DAKAR, 13 mai 2013 (IRIN) - Des universitaires et des représentants des gouvernements, des armées et de la société civile se sont réunis la semaine dernière à Dakar, la capitale sénégalaise pour évaluer les liens entre le développement et l'extrémisme violent en Afrique de l'Ouest. Certains participants à la conférence ont suggéré que le sous-développement, la marginalisation et la faible gouvernance créaient un terreau fertile pour le militantisme.

Si des facteurs locaux ont contribué à l'escalade de la violence extrémiste dans les pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest et du Sahel, l'avancée du djihad mondial liée à la « guerre contre le terrorisme » menée par les États-Unis depuis le 11 septembre 2011 a cependant aussi joué un rôle dans l'expansion du militantisme radical dans la région.

« Il y a, dans le Sahel, une combinaison de mauvaise gouvernance, de pauvreté, d'insécurité, ainsi que de plusieurs facteurs internes et externes [qui contribuent à la violence extrémiste] », a dit Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, président du Centre de stratégie et de sécurité pour le Sahel et le Sahara (Centre 4 S), à l'occasion de l'ouverture de la conférence de Dakar, qui a eu lieu du 6 au 10 mai.

« Le Sahel offrait un terrain idéal pour le développement de la violence extrémiste et son expansion au-delà des frontières nationales », a-t-il ajouté.

L'instabilité de la région ne date pas d'hier. Depuis le premier coup d'État de l'Afrique indépendante, qui a renversé le président fondateur du Togo en 1963, l'Afrique de l'Ouest a en effet connu une série de putschs. Certains d'entre eux ont même déclenché des guerres civiles.

L'Afrique de l'Ouest est également l'une des régions les plus pauvres du monde en dépit des ressources naturelles dont elle dispose. Parmi les dix derniers pays du classement de l'Indice de développement humain (IDH) des Nations Unies, sept sont situés en Afrique de l'Ouest.

La mauvaise gouvernance politique et la piètre gestion des ressources ont souvent été à l'origine d'explosions de violence au sein des franges mécontentes de la société. Par ailleurs, un certain nombre d'études ont établi un lien entre la mauvaise gouvernance et l'insécurité en Afrique de l'Ouest.

Les Touaregs du Mali, par exemple, ont lutté contre la marginalisation dont ils se disaient victimes de la part du gouvernement central et revendiqué la création d'un État autonome touareg dans le nord du pays. À la suite du coup d'État de mars 2012 dans la capitale, Bamako, le Mouvement national pour la libération de l'Azawad (MNLA) s'est emparé de villes du Nord qui étaient sous le contrôle des troupes gouvernementales, mais il a rapidement été chassé par des groupes militants islamiques.

La création du Boko Haram, une milice nigériane qui souhaite l'établissement d'un État islamique et se montre de plus en plus violente, devrait être considérée comme une réaction à la corruption gouvernementale généralisée, aux abus commis par les forces de sécurité, au conflit entre les musulmans du Nord, insatisfaits, et les chrétiens du Sud et à l'accroissement des disparités économiques entre les régions, selon le Council on Foreign Relations.

Certains observateurs insistent sur l'importance des facteurs locaux. En effet, en Afrique, l'islam militant est essentiellement lié au contexte local, même s'il s'associe à des courants idéologiques plus larges. Ainsi, les groupes islamistes apparaissent, évoluent et réagissent aux problèmes locaux immédiats, a écrit Terje Ostebo, de l'Université de la Floride, dans un article publié en novembre 2012 par le Centre d'études stratégiques de l'Afrique (CESA).

« Le gouvernement malien n'a pas réussi à maintenir une présence forte dans le Nord et à investir systématiquement dans [les infrastructures de] la région. Cette situation a créé un environnement propice à l'expansion du militantisme islamique et à l'escalade de la violence dans la région », a dit M. Ostebo, professeur adjoint au CESA et au département de religion de l'Université de la Floride.

Marginalisation

« La pauvreté, le sous-développement et un sentiment de marginalisation et d'exclusion lié à l'absence de gouvernance, en particulier au niveau local, sont considérés comme des moteurs de l'extrémisme violent », a dit à IRIN Benjamin Nickels, professeur adjoint au CESA.

« Le soutien au développement est une approche à long terme qui permet d'agir sur ces éléments », a-t-il ajouté.

« Il y a un certain nombre de facteurs sous-jacents qui font que certaines régions sont particulièrement vulnérables à l'extrémisme violent et aux idéologies extrémistes, et il y a ensuite un certain nombre de facteurs qui déclenchent la violence. Ces facteurs comportent une dimension économique sous-jacente qui est souvent négligée », a dit Raymond Gilpin, le doyen du CESA.

Selon M. Ostebo, la pauvreté, le chômage et les inégalités socio-économiques expliquent en partie la montée des mouvements islamiques violents et non violents.

« Il y a d'autres facteurs qui permettent d'expliquer la violence extrémiste. Il est cependant certain que les groupes militants ont plus de facilité à recruter des jeunes chômeurs qui ne peuvent imaginer un avenir pour eux-mêmes que des jeunes qui ont un emploi. Plus les jeunes ont de chances de trouver un emploi, moins ils risquent d'être recrutés par les groupes militants », a dit Gilles Yabi, de l'International Crisis Group (ICG).

« Le développement fait partie des mesures pour contrer la violence extrémiste. Mais le sous-développement est tellement ancré dans la réalité [de l'Afrique de l'Ouest] qu'il est très difficile de renverser la tendance », a-t-il dit à IRIN.

M. Ould-Abdallah a cité d'autres facteurs qui contribuent au crime et à la violence extrémiste en Afrique de l'Ouest, notamment la vastitude géographique de la région, la faiblesse des institutions publiques et la loyauté des habitants et des gouvernements envers leur tribu ou leur clan plutôt qu'envers l'État nation.

Dans l'espoir de mettre un terme aux insurrections, le Nigeria et le Mali ont tenté de négocier des accords avec les groupes militants. Ils ont cependant aussi eu recours à la force, dont le pouvoir pour éliminer les causes fondamentales de la rébellion est limité. La répression par les gouvernements ou les forces extérieures peut en effet pousser les militants islamistes à se battre pour leur propre existence et, dans le même temps, aggraver la perception de l'illégitimité de l'État, a indiqué M. Ostebo.

Débordement

L'intervention dirigée par la France au Mali a permis de déloger les rebelles islamistes de leurs bastions, mais certains craignent que les militants en fuite déstabilisent les pays de la région, dont certains d'entre eux sont originaires, ciblent les étrangers qui vivent dans les pays voisins et gagnent la sympathie d'autres milices extrémistes.

L'attaque de janvier contre le complexe gazier algérien [d'In Amenas] a probablement été menée en représailles à l'offensive militaire française au Mali. Des soldats nigérians qui se dirigeaient vers le Mali pour prendre part à l'intervention africaine ont par ailleurs été attaqués par des militants liés au Boko Haram en janvier.

Le 7 mai, Al-Qaida au Maghreb islamique (AQMI) a posté sur Internet un message vidéo dans lequel l'un de ses chefs appelait à attaquer les intérêts français partout dans le monde en réponse à l'intervention de la France au Mali.

Le Nigeria s'est allié à ses voisins pour mettre sur pied une force multinationale afin de lutter contre le Boko Haram.

« Pour l'heure, la priorité au Sahel est d'aider à résoudre la crise malienne. Après la Côte d'Ivoire, le Liberia et la Sierra Leone, l'Afrique de l'Ouest n'a pas besoin d'une autre crise prolongée », a dit M. Ould-Abdallah.

ob/cb - gd/amz

05/13/2013 14:11 GMT

JEDDAH (Arabie saoudite), 13 mai 2013 (AFP) - L'Organisation de la coopération islamique (OCI) a appelé lundi ses Etats membres à contribuer "généreusement"à la conférence des donateurs sur le Mali, prévue mercredi à Bruxelles, pour aider à "la restauration d'une paix durable" dans ce pays.

Cet appel a été lancé par le secrétaire général de l'OCI, Ekmeleddin Ihsaboglu, à l'ouverture d'une réunion islamique sur le Mali à laquelle participaient notamment les ministres des Affaires étrangères de Turquie, d'Iran, d'Egypte, du Mali, du Burkina Faso et de Djibouti.

L'envoyé spécial du secrétaire général de l'ONU au Mali et dans les pays du Sahel, Romano Prodi, assistait à la réunion convoquée pour discuter d'une aide logistique et financière au Mali, l'un des 57 membres de l'OCI.

M. Ihsanoglu a exhorté les autorités de Bamako à poursuivre "l'application de la feuille de route de la transition devant conduire à la tenue des élections de juillet comme un moyen de normaliser la situation dans le pays".

Cette feuille de route, adoptée en janvier, prévoit le dialogue avec certains groupes armés dans le cadre d'une "réconciliation nationale".

"Avec quelques groupes rebelles touareg contrôlant toujours des poches dans le nord, nous appelons les autorités maliennes à accélérer et élargir le dialogue" en relançant la médiation du Burkina Faso, a cependant indiqué le chef de l'OCI.

Cette médiation, menée au nom de l'Afrique de l'Ouest depuis 2012, est suspendue de facto depuis janvier par la guerre franco-africaine contre les groupes islamistes qui occupaient le Nord malien.

Dans leur communiqué final, les participants à la réunion ont invité le Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad (MNLA), qui refuse la présence de l'armée régulière à Kidal, une ville du nord du Mali, à "déposer les armes et à rejoindre le processus de paix", et plaidé pour "un dialogue global dans le cadre de l'unité du Mali".

La rébellion touareg laïque et autonomiste du MNLA contrôle Kidal avec le Mouvement islamique de l'Azawad (MIA), groupe dissident des islamistes armés d'Ansar Dine. Le MNLA et le MIA y refusent toute présence de l'armée et de l'Etat maliens

M. Ihsanoglu a assuré que son organisation cherchait à aider le Mali à "recouvrer sa pleine unité, son intégrité territoriale, sa sécurité et sa stabilité sur le long terme pour servir de pilier à la stabilité du Sahel" africain.

Une intervention internationale dirigée par la France depuis le 11 janvier a permis de chasser en grande partie du nord du Mali les islamistes qui l'ont occupé pendant plusieurs mois l'an dernier.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

The international community should increase pressure on Chad to end child recruitment before it is allowed to contribute to the UN peacekeeping force in Mali

London, 13 May 2013

The Chadian government should take significant and meaningful steps to fully implement a 2011 Action Plan to end the recruitment of children before Chad is invited to contribute troops to the future UN peacekeeping force in Mali.

The risk of underage recruitment in Chad’s armed forces continues, and approximately 30 children were officially enlisted in 2012. In the context of the potential participation of Chadian troops to MINUSMA – the future UN peacekeeping operation for Mali, approved last month by the UN Security Council –an immediate and thorough UN-led screening of the Chadian armed forces (Armée nationale tchadienne/ANT) is required to ensure full adherence to the UN minimum age policy to exclude under-18s from its peacekeeping operations.

In a briefing released today, as the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict arrives in Chad for talks with the government and the UN Country Team on this matter, Child Soldiers International provides a comprehensive assessment of the status of implementation of the June 2011 Action Plan (Child Soldiers International’s Briefing on the status of implementation of the June 2011 Action Plan on children associated with armed forces and groups in Chad).

The Briefing, which was sent to the Chadian authorities and UN Headquarters a month ago to inform these talks, demonstrates that two years after the adoption of the Action Plan, effective measures to prevent underage recruitment are not yet in place.

On the basis of an assessment of the main commitments in the Action Plan, the briefing presents a series of recommendations to the government to adopt concrete measures to strengthen recruitment procedures in the ANT, increase monitoring and improve accountability. The briefing also proposes recommendations to the UN Country Team, which requires additional capacity if it is to offer technical support and expertise to the government. The ANT is currently listed in the UN Secretary-General’s reports on children and armed conflict as a party that recruits and uses children. According to the terms of the Action Plan signed with the UN, Chad will only be removed from this list upon verification by the UN that the recruitment and use of children by the ANT have completely ceased, and all children have been released.

More information

In November 2012, Child Soldiers International conducted a mission to N’Djamena and met with government and UN authorities responsible for implementing the Action Plan in order to understand the reasons why so many under-18s had been enlisted in the 2012 military recruitment campaign.

The organisation’s assessment, detailed in the briefing, is that a range of factors contributed to the unlawful enlistment of children in 2012: most candidates did not have birth certificates or other proof of age; recruiting agents had not received any child protection training and age verification methods used were flawed; finally, military instructions prohibiting the recruitment of minors were not disseminated prior to the recruitment campaign. Furthermore, the 11,000 recruitment quota was difficult to meet for the narrow age group targeted (18-20 year-olds) and may have put pressure on recruiters to enroll individuals without thorough age verification measures.

Actions taken for the demobilisation, temporary care and reunification of the children released also fell far short of the commitments made in the Action Plan. The Chadian military conducted age verification of newly recruited troops without the assistance of the UN and other experts and simply sent the identified children home rather than entrust them to child protection actors. Those eventually handed over to the Ministry of Social Affairs, were kept for weeks in an N’Djamena kindergarten without appropriate or sufficient food, physical comfort, medical and social assistance or contact with their families outside the capital.

Read the full Briefing on the status of implementation of the June 2011 Action Plan on children associated with armed forces and groups in Chad

For more information contact Child Soldiers International at +44 (0) 20 7367 4110

Snapshot 06 - 13 2013

In Syria, fighting between the Government and opposition groups continued in all governorates apart from Tartous and As-Sweida. Between 9-13 May, Syrian regime forces have reasserted control over the towns on the border with Jordan, including Khirbet Ghazal, Dalaa, Sahem Golan and Tal Shihab over the past four days. Control of Khirbet Ghazaleh is likely to enable Damascus to regain control of an international transit route. Currently, the Syrian army is pressing rebels in Central Homs province, surrounding the strategic rebel stronghold of Quasar. Approximately 6.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the country while some 4.25 million people are displaced and over 1.44 million people have fled into neighbouring countries.

The humanitarian crisis spawned by the power struggle currently unfolding in the Central African Republic is now affecting the entire population of the country, some 4.6 million people, of which 2.3 million are children. Throughout the country and in the capital Bangui, human rights abuses committed by Seleka rebel fighters, loyal to the new authorities, are reported by international organizations. According to UNHCR, an estimated 49,000 people have fled CAR to seek refuge in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad and Cameroon.

Military operations between warring parties have intensified in Sudan’s South Kordofan. As a result of intensifying fighting between the governmental troops and the SPLM-N in early May, an estimated 40,000 people have been displaced in the region over the past two weeks. In Abyei, an area contested between Sudan and South Sudan, the killing of a tribal leader on 4 May is putting at risk the improvement of the relations between Juba and Khartoum.

A Red Storm Alert has been issued with regard to the Tropical Cyclone Mahasen that is currently moving across the Indian Ocean towards Bangladesh and Myanmar. The storm, monitored with signal level 4, is expected to reach land on 16 May. According to OCHA, in its current path the storm is expected to hit just south of Chittagong, Bangladesh but could, depending upon its final trajectory, bring life-threatening conditions for millions of people in northeast India, Bangladesh and Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Updated: 13/05/2013, Next update: 21/05/2013

Please note that the next update of the GEO will be on Tuesday the 21st of May.

Global Emergency Overview web interface

HIGHLIGHTS

• New study shows that over a quarter of a million people died from food insecurity and famine between late 2010 and early 2012 and underlines the need to heed early warnings.

• Seasonal rains bring relief, but localized flooding displaces 50,000 people and kills seven.

• Somalis return home from neighbouring countries albeit at slow pace. About 16,000 people have returned from Kenya in 2013.

Situation highlights

The health situation across the Republic of South Sudan remains fragile and unpredictable. There are high risks of communicable diseases, floods and drought, low access to safe drinking water, food insecurity, and poor sanitation. Environmental factors contribute to the spread of diseases such as water and vector-borne diseases like diarrhoeal diseases, hepatitis, malaria and dengue fever.

Population displacements and movements secondary to internal and external conflict compound the public health threats. According to UNHCR there are 223 888 registered refugees in the Republic of South Sudan. Since the start of January, about 4700 people returned to the Republic of South Sudan from the Sudan (OCHA, February 2013).

Measles, meningitis and hepatitis E were the most common epidemic-prone diseases recorded in April. The hepatitis E outbreak was mainly concentrated in refugee camps in Upper Nile and Unity states with 662 cases and 12 deaths registered. In April, 154 cases of measles (no deaths) were registered across the country.

NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the toughest places for aid workers, who not only struggle to reach vulnerable people due to conflict, but are also killed for being seen to help opposing groups, the head of medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said.

Read the full report

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

· Although the recent good performance of seasonal rainfall has enhanced water and pasture availability in most drought-prone areas of Ethiopia, populations in some belg-producing parts of eastern Ethiopia will likely continue to experience Crisis—Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) 3—level food insecurity through June due to delayed and poorly distributed February-to-May 2013 belg rains and resulting planting disruptions.

· As of February, approximately 2.48 million people in Ethiopia faced acute food insecurity, according to the GoE. Approximately 39 percent of acutely food-insecure populations reside in Somali Region, while 34 percent reside in Oromiya Region.

· To date in FY 2013, the USG has provided nearly $150.8 million to address the needs of vulnerable populations across Ethiopia, including approximately $134.8 million in USAID/FFP emergency food assistance for drought-affected and refugee populations. In addition, USAID/OFDA has provided more than $7.8 million to support humanitarian activities—including agriculture and food security, health, nutrition, and WASH interventions—in Ethiopia, while State/PRM has provided nearly $8.2 million in assistance for refugees and other vulnerable populations.

13 May 2013 – From the Horn of Africa in the east and across the Sahel to the west, terrorism continues to pose a threat to the continent’s peace, security and development, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as he warned that Africa was facing a rise in the presence of extremist groups and terrorist entities.

In remarks delivered to the United Nations Security Council’s open debate on combating terrorism in Africa, the Secretary-General said that success in the combat against groups such as the Nigeria-based Boko Haram, Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, and the Somalia-based Al Shabaab would require greater and more holistic efforts.

“Military advances, important as they are, will not by themselves bring an end to terrorism in Africa. This struggle must go forward on many fronts, including by addressing the conditions that are conducive to the spread of terrorism,” Mr. Ban stressed, while adding that the lack of development and the absence of the rule of law allow terrorist groups to recruit across communities and build their ranks.

“Opportunistic links between terrorist and transnational organized criminal groups ensure the constant flow of people, money, weapons and illicit goods across borders, allowing such groups to survive and proliferate,” he continued.

Turning to the continent’s terrorist hotspots, Mr. Ban told the 15-Member Council that in Somalia, for example, there had already been “important progress towards stability” with the Islamist militant group, Al Shabaab uprooted from numerous strategic locations.

“But to secure these gains and prevent the group’s resurgence, a lot more needs to be accomplished with respect to the rule of law, development and the country’s political transformation,” he noted.

In particular, the UN chief underscored the role of the newly established UN Mission in Somalia in providing strategic policy guidance on security sector reform while also supporting the country’s nascent Federal Government in strengthening their police, justice and corrections.

As for Mali and the wider Sahel region, the Secretary-General similarly pointed out the international community’s successes in tackling a deteriorating situation with what he described as “welcome resolve.”

In December 2012, at the request of the Malian Government, the Security Council authorized the deployment of the African-led International Support Mission in Mali, known by its French acronym, AFISMA, in order to support national efforts to recover the country’s north, which had been occupied by radical Islamists.

The conflict uprooted hundreds of thousands of people and prompted the Malian Government to request assistance from France to stop the military advance of extremist groups.

As with Somalia, Mr. Ban suggested that the newly launched UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) would provide key support for the Malian authorities in extending state control and building “legitimate instruments of governance.”

In addition, he stated that in the Sahel, the UN was developing “an integrated strategy that aims to enhance governance; strengthen the capacity of national and regional security mechanisms; and integrate development and humanitarian activities in order to build resilience.”

“Without such a holistic approach, we risk simply pushing the threat from one area to another,” the Secretary-General concluded.

In a Presidential statement approved at the start of the meeting, members of the Security Council echoed Mr. Ban’s remarks by voicing deep concern at the increasing violence perpetrated by armed groups across Africa’s regions and sub-regions. They similarly called for an integrated response which would target development as much as it would security and include a wide variety of actors ranging from the international community to civil society groups.

“The Security Council recognizes that terrorism will not be defeated by military force or security forces, law enforcement measures, and intelligence operations alone,” the statement declared while underlining the need to address the conditions conducive to “strengthening efforts for the successful prevention and peaceful resolution of prolonged conflicts, and also promoting the rule of law, the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, good governance, tolerance and inclusiveness.”

As a result, the Council called on the Secretary-General to provide “a comprehensive survey and assessment” of the UN’s work in assisting Member States and sub-regional and regional entities across Africa in fighting the continent’s terrorist threats.

“The United Nations is strongly committed to doing its part to combat terrorism in Africa,” Mr. Ban reminded the Council during his remarks. “Success is crucial for enabling Africans to meet their aspirations to live in dignity and peace.”

Source: Reuters - Sun, 12 May 2013 02:02 PM
Author: Reuters

NIAMEY, May 12 (Reuters) - Some 800,000 people will require food aid in Niger in the coming months despite a good harvest last year due to problems supplying cereals to markets, which have pushed up prices, and an influx of Malian refugees, the United Nations said.

Read the full article on AlertNet

Evaluation of the Irish Aid Ethiopia CSP (2008-2012) Executive Summary

In early 2012 Irish Aid commissioned an independent evaluation of the Irish Aid Ethiopia Country Strategy 2008-2012. The evaluation was carried out by a team of consultants from ITAD Ltd. The following is the executive summary of the evaluation with two lesson learning briefs.

Evaluation of the Irish Aid Ethiopia CSP (2008-12) Learning Brief RBM

Evaluation of the Irish Aid Ethiopia Country Strategy Programme (2008-12)Learning Brief: Contribution of a results-based management approach to strategy development, ITAD Ltd.

Evaluation of the Irish Aid Ethiopia CSP (2008-12) Learning Brief: Regional

Evaluation of the Irish Aid Ethiopia Country Strategy Programme (2008-2012) Lesson Learning Brief: Regional programming - reality check and policy channel, ITAD Ltd.

05/14/2013 06:21 GMT

PARIS, 14 mai 2013 (AFP) - Une conférence de donateurs pour le Mali, prévue mercredi à Bruxelles, a pour objectif de réunir 1,9 milliard d'euros, a déclaré mardi le chef de la diplomatie française, Laurent Fabius.

"Il s'agit de trouver à peu près un milliard neuf cent millions d'euros. Les choses se présentent bien, il y aura une centaine de pays représentés, une dizaine de chefs d'Etat", a déclaré le ministre à la radio RTL.

"La sécurité a été dans l'ensemble établie. Il faut maintenant la démocratie, le dialogue et le développement, cela va ensemble. Et pour cela nous avons besoin d'argent", a-t-il ajouté.

"On est en train de gagner la guerre, maintenant il faut gagner la paix. Pour cela il faut du développement économique", a précisé Laurent Fabius, en soulignant que les "sommes ne seront pas débloquées s'il n'y a pas en même temps un progrès démocratique" avec des élections cet été.

Selon un responsable français s'exprimant sous couvert d'anonymat, une élection présidentielle au Mali est envisagée pour le 28 juillet.

La conférence de donateurs de Bruxelles est co-présidée par les présidents français et malien, et par le président de la Commission européenne.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Maize production in 2013 is forecast at an above average level, similar to last year

• Maize prices continued to climb sharply in March 2013, reaching alarming levels

• Nearly 2 million people were estimated to be food insecure. However, conditions are expected to improve with the arrival of the 2013 harvest

Situation Update

In 2011, Somalia experienced extreme food insecurity, leading to UN declaration of famine situation in South and Central Somalia July - September 2011. An estimated 4 million people, representing over half the Somali population, were in crisis nationwide, with drought affecting the North East and North West parts of the country. While the food security situation had improved significantly since 2013, however, more than 1.05 million Somalis remain in need of food assistance and livelihoods support with the majority of them in South and Central Somalia. Malnutrition rates in Somalia remain among the highest in the world, with 215,000 children under the age of five acutely malnourished.

In addition, the relentless violence compounded by food insecurity and drought has already forced Somali people to flee to neighboring countries, especially Kenya, Ethiopia and Yemen. Currently, it is estimated that the number of Somali refugees outside of the country has reached more than 1 million people and almost 1.1 million additional Somalis have been internally displaced within the country, settling mainly in the South-Central region. During March - April 2013, the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Xudur and its immediate occupation by Al-Shabaab as well as the flooding, have led to the fresh displacement of thousands of people.

International Red Cross Action

With the intensity of the humanitarian crisis engulfing Somalia, the International Red Cross maintains its focus on the provision of emergency aid to the people affected by armed conflict, violence and natural disaster. In 2012, the response from the International Red Cross included:

• Distributed food rations to over 1.7 million residents and internally displaced people (IDPs) in conflict and drought affected areas;
• Distributed 15,000 tarpaulins, 20,000 blankets, 10,050 jerry cans, 4,890 buckets, 5,000 kitchen sets, 8,459 hygiene kits and 10,000 sleeping mats to over 23,000 households in Somaliland and Puntland;
• Provided health outreach services and nutrition to over 220,000 people in Somaliland and Puntland through 14 mobile health units;
• Provided free primary health care services to over 480,000 IDPs and residents in conflict-affected through the health clinics in South and Central Somalia;
• Ensured over 27,000 severely malnourished children received free primary health care and therapeutic feedings;
• Assisted over 86,000 rural households in boosting agricultural production and some 170,000 people in improving their long-term access to water;
• Distributed fishing gears to 700 households from the fishing communities to improve the livelihoods at household level and thereby reduce their vulnerability to future shocks;
• Provided family-links services for Somalis to locate and exchange news with their relatives at home and abroad. 300 missing persons were located by the families searching for them through Missing Person Radio Programme;
• Worked to ensure that detention conditions complied with International Humanitarian Law by visiting detainees;
• Provided relief, water and satiation as well as health and nutrition supports to IFO 2 Camp in Kenya, which nowadays receives approximately 76,000 Somali refugees.

Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC) Action

Through the International Red Cross, the HKRC has mobilized in total over HK$29 million during 2011-2012 in response to the needs of people affected by conflict and drought across Somalia, including HK$22 million to people within Somalia and over HK$ 7 million to Somali refugees in Kenya.

Somalia

• Distributed 10,000 kitchen sets, 10,000 sleeping mats, 10,000 tarpaulins and 21,000 blankets in South and Central Somalia;
• Distributed 280,000 kg of cereals, 140,000 kg of beans, 56,000 litre of oil and 94,804 kg of corn soya blend in South and Central Somalia;
• Distributed 156,000 kg of ready-to-use therapeutic food to approximately 16,750 malnourished children for 3 months;
• Supported the operation of permanent outpatient clinics, therapeutic feeding centres, mobile nutrition teams and oral rehydration centers in South and Central Somalia.

Kenya

• Supported the procurement of Inter-Agency Emergency Health Kits (IEHK) and medical supplies to provide life-saving medical services in particular communicable disease and malnutrition, benefiting about 40,000 Somali refugees in IFO 2 Camp for 3 months;
• Supported the construction of 1,390 family latrines to improve the hygiene conditions and prevent the outbreak of communicable disease in IFO 2 Camp.

General Enquiries

Please dial 2802-0016, fax to 2802-0017 or email to relief@redcross.org.hk

La Commission Mouvement de Populations (CMP) est un sous-groupe du Cluster Protection, dont l'Organisation Internationale pour les Migration (OIM) est le chef de file et qui a été mise en place afin de recueillir et analyser les informations disponibles concernant les mouvements internes de populations au Mali suite à la crise dans le nord depuis le début de l’année 2012. Les membres de la Commission sont: la Direction Générale de la Protection Civile, et le Ministère des Affaires Humanitaires, de la Solidarité et des Personnes Agées, HCR, OCHA, PAM, UNICEF, ACTED, NCR, Handicap International, CRS, OIM. Plusieurs autres entités participent régulièrement aux rencontres de la Commission.

Résumé :
Jusqu’au 30 avril 2013, Les partenaires de la CMP ont comptabilisés 43,050 ménages déplacés soient 300,783 individus.

L’augmentation du nombre total de déplacés au regard du précédent rapport de la CMP (282 548 déplacés) est due notamment à l’extension des activités d’enregistrement de l’OIM a d’autres régions (Mopti). Cette augmentation est également due à l’identification de personnes déplacés qui n’avaient pas voulu se faire connaitre auparavant.