conducted by Internews in Dadaab in 2011 which identified radio as a key tool for improving access to information in Dadaab. Monitoring and evaluation of the HIS project is ongoing.

The Gargaar program currently runs daily for a half hour, although this is set to expand once construction of a dedicated radio-station in Dadaab is complete. In the meantime, Shine is just happy to be a journalist again.

‘I’m very delighted that Internews has been able to take me back to something that I have done for many years. After I fled from Somalia to Dadaab I never imagined I would be able to do this again.’

-Kate Gunn and Rafiq Copeland, Internews Dadaab

A grant from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) has enabled Internews to launch the Humanitarian Information Service (HIS) to help refugees access critical, life- saving information and improve two-way communication between themselves and aid providers.

Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso Price Bulletin March 2013

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Burkina Faso
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Millet, maize, and sorghum are the most important food commodities for household consumption. Millet is the staple of the most vulnerable households, whilemaize and sorghum also contribute to the food basket of a majority of all households. Sankaryare market is the largest and most important market in Ouagadougou and supplies other markets within the country and region. Koudougou is located in one of the most populated areas in the country, where amajority of households depend on themarket for their food needs. Djibo is in the highly vulnerable Sahelian zone. Pouytenga is an assembly market for products from Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, and Togo. Solenzo is a rural market located in the middle of a surplus production zone. Bobo Dioulasso is important center for both consumption and production – it functions as both the economic capital of Burkina Faso and is located in an important cereal production zone.

Niger: Niger Price Bulletin March 2013

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Source: Famine Early Warning System Network
Country: Niger
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Millet, maize, cowpea, and imported rice are the most important food commodities. Millet is consumed by both rural and poor urban households throughout the country. Maize and imported rice are most important for urban households, while cowpea is mainly consumed by poor households in rural and urban areas as a protein source. Niamey is the most important national market and an international trade center, and also supplies urban households. Tillaberi is also an urban center that supplies the surrounding area. Gaya market represents a main urban market for maize with crossborder connections. Maradi, Tounfafi, and Diffa are regional assembly and cross-border markets for Niger and other countries in the region. These are markets where households and herders coming from the northern cereal deficit areas regularly buy their food. Agadez and Zinder are also important national and regional markets. Nguigmi and Abalak are located in pastoral areas, where people are heavily dependent on cereal markets for their food supply. They are particularly important during the rainy season, when herders are confined to the pastoral zone.

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