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Mali: UNICEF Mali Situation Report, End of Year - 2013

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Source: UN Children's Fund
Country: Mali
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HEADLINES

  • In 2013, UNICEF’s nutrition component assisted 119,993 children under 5 with severe acute

  • There are currently eight children in detention on terrorism related charges in Bamako. They were arrested before the signing of the July 1st MOU between the Government of Mali and the United Nations. UNICEF and MINUSMA are advocating for their release.

  • In December, UNICEF WASH completed 350 water point technical assessments in Timbuktu region in support of the Regional Water Directorate, which will lead to rehabilitation in 2014.

  • The UNICEF-led Education Cluster reports that partners support the schooling of 86% students and 80% teachers in conflict-affected areas through provision of learning and teaching

  • In 2013, UNICEF Mail received $US 34.9 million in funding, which was only 38% of the amount requested to respond to humanitarian needs. For 2014, UNICEF Mali requires $74.6 million to provide urgent assistance over the course of the next year.


Mali: Economic Crisis in Mali’s North as the South Recovers

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Source: Inter Press Service
Country: Mali

By Marc-Andre Boisvert

BAMAKO, Feb 6 2014 (IPS) - Under the harsh Sunday afternoon sun, Daouda Dicko washes his client’s clothes on the shore of the Niger River, which runs through Mali’s capital, Bamako. “I started doing this to survive two years ago. Now, I am used to it and I don’t mind the extra money it brings,” Dicko, who also works as a gardener, tells IPS.

Dicko struggled to feed his family during Mali’s political crisis in March 2012 when Tuareg rebels and then Islamists took control of the country’s north, which comprises almost two-thirds of this West African nation. But military intervention from France liberated the north in January 2013 and led to elections here in July that year.

The conflict destroyed Mali’s economy and created pressure on households. But the country’s economy is slowly showing signs of improvement.

Binetou Diarra arranges plump tomatoes on her wooden stall in the Quartier du Fleuve, a market in Bamako.

“Prices increased a lot a year ago. But now they are back to almost normal,” 37-year-old Diarra, who is wearing a T-shirt from last year’s presidential campaign, tells IPS.

Cooking oil, which had risen to a high of 1,200 CFA (2.47 dollars) in September 2012, has now come down to 850 CFA (1.75 dollars). But in Bamako, it is not only in consumers’ pockets where one can find visible signs of economic recovery.

Hotels, which were all closed between 2012 to 2013, have now reopened. However, they are no longer filled with the 250,000 tourists whom, according to the Mali Tourism Office, would flock to the country back in 2009.

The Hotel de l’Amitié, one of the tallest buildings in the capital, has now become the seat of the United Nations mission here. Other hotels are filled with staff from NGOs and from other missions to help get Mali back on track. Restaurants and business are also busy with the return of expatriates.

Fatoumata Coulibaly and her friends have stalls close to several expatriate neighbourhoods. And the return of the expats has had a direct effect in their wallets. “There is more money coming in. It is not easy to survive, but we are positive. We know the worst is behind. Inshallah,” Coulibaly tells IPS.

Heading Towards Growth

In January, Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said that Mali’s GDP growth will increase by 6.6 percent in 2014, which is a higher growth than the 5.7 percent predicted a couple of months earlier.

Lagarde told the press in Mali that the country now has to move from an economic crisis to recovery. “We now have to strengthen economic fundamentals to increase growth, job creation and to decrease poverty.”

But it will be a challenge.

When sanctions were imposed here after the 2012 coup, the country lost the 30 percent of its 3.5-billion-dollar budget that was foreign-aid dependent.

The government’s centralised offices in the Cité Administrative, a Sahelian-inspired complex on the Niger River’s shore, became a phantom district for over a year because of the money shortage.

“We have been totally paralysed during the crisis. I received my salary, but it was late. And we had no budget to pursue operations. But now things are back to normal. We are paid and we have the tools to work,” Fofana Daouda, a civil servant from the ministry of family, tells IPS.

The North Remains in Economic Crisis

But while the country’s capital is experiencing a slow recovery, Mali’s north still lacks economic opportunities and many are still living in extreme poverty, says Dedeou Traore, a member of parliament for the northern region of Niafunke.

“The economy is bad,” Traore tells IPS. Northerners, whose livelihoods were largely dependent on subsistence agriculture, have lost everything.

“In Niafunké, the Prefect is back, but the Justice and other state institutions [have not returned]. People feel that they are abandoned,” Traore says.

In May 2013, international donors offered almost 3.5 billion dollars to reconstruct Mali. But this week donors are meeting in Brussels as only half of the funds have been received.

Meanwhile, Oxfam International has called for better governance and the better distribution of state resources, in a report released on Feb. 5.

The report denounces “the combined impact of weak decentralisation, corruption, and a lack of transparency regarding budget allocation and the distribution of aid has led to a widely-held belief that the country’s citizens are not receiving their fair share from the government.”

“The situation in northern Mali remains fragile. Donors must not forget that more than 800,000 people need immediate food assistance due to the impact of conflict, weak harvests, and poor rains. Mali needs a comprehensive response to the many challenges it faces,” says Mohamed L. Coulibaly, country director for Oxfam International in Mali.

Aicha Belco Maiga is a member of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s Rally for Mali party, which has the majority seats in parliament. She represents the region of Tessalit, one of the most remote and arid places in Mali near the Algerian border.

“In Tessalit, all economic activities have stopped. The town is empty. People who stayed had to sell their belongings for food. There is nothing to eat. There is no functioning administration. It is so bad that you see more Algerian dinars being exchanged than CFA Francs [Mali’s currency],” she tells IPS.

“This population needs our help. The economy is not in shambles. It is dead.”

Zimbabwe: Crop-eating pests plague southern African farmers

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Source: IRIN
Country: Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe

HARARE/JOHANNESBURG, 7 February 2014 (IRIN) - The rainy season, always welcome in often dry southern Africa, has brought with it favourable breeding conditions for army worms and red locusts. The crop-eating pests are contributing to the woes of subsistence farmers already struggling to recover from setbacks in the last farming cycle.

In Zimbabwe, where the World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that 2.2 million people now require food assistance, more than 800 hectares of cereal grain crops and 300 hectares of pasture have been destroyed by outbreaks of army worms.

Godfrey Chikwenhere, Deputy Director of the Department of Research and Specialist Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, told IRIN that the damage caused by the army worms, which are in fact moth larvae, was significant and would impact the food security of households in the affected areas.

He said the army worm originated in East Africa and the Horn of Africa. Between October and November, moist winds carried the moths into Zimbabwe and deposited them in northern Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland Central Province, from where they spread across the country. A similar pattern of movement occurred in 2013.

Zimbabwe

“Some crops were completely destroyed, forcing some farmers to replant when we are way into the farming season, and this will result in reduced yields,” Chikwenhere said. “The effect will also be felt among livestock producers because of the destruction of pastures, especially in the cattle-producing provinces of Matabeleland North and South.”

Spraying pesticides to destroy the caterpillars could only be done on crops because the spraying of pastures and game parks could expose animals to toxic chemicals, he noted. As a result, the army worms had been able to reproduce unhindered in some areas.

Although his department initially had adequate supplies of carbaryl - the chemical used to contain the pest – Chikwenhere said stocks were running out fast and there was a shortage of vehicles to monitor outbreaks and distribute the pesticide.

“Because of the almost daily high rainfall being recorded in many parts of the country, some farmers are having to respray, as the rains dilute the effect of the chemical,” he added.

Recent torrential rains and flooding in several of Zimbabwe’s southern provinces have destroyed crops as well as homes and infrastructure, according to local news reports.

In its monthly report for January, Chikwenhere’s department predicted that: “Fresh outbreaks emanating from secondary generation army worm are likely to hit most parts of the country up to May 2014, if current weather conditions persist.”

He said there was a need to train farmers on prevention and early reporting. “A lot of our farmers are well versed on spraying pests… but they need to be trained on how to identify army worm at an early stage, so that intervention mechanisms are implemented before any damage is done.”

Malawi

Army worm outbreaks have also been reported in Mozambique, eastern Zambia and Malawi, where 2,600 hectares of crops were affected, over 500 hectares of which were totally destroyed according to reports from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Food shortages in Malawi are already afflicting 1.85 million people, according to the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC). Now the country is also experiencing outbreaks of red locusts, mainly around Lake Chiuta and Lake Chilwa near the border with Mozambique in the southeast.

A January migratory pest report by the International Red Locust Control Organisation for Central and Southern Africa (IRLCO-CSA) notes that the locusts bred in January and their eggs have now produced hoppers.

“Hoppers will fledge and adults are expected to appear in March/April,” reads the report. “These swarms, if not controlled, will migrate and threaten food security in most countries in the region.”

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Mali: At least 30 Tuaregs killed in northern Mali

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Mali

02/07/2014 21:26 GMT

BAMAKO, February 7, 2014 (AFP) - Armed men from the ethnic Peul community have massacred at least 30 Tuaregs in a revenge attack in northern Mali, officials said Friday.

The attack occurred Thursday in Tamkoutat, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the city of Gao, according to a local elected lawmaker who said it was "to retaliate against the kidnapping" of one of the Peul.

The Malian government denounced what it called "terrorist acts".

"A dozen armed individuals cold-bloodedly slaughtered around 30 merchants on board two vehicles, one of which was torched and the other taken away by the bandits," the security ministry said in a statement.

Security Minister Sada Samake went to Gao to investigate the killings with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice, the statement said.

The UN mission to Mali, MINUSMA, issued its own statement saying it sent peacekeepers to the area. They counted 24 deaths and four people wounded, it said, adding that an unspecified number of suspects were arrested by Malian security forces.

"Our relatives were killed in cold blood, at least 30 people are dead," former regional lawmaker Assarid Ag Imbarcaouane said.

A source in the security forces said those slain included a woman and child.

The Tuaregs had been on their way back from a market in two vehicles when they were stopped and attacked by the Peul, the security source said.

Apart from cattle rustling, the Peul and the Tuaregs accuse each other of carrying out hold-ups in the remote desert north of Mali.

A contingent of Malian troops arrived in the region on Friday to provide greater security for locals, the defence ministry announced.

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© 1994-2014 Agence France-Presse

Chad: Evaluation de la Sécurité Alimentaire des ménages ruraux dans les zones sahélienne et soudanienne du Tchad, octobre - novembre 2013

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Source: World Food Programme, Government of Chad, Food and Agriculture Organization
Country: Chad
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1. Résumé exécutif

L’enquête nationale sur la sécurité alimentaire a montré que 21% des personnes sont affectées par l’insécurité alimentaire dont 2,3% par l’insécurité alimentaire sévère au Tchad. En valeur absolue, l’enquête indique qu’environ 2,0 millions de personnes sont affectées par l’insécurité alimentaire dont 236 026 personnes qui se trouvent en situation d’insécurité alimentaire sévère. Les personnes affectées par l’insécurité alimentaire sévère rencontrent des difficultés importantes à faire face à leurs besoins alimentaires immédiats. Elles auront besoin d’assistance dès février 2014.

Mali: ln Mali, Peace and Reconciliation is a Balancing Act

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Source: International Peace Institute
Country: Mali

It’s been one year since the French Army intervened in Mali. While progress has been made in addressing several important issues, much more needs to be done to build social cohesion and ensure long-term stability for the country.

The particular challenge in Mali is whether the peace process, aimed at negotiating with and constraining armed groups, can be configured in conjunction with the reconciliation process, aimed at re-establishing relationships between different communities. At this stage, Mali needs to draw a careful balance between state security and human security. The international community will also need to perceive and navigate its role from this angle.

The Mali crisis is a multi-dimensional mix. It has a south-versus-north component, ethnic tensions, ambitions of violent extremists, criminal interests, and a struggle over how the nation will be governed. Most of these components play out beyond Mali in a regional context as well.

Following the French intervention in January 2013, the international community responded relatively swiftly and in a unified way to the crisis. In April, the UN Security Council agreed on the “re-hatting” of efforts by regional organizations into a UN stabilization mission (MINUSMA), supported by a continued capacity of the French who are mandated to use all means necessary to intervene in support of MINUSMA.

Domestically, Mali state power has been reset after successful presidential and parliamentary elections between July and December 2013. A new government is in place, led by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (IBK). A Ministry for Reconciliation and Development of the North has been created, as well as a Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission. The new government has made some promising steps to address impunity and corruption.

To a large extent, Mali’s problems boil down to what will happen in the north. The French have quite consciously left some of the Tuareg-based groups a level of power in order to divide and rule among the different armed groups that were in the process of coalescing early 2012. This allowed them to focus quite effectively on chasing violent extremists. However, the north is not yet secure.

The inclination of the new government is to follow the prerogative of state security, assert what it sees as its legitimate power, and guarantee the effective control of Bamako all over the country. But in the last three months of 2013, government delegations visiting the north have been met by demonstrations that have sometimes turned violent. This in turn has led to irritations with MINUSMA for not being able to fully protect government representatives.

As for the reconciliation process, the government has managed to conduct some preliminary work and regional pre-meetings. But the negotiations aimed at disarming various armed groups have stalled. Most armed groups threatening Mali’s security operate across the region. The majority of the threats to Mali state security can thus be better dealt within a regional framework. However, the credibility of the regional approach under the auspices of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been weakened by the crisis because ECOWAS did not have the capacity to meet its political commitments to help safeguard Mali’s security in early 2013, which led to the French intervention.

In this setting, MINUSMA has to manoeuvre carefully. Different from other UN missions, MINUSMA’s function is not to support the roll-out of an already concluded peace agreement. MINUSMA is in Mali precisely to establish a safe environment in which peace and reconciliation can be achieved. Unfortunately, the mission is suffering from a lack of support by UN members and is not likely to reach the total of 12,600 troops as agreed by the UN Security Council.

At less-than-optimal strength, it will not be easy for MINUSMA to provide the necessary security and sustain a credible sense of impartiality. Too aggressively supporting the government in overtaking the north may fly in the face of both peace and reconciliation efforts, while pressuring the Mali government to negotiate with the Tuaregs will alienate the government, and equally step into a space wherein local actors need to have the initiative and take ownership of working towards a solution of the conflict.

With the Mali government and the Mali security forces getting impatient to establish their authority in the north, the question is whether the agendas of peace and reconciliations can be developed along parallel tracks that will talk to each other and converge in a comprehensive approach that will encompass not only on a political settlement but also build social cohesion and human security. In this regard, both the Mali government and MINUSMA will need all the support they can get from civil society to help building the necessary local ownership and engagement for a lasting solution to the multi-dimensional crisis in Mali.

Emmanuel Bombande, Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and Chair of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC); Peter van Tuijl, Executive Director of GPPAC.

Originally Published in the Global Observatory

Chad: GIEWS Country Brief: Chad 07-February-2014

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Source: Food and Agriculture Organization
Country: Chad
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FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

  • Estimates point to a significant decline in cereal production in 2013

  • Pastures affected by irregular rains

  • High food prices persist in most parts

  • Continued assistance is required to improve access to food and protect the livelihoods of food insecure and vulnerable people including refugees and returnees

Senegal: GIEWS Country Brief: Senegal 07-February-2014

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Source: Food and Agriculture Organization
Country: Senegal
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FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

  • Estimates point to a significant decline in cereal production in 2013

  • Coarse grain prices have remained at relatively high levels

  • Humanitarian assistance continues to be needed


Niger: GIEWS Country Brief: Niger 07-February-2014

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Source: Food and Agriculture Organization
Country: Mali, Niger
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FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

  • Estimates point to a significant decline in cereal production in 2013

  • Pastures affected by irregular rains

  • Cereal markets show sign of stabilizing

  • Humanitarian assistance continues to be needed including for Malian refugees

Chad: Rapport d’analyse : Enquête post-récolte 2013 dans les Cantons Kado et Barde - Tchad, Région Ouaddaï, Département de l’Assoungha

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Source: Première Urgence - Aide Médicale Internationale
Country: Chad

SYNTHESE : les points essentiels

ACCES A LA TERRE ET AUX SEMENCES
- Superficie moyenne emblavée par ménage : 2,54 moukhamas (1,38 hectare environ).
- Superficie emblavée supérieure par ménage dans le canton Bardé
- 83% des ménages sont propriétaires de leurs terres
- 43% des ménages utilisent les semences issues de leur production, 35% achètent. Pour l’arachide, les semences proviennent en grande partie de la distribution de PU-AMI en 2013

PRATIQUES AGRICOLES
- Semis tardif de certaines cultures dans un contexte d’installation tardive des pluies
- Le sarclage est de plus en plus pratiqué, cela concerne pour cette année 29% des ménages.
- Peu de possession d’outils, notamment en charrues. Toutefois 1000 ménages en 2013 ont reçus des kits aratoires composés de houe, de machettes...
- Quasi absence de pratiques visant à fertiliser les champs .Toutefois comparativement à 2012 on note un début de fertilisation des sols par le fumier, 2% en 2013 contre 0% 2012. Ce léger progrès est le fruit des formations PU-AMI
- la lutte chimique n’est pas pratiquée. 7% des ménages pratiquent toutefois la lutte naturelle.

CULTURES MISES EN PLACE
- En 2013, le mil et l’arachide ont été largement mises en culture.
- Le mil est largement pratiqué en monoculture, l’association de cultures concerne l’arachide et le sorgho
- Il y a quasi absence de rotations des cultures dans la zone
- Peu de problèmes d’ennemis de cultures à déplorer

DEVENIR DE LA PRODUCTION
- Les rendements des cultures pluviales sont plus ou moins corrects pour le mil, le sorgho et l’arachide par rapport aux 3 dernières années, toutefois ils sont inférieurs à 2012 citée comme année proche de la normale.
- Les résidus de cultures sont majoritairement utilisés pour l’alimentation animale et la construction des habitats

Senegal: Clean Water at the Right Location

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Source: Oxfam
Country: Senegal
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Learning from experience in Haiti, Oxfam treats water at wells in the center of villages in Senegal.

BY CHRIS HUFSTADER

When Jean Bassette first visited communities near Kolda, Senegal, during the Sahel food crisis in the summer of 2012, people were struggling to find enough food following a bad harvest the previous year.

Bassette is a specialist in emergency response working for Oxfam in West Africa. He knows from experience that in a food crisis, clean water is essential to help people avoid waterborne diseases, so that they can get the most nutrition possible out of what food they can find.

In one Senegalese village called Fafacourou, he said the chief brought him to see the wells from which the residents got their drinking water. The wells were in poor condition, and the water was very cloudy. “He was very conscious that the level of malnutrition there was directly linked to the water, sanitation, and hygiene situation,” Bassette said months later. “It was really sad, particularly when he explained the effect of the food crisis on the community, and particularly the many children affected by malnutrition and diarrhea.”

When Bassette finished the assessment tour in the summer of 2012, he was determined to improve the quality of drinking water around Kolda. Oxfam and a local partner called FODDE distributed hygiene kits, which contain soap for washing hands before eating, and bleach for treating drinking water, both important means to reduce the threat of waterborne diseases.

It was a good first step, but Oxfam staffers wanted to try another idea they had used in Haiti during the response to the cholera epidemic the previous year: chlorine dispensers.
These consist of a small container with a ball valve that releases a measured dose of chlorine solution into containers of well water before villagers carry them home.

Malawi: Malawi now hungry!

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Source: EastAfrican
Country: Malawi

By CHRISTINE MUNGAI The EastAfrican

Malawi was touted as a success story in Africa’s agriculture narrative.

An intensive farm subsidy starting in 2004 made fertiliser and seed available to farmers at a third of the normal cost, and the results were nearly instantaneous.

In 2005, Malawi harvested a maize surplus of 500,000 tonnes, and soon began exporting food to other countries in the region.

It seemed a “green revolution” was in the making.

But the scheme was opposed by donors who argued that a subsidy programme was against the principles of free markets and was unsustainable; they also criticised the increasing corruption associated with the scheme. Donors withdrew their funding, and by 2011, a sustained forex shortage led to street protests and political instability.

What went wrong?

Today, Malawi has gone from being a food-surplus country to a food-deficit one. What went wrong? Masimba Tarifenyika, editor-in-chief at Africa Renewal, a UN online magazine focusing on Africa, writes that autocracy and dependency on aid killed the scheme, and that “while foreign aid is critical in feeding the hungry and reviving agriculture in Africa, food security is too important to be left to the generosity of external partners.”

Ephraim Mukisira, director of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, argues that Malawi’s problem was “piecemeal” solutions to the agriculture sector. “If we can have a well-integrated and holistic approach to the challenges facing Kenya’s agriculture sector, then we can avoid going the Malawi way.”

Malawi: Malawi: Food Insecurity Humanitarian Update, January 2014

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Source: UN Resident Coordinator for Malawi
Country: Malawi
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I. HIGHLIGHTS / KEY PRIORITIES

  • Since the start of the rainfall season in November 2013, 7,344 households have been affected by rainstorms in 17 districts, of which 1,525 households were affected by floods in Mangochi district.

  • Malawi also experienced an outbreak of armyworms which affected 2,601 ha of crop fields in 14 districts, of which a total of 547 ha in Blantyre and Machinga were the most affected.

  • Sightings of red locusts have also been reported around Lake Chilwa, and there are concerns that once nymphs hatch in February/March, these locusts could cause damage to crops.

  • According to the latest update of the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee (MVAC), more than 1.85 million people will need food assistance between now and March 2014. The World Food Program and the International Non-Governmental Organization Consortium (led by Save the Children) continues to support Government in distributing food to food insecure communities. A total of 1.6 million people were reached during the month of January. The MVAC conducted a national rapid food security monitoring exercise towards the end of January. Preliminary findings show that the food security situation is stable.

  • A donor aid freeze following reports of financial mismanagement in government ministries has negatively impacted service provision especially in sectors which are heavily dependent on aid.
    Government has had to restructure expenditure through reductions in its monthly funding provided to its departments, which in turn is affecting service delivery.

Malawi: Southern Africa: Weekly Report (4 to 10 February 2014)

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia, Zimbabwe
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Malawi: Since November 2013, 7,344 households have been affected by rainstorms in 17 districts, of which 1,525 households were affected by floods in Mangochi district.
Sightings of red locusts have been reported around Lake Chilwa, and there are concerns that once nymphs hatch in February/March, these locusts could cause damage to crops. An outbreak of armyworms has also affected 2,601 ha of crop fields in 14 districts.

Zambia:In Zambia, armyworm outbreaks were reported on 394 hectares in a number of districts in the Eastern Province. Forecasts indicate that the outbreaks will likely spread to neighboring countries including Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe:Heavy rains in parts of the country in late January and early February resulted in deaths and displacement of people, coupled with destruction of property.

Mauritius:Tropical Storm Edilson has passed Mauritius without causing significant damage

Malawi: WFP With PostNL - Feeding Minds In Malawi

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Source: World Food Programme
Country: Malawi

Dutch company PostNL has been supporting WFP's school meals programme in Malawi since 2004 - not only through funding but also by sending project managers to oversee the construction of schools. PostNL executives recently visited Malawi to see the programme in action.

MANYEGA, Malawi - In this flat and arid farming region in the heart of southern Malawi, Namitoso Primary School is a source of local pride. Its students are benefitting from nutritious daily meals from WFP porridge - and also from a shared spirit to succeed.

"Sometimes I come to school without having breakfast," said Blessings Makuda, who is finishing his last year at Namitoso. Instead of thinking about where he will get his next meal, however, he dreams of one day becoming a doctor.

"By taking porridge at school I can tell it improves my health because I rarely get ill," he says. "I’m now in school every day."

Groups of women from surrounding villages prepare the morning meals for Namitoso's 1,000 students. The meal consists of porridge made with SuperCereal, a vitamin-packed, corn-soya blend, supplied by WFP.

PostNL support to WFP

The initiative is supported by PostNL, a Netherlands-based mail, parcel and e-commerce company that publishes a popular cookbook each year, Master Chefs for Home Chefs, featuring the recipes of celebrity chefs. The proceeds, along with other PostNL funding, go towards WFP's school meals programme through their 'Moving the World' partnership.

PostNL also sends employees to work as project managers, overseeing school construction projects and lending support to programme management.

“Globally, there's increasing evidence on school feeding’s impact on access to food and to education, especially for children from poor households. More can be done however, and we look for increasing partners like PostNL,” said WFP Representative Coco Ushiyama.

"I'm really proud that my company and WFP are supporting the advancement of education in Malawi through school feeding,” said Nienke Nijhuis, who has been overseeing the construction of a school kitchen at Namitoso. "The kids who are in school today could become future leaders. And who knows? Maybe the next president of Malawi will come from Namitoso Primary School."

On a recent visit, Marielle van Spronsen, the PostNL manager of the WFP partnership, echoed these sentiments.

“While visiting the communities, I could tell that our support really is appreciated and that the money is well spent.”

“It’s nice to know that my company is helping to make a life-changing impact for school children in Malawi.”

Namitoso is one of almost 700 schools in Malawi receiving WFP support. The programme targets some of the country's poorest districts where enrolment is low and dropout rates high. Studies show that school meals help improve concentration and encourage daily attendance, contributing to improved education overall.

New opportunities

Most Namitoso children grow up to work alongside their parents, who are mostly smallholder farmers relying on maize farming to earn a living despite unpredictable weather. The students may have alternative prospects, however, as an impressive 90 percent of students passed their final exams last year and became eligible to enter secondary school.

"Enrolment has increased, pass rates have improved and attendance is much better," said teacher Vuto Chikoko, who credits WFP school meals for the changes. "The community sees the benefits of the programme and is grateful that their children have the opportunity to succeed."


Mauritania: EU confirms new support to Mauritania during high level visit

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Source: European Commission
Country: Mauritania

EU Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, is today expected to announce €195 million for Mauritania in the areas of food security, rule of law and healthcare for the years 2014-2020.

The Commissioner will meet President Abdel Aziz and Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdhaf during his visit, and discussions are expected to focus in particular on ongoing cooperation between the EU and Mauritania in the areas of security, development and fishing. The Commissioner is also expected to underline the EU’s ongoing commitment to supporting the country on its path to growth and in the key role it has to play in security in the Sahel.

The visit - the first one from a Commissioner to Mauritania since 2008 - is extremely timely; coming just a few months ahead of the EU-Africa summit which takes place in Brussels on 2-3 April. As current holders of the African Union presidency, Mauritania will have a particularly central role to play in the summit.

Speaking during the visit, Commissioner Piebalgs said: "The country will have a particularly important part to play in the forthcoming EU-AU summit and it can continue to count on the EU as a committed partner in this".

"Mauritania also has a vital role in helping to keep the Sahel region stable due to its location. There can be no development without security, and I would like to congratulate the country on all the work it is doing to make the country, and the wider region, more stable".

During the visit, Commissioner Piebalgs will participate in the launch of a project to rehabilitate and enlarge the Nouakchott-Rosso road, almost 200 km long and a key transport corridor between Mauritania and Senegal. The EU has provided €51 million, adding up to funds form the Mauritanian Government and the World Bank – a concrete example of what can be achieved through partnership in the region.

Thanks to this improved transport link, Mauritania will be able to a key role in trade in the region (including helping to improve access to markets for farmers), thanks to its position on the crossroads between the Maghreb and Sub Saharan Africa. The road also marks a step forward towards the eventual finalisation of the Tanger-Lagos transport corridor, which will help to significantly boost regional integration and trade across the region.

During this visit, the Commissioner will also take the opportunity to see for himself how key EU projects are making a difference on the ground. For instance, a school for girls in the village of Toujounine, and a police training school; a concrete example of the link between security and development in the country (which is at the heart of the EU’s strategy in the Sahel).

Background

The new funding announced today comes from the European Development Fund for the period 2014-2020. Between 2007 and 2013, the EU committed €209 million to Mauritania. This included an additional €25 million for the Sahel strategy (European Union strategy to promote security and development in the Sahel), €11 million on the Millennium Development Initiative and €8 million as part of the Vulnerability Flex (or V-FLEX), set up to help countries to respond to the effects of the economic crisis.

Concrete results of the EU’s support in Mauritania include a significant improvement in the safety and quality of roads throughout the country, improved access to energy in both rural and semi-rural areas (for example 190,000 people in six wilayas, or provinces, provided with electricity), and five regions given access to drinking water and a sanitation system.

The Commissioner recently announced €6.4 billion for the region of West Africa (subject to confirmation by Member States) between 2014-2020, which is expected to support investments that generate growth and job creation for the 300 million citizens of West Africa. The region of West Africa includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Mauritania.

For more information

IP/13/1002: EU confirms its support for West Africa's development and integration

IP/14/124: Commissioner Piebalgs visits three West-African countries to discuss future development cooperation

Website of EuropeAid Development and Cooperation DG:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htmhttp://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/...

Website of the European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/piebalgs/index_en.htm

Contacts :

Alexandre Polack (+32 2 299 06 77) Maria Sanchez Aponte (+32 2 298 10 35) For the public: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 or by e-mail

Mali: USAID/OFDA Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Programs in West Africa (09/30/2013)

Mali: West Africa: Disaster Risk Reduction - Fact Sheet #1, (FY) 2013

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Source: US Agency for International Development
Country: Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, United States of America
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OVERVIEW

  • Many of the 21 countries in the West Africa region face recurrent complex emergencies, frequent food insecurity, sustained prevalence of acute malnutrition, cyclical drought, and seasonal floods, resulting in significant challenges to at-risk populations. Many cities have rapidly expanded, often in areas prone to floods and other natural hazards, causing urban growth to outpace the capacity of local authorities to respond to disasters. Conflict also scatters populations, triggering large-scale displacement that multiplies the vulnerabilities of those forcibly uprooted, who often lack access to resources, employment, and basic services.

  • USAID/OFDA not only responds to disasters, but also funds programs to build the capacity of communities to prepare for and respond to emergencies. USAID/OFDA’s DRR activities in West Africa during FY 2013 sought to reduce the risks and effects of acute malnutrition, food insecurity, and displacement through programs that decrease household fragility and increase resilience to future shocks by addressing the root causes of recurrent emergencies in the region. During FY 2013, USAID/OFDA provided more than $50 million for projects that included DRR components, such as programs that integrate DRR with disaster response, throughout West Africa.

Mauritania: Conflict analysis of Mauritania, January 2014

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Source: Governance and Social Development Resource Centre
Country: Mali, Mauritania
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Summary

Mauritania is a large, mostly desert territory, populated by 3.2 million inhabitants and with a history of military rule and regime change through coup d’états. It has a history of inter-ethnic conflict and politicisation of identity with a notable border dispute in 1989 between Mauritania and Senegal resulting in violence and the deportation of non-Arabic speaking (i.e. black) Mauritanians. The current President is Abdel Aziz, a former military colonel, who largely (but not unwaveringly) enjoys support from the powerful military and the legislature.

Mauritanian security threats are complex and intertwined. Key drivers of conflict are Islamist terrorist movements and the risk of radicalisation; the often divided and belligerent Mauritanian military; domestic protests similar to the Arab Spring protests; trafficking and kidnapping; and wider social, economic and political tensions. Specifically, these conflict drivers are:

  • Growing radicalisation of Mauritanian youth: Islamist terrorist groups, especially Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), may increasingly recruit disaffected Mauritanians even though mainstream Mauritanian Islam rejects such ideologies. AQIM have recently increased attacks and criminal activities in Mauritania and neighbouring countries.
  • Divided and belligerent military: Democratic practices are not yet ingrained in Mauritania. The military retain political and economic control but are themselves often divided and prone to foment instability. The military seem largely supportive of the current regime but an upcoming troop deployment may anger certain members.
  • Arab Spring and protest movements: Though perhaps not as radical as the Arab Spring movements in Tunisia or Egypt, there have been, so far peaceful, protests across Mauritania demanding government reforms. There are doubts over the protest movements’ sustainability given internal divisions and co-optation by the regime.
  • Trafficking (i.e. arms, drugs, cigarettes) and kidnapping: Mauritania and surrounding countries have become routes for arms trafficking, drugs trafficking (especially from South America to Europe) and cigarette smuggling. Such activity, as well as the growth of kidnapping for ransom, have provided funds for Islamist terrorists, and is hard to counter given the lack of alternative economic opportunities in the region.
  • Weakness of economy and state institutions: Mauritania’s economy lacks diversification and is not able to generate sufficient tax revenue from its widely dispersed population and politically connected industries. The judiciary is politicised, understaffed and underfinanced, and the state is unable to provide basic services for everyone.
  • Weak and factious political system: The political system is clientelistic, with influential informal networks rather than set interest groups, and is dominated by the ruling party and their associates.
  • Sociopolitical tensions: Mauritania continues to be divided along ethno-racial lines with heightened sensitivities from ‘Arabicisation’ policies and following the expulsion of black Mauritanian citizens in the 1989 Mauritania-Senegal border dispute.

There do not seem to have been significant international responses that deal specifically with Mauritanian conflict. There are, however, notable actions taken by the Mauritanian government:

  • Anti-Islamism drive: The military has improved its fighting capacity, anti-terrorism legislation has been passed, and there are measures to delegitimise Islamist ideologies.
  • Anti-corruption drive: There is a new code of ethics for public servants and there have been a number of criminal corruption investigations and prosecutions, though notably not against regime allies.
  • Ethnic reconciliation and democratisation: Mauritania now allows voluntary repatriation of those (primarily black) Mauritanians exiled in the 1989 border dispute. There have been social cohesion government programmes and constitutional amendments which affirm state multi-ethnicity, affirm the criminalisation of slavery and prohibit coups.
  • Stabilising Mali: Mauritania will deploy troops to the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali to safeguard Mauritania-Mali borders.

There are a number of practical recommendations from the literature:

  • Avoid pigeon-holing (e.g. state vs. non-state actors) and oversimplified thinking (e.g. the state must be either autocratic or Islamist).
  • Include previously marginalised communities within state institutions and political processes.
  • Support legitimate, democracy-leaning political regimes.
  • Control use and proliferation of firearms.
  • Incrementally weaken criminal networks.
  • Form a common position on ransom payments with other countries.
  • Support livelihoods and economic opportunities.

Mali: Disparition d’un véhicule transportant une équipe du CICR

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Source: International Committee of the Red Cross
Country: Mali

10-02-2014 Communiqué de presse 14/23

Genève / Bamako (CICR) – Le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) confirme avoir perdu le contact samedi 8 février avec l’un de ses véhicules entre Kidal et Gao, dans le nord du Mali. Quatre membres du personnel et un auxiliaire vétérinaire se trouvaient à bord.

« Ils étaient partis de Kidal pour regagner leur base à Gao lorsque nous avons perdu le contact, dans des circonstances que nous ignorons encore. Il est important de ne pas faire de spéculation, bien qu’aucune piste ne soit écartée. », a declaré Christoph Luedi, chef de la délégation du CICR au Mali. « Extrêmement préoccupés par le sort de nos collègues, nous faisons tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir pour les localiser au plus vite ».

Au Mali, le CICR travaille sans relâche pour fournir une aide humanitaire impartiale à la population affectée par le conflit. « Nous appelons au respect de nos équipes, pour qu’elles puissent accomplir leur travail », a ajouté M. Luedi.

Le CICR est en contact avec toutes les parties en présence afin de localiser ses collaborateurs. Tout sera mis en œuvre pour les retrouver.

Informations complémentaires : Valery Mbaoh Nana, CICR Bamako, tél. : +223 76 99 63 75 Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, CICR Genève , tél. : +41 22 730 31 49 ou +41 79 244 64 05 Alexis Heeb, CICR Genève, tél. : +41 79 218 76 10, @AHeebICRC

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