HIGHLIGHTS

• TDRP participated in Global DDR Summit in December 2-3, Santa Marta, Colombia

• South Sudan Reintegration Pilot Project entered the reintegration phase

• DDR Facebook page reached 18,000 followers

• Great Lakes Peace Cup tournament finalist for international Peace & Sport Award

• African Union DDR Capacity Program Consultative Workshop

OUAGADOUGOU, 11 March 2014 (IRIN) - The fight against child malnutrition in Burkina Faso is gaining ground but chronic malnutrition remains above emergency threshold levels, particularly in rural areas, a situation that will be resolved only if the government and its partners step up prevention efforts.

Country-wide, the severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rate was 8.2 percent in 2013, down from 10.9 percent in 2012, while chronic malnutrition rate lowered fractionally, to 31.5 percent from 32.9 percent over the same period, according to government health statistics.

These rates have shown a downward trend over the past 20 years, though with fluctuations year-on-year. In 1993, some 41 percent of children in Burkina Faso were stunted as a result of being chronically malnourished. This rose to 43 percent in 2003, and dropped to 35 percent in 2010, and then to 31.5 percent in 2013.

Moderate acute malnutrition was at 16 percent in 1993. It reached a high of 21 percent in 2003, and dropped to 8.2 percent in 2013. This is partly because treatment of acute malnutrition has significantly improved, as has the provision of supplementary foods, said Bertile Ouaro, head of nutrition at the health ministry. Still, prevention efforts for both acute and chronic malnutrition are lagging, he said.

Urban-rural divide

This is particularly the case in rural areas, said Monica Rinaldi, who works with the NGO HELP in the Dori and Shebba districts of the northern Sahel Region.

One in five children under age five is stunted in Burkina Faso's urban areas, while in rural areas the number jumps to one in three, according to the 2010 Demographic Health Survey. Access to health services is far more limited in rural areas, than urban, and awareness of children's nutritional needs is lower, said experts.

Stunting rates are particularly high - 46 and 43 percent - in the Sahel and East regions, respectively.

More needs to be done to improve exclusive breastfeeding for infants in these regions, and to improve household hygiene practices and access to clean water and sanitation, said Sylvestre Tapsoba, a nutrition expert at the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The government's nutrition strategy stressed improving access to nutrition-led healthcare programmes in rural areas. It planned to build 1,688 health clinics across 13 districts, placing emphasis on malnutrition prevention and treatment.

But Rinaldi says outreach is needed among rural populations as without a major push to change behaviour, the malnutrition cycle will just continue.

HELP raised awareness among communities in Dorri and Shebba, spreading the word that pregnant women and infants could access free healthcare and be screened for malnutrition. Attendance rates at nutrition treatment centres in these districts shot up by 600 percent over the course of 2013. Acute malnutrition is often linked to an illness that has not been treated, so making healthcare free for children under age five encourages families to seek care, said Rinaldi.

But stunting is often less noticeable than acute malnutrition, and thus more likely to go overlooked, admitted the health ministry's Ouaro.

Micronutrient deficiencies contribute to stunting, so the government has recommended that families introduce more varied diets for their children after weaning. It is also pushing fortified foods. In 2009, the government made it mandatory to fortify some oils with vitamin A, salt with iodine, and flour with iron and folic acid.

The problem is that it is difficult to roll these messages out country-wide, particularly in remote rural areas, said Ouaro.

Funding issues

Malnutrition funding - which grew significantly between 2006 and 2013 - usually favours acute malnutrition treatment, to the detriment of chronic malnutrition prevention, said Tapsoba.

At UNICEF's 2013 international conference against child undernutrition in Paris, the Burkina Faso government called for US$35 million to combat malnutrition from 2013-2015, stressing the importance of prevention. Donors funded $19.2 million's worth of nutrition projects in 2013 through the appeal but this has not been enough to make a major different in malnutrition prevention efforts, said Tapsoba.

Even $35 million would be too modest, he said.

"This budget estimate is well below the actual requirements to scale up the prevention interventions that are currently in place," he told IRIN.

If more is not done to prevent stunting, the one million chronically malnourished children in Burkina Faso "risk never reaching their physical, intellectual or developmental potential, or risk dying of diarrhoea or other infectious diseases," he warned.

Globally, malnutrition directly or indirectly causes more than 45 percent of deaths among children under five, according to UNICEF. Chronically malnourished children lose on average 10-15cm of height, will have IQ rates 10-15 points lower than the average, and are more likely to drop out of school, according to Tapsoba.

bo/aj/rz

Le Niger est fréquemment confronté à des crises alimentaires et pastorales suite à des sécheresses, des attaques des ennemis de cultures et des niveaux élevés des prix des principales céréales consommées (mil, sorgho, mais et riz). Ces différents chocs récurrents fragilisent la résilience des ménages. L’enquête nationale sur la vulnérabilité à l’insécurité alimentaire des ménages réalisée en novembre 2013 fait état de 4.2 million de personnes en insécurité alimentaire

Syria: Violence continues, with opposition infighting in the northwest and heavy clashes across large parts of the country, including Rural Damascus. While several military ceasefires have allowed some access to besieged areas, insecurity continues to interrupt aid distribution, and access to Ar-Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zor and areas around the capital remains highly constrained. To date, over nine million people are estimated to have been displaced by the crisis, at least 2.5 million of whom have crossed into neighbouring countries.

South Sudan: New clashes and displacement continue to be reported in the northeastern states as well as the capital Juba. In three months, the crisis has forced 932,000 people to flee their homes, 226,000 of whom have crossed to neighbouring countries. Overall, an estimated 4.9 million people – over 40% of the population – are in need of urgent assistance across the country. Negotiations between the warring parties are stalling due to lack of consensus over the framework for dialogue. Talks are expected to resume on 20 March.

Sudan: Renewed attacks by rebel groups and militias in the Darfur region are estimated to have caused the displacement of 40,000 people since early March, while local sources have reported that dozens of civilians have been killed. In rebel-controlled areas of Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, food security is expected to deteriorate to emergency levels by April.

Pakistan: The Government warned it could launch a full-scale operation against militant strongholds in North Waziristan, amid renewed attacks claimed by reported rebel splinter groups. Despite the resumption and progress in peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban, violence continues on the ground. Since 20 February, an estimated 23,000 people have been displaced by government strikes and fear of further attacks. Access is heavily curtailed, but initial assessments indicated that most pressing needs include food, shelter, healthcare and WASH.

Last Update: 11/03/2014 Next Update: 18/03/2014

Global Emergency Overview Web Interface

Sans une large consultation, cette commission risque d’être inefficace

(Nairobi, le 11 mars 2014) – Le gouvernement malien devrait engager une large consultation en vue de l’instauration d’une commission vérité crédible et indépendante pour étudier les exactions perpétrées depuis la proclamation de l’indépendance du pays en 1960, a déclaré Human Rights Watch. Deux décisions exécutives – à savoir un décret et une ordonnance – portant création de la Commission vérité, justice et réconciliation feront l’objet de discussions cette semaine devant l’Assemblée nationale du Mali.

En vertu de ce décret et de cette ordonnance, la commission qu’il est ainsi question d’instaurer relèverait du ministère de la Réconciliation nationale et du Développement des régions du Nord, lequel serait chargé de sélectionner les commissaires ; aucune consultation publique ne serait prévue pour déterminer la composition, le mandat et les compétences de la commission. Or, pour que la commission soit efficace et considérée légitime, une démarche structurée et consultative devrait être menée auprès de groupes largement représentatifs de la société malienne, a indiqué Human Rights Watch.

« Le peuple malien bénéficiera grandement d’un processus d’établissement de la vérité permettant de mieux lutter contre la violence, la pauvreté et le conflit qui perdurent depuis des décennies avec un effet dévastateur sur la vie et les espoirs des Maliens », a commenté Corinne Dufka, chercheuse senior sur l’Afrique de l’Ouest à Human Rights Watch. « Cependant, pour que ce processus soit crédible et efficace, il devra bénéficier de la participation et de l’adhésion d’un groupe largement représentatif de la société. »

La mise en œuvre d’un mécanisme efficace dédié à la vérité, à la justice et à la réconciliation au Mali pourrait avoir d’importantes répercussions sur l’avenir du pays, a souligné Human Rights Watch. Premièrement, il permettrait de faire la lumière sur des atrocités commises lors des conflits armés passés, notamment celles subies par les populations du Nord, mais qui ont fait l’objet d’enquêtes insuffisantes. Deuxièmement, ce mécanisme permettrait d’étudier les facteurs qui ont engendré et prolongé les crises maliennes et leurs multiples facettes, tels que la négligence de l’État, un État de droit faible, la mauvaise gouvernance et la corruption endémique. Troisièmement, il permettrait d’analyser les dynamiques à l’origine des tensions communales et ethniques qui se sont aggravées ces dernières années et sont susceptibles d’éclater de nouveau. Enfin, il pourrait servir à émettre des recommandations pour empêcher que ne se reproduisent les exactions passées, et pour améliorer le respect des droits humains.

Une commission réconciliation a été créée en mars 2013 par le gouvernement provisoire de l’époque. Mais elle a été largement rejetée par différents groupes maliens au motif que le choix de ses membres et son mandat n’avaient pas fait l’objet d’une consultation plus large. En effet, de nombreux Maliens souhaitaient que cette commission soit également d’aborder la question de l’impunité relative aux exactions, notamment en étant autorisée à recommander la traduction en justice des individus concernés.

Suite à son entrée en fonction en septembre 2013, le Président Ibrahim Boubacar Keita s’est engagé à créer une commission qui, en plus de s’intéresser au conflit récent, se pencherait également sur la justice et la vérité. La commission qu’il est ainsi proposé d’instaurer disposera d’un mandat de trois ans ; elle couvrira la période allant de 1960 à 2013 et se composera de 15 membres et de sept groupes de travail.

Pour instaurer une commission crédible, indépendante et efficace, l’Assemblée nationale devrait proposer des mesures pour veiller à ce que :

• La commission soit indépendante des autres branches du gouvernement. Le fait de placer la commission sous la responsabilité du ministère de la Réconciliation nationale et du Développement des régions du Nord la rendrait susceptible à l’ingérence politique, et affecterait la manière dont sa neutralité serait perçue ;

• Un large processus de consultation sur son mandat et sa composition soit lancé en impliquant, entre autres, des groupes d’activistes et de défense des droits humains, des groupes de femmes, des groupes de jeunes, des partis politiques, des syndicats, des groupes de victimes, la diaspora, et des représentants de confessions religieuses, des forces de sécurité et des factions belligérantes ;

• Des critères clairs et objectifs soient établis pour nommer les commissaires, y compris concernant leurs antécédents moraux et professionnels, leur impartialité et leur engagement envers les normes internationales relatives aux droits humains ;

• Tous les commissaires dont la nomination est proposée fassent l’objet d’audiences de confirmation publiques ;

• Des réglementations soient mises en œuvre pour clarifier le mandat de la commission au sein d’un cadre dédié aux droits humains ;

• Des réglementations prévoient des pouvoirs d’investigation destinés, notamment, aux témoins à comparaître ; des audiences publiques ; et la rédaction d’un rapport public final émettant des recommandations dans le domaine de la responsabilité, y compris en matière de réparations et d’affaires devant faire l’objet d’une enquête pénale, ainsi qu’à l’attention d’autres réformes institutionnelles ; et que

• La commission s’inscrive dans le cadre de mesures plus générales destinées à l’établissement de la vérité et à la responsabilité et qui incluent la traduction en justice en cas de crime graves. S’il est vrai que les commissions vérité sont en mesure de satisfaire les besoins des victimes et des communautés, des mécanismes de justice sont nécessaires pour répondre aux atteintes graves aux droits humains.

« L’Assemblée nationale devrait veiller à ce que la future commission vérité reflète l’ensemble de la société malienne, et ne soit pas perçue comme représentant uniquement certains intérêts particuliers », a ajouté Corinne Dufka. « Compte tenu de l’importance de l’enjeu, il n’y a pas de droit à l’erreur. »

HIGHLIGHTS

• Humanitarian agencies seek to address Iraq’s multiple humanitarian and protection challenges. The scale of need, however, currently outweighs the level of available resources.

• OCHA, LAS and OIC aim to shed light on the humanitarian emergency in Mauritania.
  Chronic poverty and limited access to basic services have created high levels of vulnerability.

• Donors pledge US$2.4 billion at the Second Pledging Conference for Syria hosted by Kuwait in January 2014. The funds will address the humanitarian crisis in Syria and neighbouring countries.

La relative stabilité des marchés et les bons niveaux des stocks suggèrent une situation alimentaire satisfaisante dans la région au cours de la période de soudure à l’exception des zones pastorales et agropastorales déficitaires du Sahel

MESSAGES CLÉS

• En général, les stocks alimentaires sont moyens dans la région et les stocks ménages demeurent la principale source d’alimentation pour la majorité des ménages ruraux. Cependant, dans les zones de déficit de production prononcé du Niger et du Tchad, ces stocks sont quasi-nuls, entrainant un recours au marché par les ménages pour leur alimentation.

• L’approvisionnement des marchés demeure satisfaisant en céréales locales. Les prix du mois de février 2014 sont en baisse comparativement à 2013 à la même période, mais en hausse par rapport à la moyenne quinquennale particulièrement pour le mil et le sorgho, et principalement dans le Bassin Est. La poursuite probable de ces hausses pourrait limiter l’accès alimentaire pour les ménages pauvres des zones déficitaires du Sahel à partir d’avril.

• L’offre de bétail reste moyenne avec toutefois des hausses localisées et des prix encore stables. La baisse probable des prix à partir d’avril en lien avec la détérioration de l’embonpoint et le besoin de revenus pour accéder à la nourriture pourrait affecter négativement les moyens d’existence des ménages pauvres.

LOUGA/DAKAR, 12 March 2014 (IRIN) - The number of food insecure in the Sahel is expected to grow to more than 20 million in 2014, mainly due to an increase in cases in northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon and Senegal. IRIN went to Louga, in northern Senegal, to find out why the number of hungry is so high.

“Nothing was harvested this year in the fields. Nothing at all,” said Ndjouga Ndianye, a farmer from Diama Nguene, a village about 15km outside Louga, which is 70km southeast of Saint Louis. “In the fields, apart from peanut scraps, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

While the number of food insecure in Senegal is not much higher than in 2011, the year of a major drought crisis, many farmers in the north told IRIN the situation is worse now than ever before.

Rains were poor - in some cases nonexistent - in 2011, decent in 2012 and poor again in 2013, say farmers in Louga. As a result, even though families built up some stocks in 2012, they were starting this year at a deficit, and many of them were in deep debt, making them highly vulnerable when 2013’s rains came late and ended early.

This dynamic, combined with improved food security surveys that are identifying previously invisible groups of food-insecure people, has caused the number of those classified as hungry to shoot up in Senegal.

“The situation is very difficult,” said 30-year-old Fatou Ndiaye, a farmer in the Louga Region. “I have [four] young children and, every day, my children say to me, ‘Mama, I’m hungry.’ But what can I do?” she asks. “There were no harvests, so we have no sacks [of rice] this year. It’s true that every year is difficult, but this is the worst. I’m very worried what we will eat in the coming months.”

According to WFP food security assessments undertaken between June and December 2013, countrywide, 20 percent of the population, or 2.5 million people are estimated to be food insecure this year, among which 5 percent, or around 675,000 people will be severely food insecure.

Across the Sahel, as of January, more than 2.5 million people were already facing crisis conditions, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports..

Conditions deteriorating

In Louga, some 33,000 residents are severely food insecure, a markedly higher number than last year, said Ingeborg Breuer, WFP head in Senegal. The harvest was 11 percent below average. “It’s quite concerning when you look at the statistics compared to last year. You clearly have a deterioration of food security in Louga.”

When they did come to Louga, the rains were intermittent. Insect infestations were also worse in 2013.

“There have always been bad years every so often, but this year is really the worst,” said Malo Niang, a farmer from Thiedy Village in Louga. “Normally, I harvest tons’ worth of peanuts and millet, but this year it was just a few sacks’ worth.”

According to Ibrahima Laye Thiome, the Disaster Management Coordinator for the Senegalese Red Cross, surveys show crop yields may last only as long as mid-March, meaning an early start to the annual lean season. Many of these same families are still trying to recover from previous food crises. “So the perspectives for this year are really quite worrying,” Breuer said.

Malnutrition set to spike

Children, too, are likely to feel the effects of the poor harvest in the coming months.

OCHA estimates that across the Sahel, five million children under the age of five will suffer from malnutrition this year, and that 1.5 million of them will suffer severe acute malnutrition. This figure remains largely unchanged from 2013, when malnutrition surveying significantly improved, and was a jump from 2012 when one million children were estimated to be severely malnourished.

Boubacar Camara, a nurse at one of the regional health clinics in Louga, said around 3 percent of the children they treat are currently moderately malnourished. This number is likely to rise in the coming months.

“There hasn’t been a sharp increase in the number of malnutrition cases yet,” he said. “But I fear it is coming soon because of last year’s poor harvests.”

Families say they have been traveling to markets up to 10km away to buy rice or millet, but for many, money is beginning to run out. Those who can are taking on extra work in towns and cities - making bricks, building houses, working on others’ farms.

“Our problem is now, how do we eat?” said Fati Fall, a mother of four in the Louga Region. “Some people are taking out loans to buy food. We’ve been looking for straw to sell at the market to earn some money as well. But it is not easy. Other people sell animals or meat, but even that is difficult,” she said.

People are not the only ones suffering. The animals, Louga residents say, are also in trouble. Insufficient rains have meant less fodder for animals to graze on.

“My animals are getting thin,” said Boubou Diallo, who has a herd of about 70 cattle and sheep. “There is nothing for them to eat, and so they are getting weak. And because of that, their market price goes down. So I am earning less money and spending more trying to care for them. It is not easy. How will I buy food for my family if I have no profits this year?” he said.

Aid plans underway

To help ease the burdens of food-insecure households, many humanitarian and development agencies say they will continue to provide aid to the Louga Region this year.

Government plans to come

WFP plans to distribute basic food and cash vouchers over the coming months. The agency will also continue with school-feeding programmes reaching about 5,000 children, and will provide nutrition support to 13,000 under-fives.

The key is to get this response going as soon as possible, said Breuer. “If you don’t kick in at the beginning of the lean season, the population will already start with negative coping strategies,” she said. “They will deplete their assets. Many will migrate to cities. So we really need to reach people before they start to adopting such negative coping strategies.”

Families also need help rehabilitating their depleted soil and improving seed and fertilizer quality so they can grow more food, said experts.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has pledged to provide farmers throughout the region with agricultural inputs, such as quality seeds, fertilizer and gardening tools. They are also working with the government and local partners to improve small-scale irrigation systems, conserve rainwater and rehabilitate degraded land.

To help livestock populations, FAO says it is providing animal feed and veterinary medicines to pastoralists throughout the country.

Other organizations, such as the Senegalese Red Cross, say they would like to intervene as well, but must wait for the government to recognize the food situation in Louga as a crisis.

Louga residents say they hope the help comes before it is too late.

“Right now, we are just trying to survive,” said Touba Dia. “Everything we do is to make sure we can eat. At the moment, our meals aren’t great, but they are enough to live on. But in a few months - that is what worries me,” she said. “How will we find food? I just don’t know.”

jl/aj/rz

FAITS SAILLANTS

• La communauté humanitaire à la recherche de plus de 390 millions pour porter assistance à des millions de Nigériens en 2014.

• Plus de 1110 Nigériens, dont une majorité d’enfants ont été rapatriés de la République centrafricaine.

• La réponse au choléra se poursuit.

• Les sinistrés de Diffa reconstruisent leurs communautés.

Sommaire

• Santé
• Eau, habitat et assainissement
• Sécurité économique
• Visite aux personnes privées de liberté & rétablissement des liens familiaux
• Coopération avec la Croix-Rouge sénégalaise
• Promotion du droit international humanitaire & dialogue avec les autorités

Le riz local et le sorgho sont les produits alimentaires les plus consommés par les ménages pauvres de la Mauritanie suivis par le blé importé qui est l'aliment de substitution auquel ces ménages recourent le plus. Le riz local est cultivé dans la vallée du fleuve (dans le sud des régions du Trarza, du Brakna, du Gorgol et du Guidimakha). Le sorgho est produit dans toutes les zones de production (sorgho pluvial) et dans les walo et barrages (sorgho de décrue). Toutefois, une importante partie est importée du Mali et du Sénégal. La Mauritanie vit beaucoup plus de ses importations (70 % en bonne année agricole et jusqu'à 85 % en mauvaise année) que de sa production interne. Nouakchott est le principal marché de collecte pour les produits venant de l'extérieur et également le marché de distribution où viennent s'approvisionner les animateurs des marchés de distribution secondaire que sont les autres marchés référenciés. L'huile de cuisson est essentiellement consommée dans les zones urbaines. La vente des animaux est une mode d’existence dans toutes les zones et une importante source de revenus et de nourriture.

Le mil, le maïs, le niébé et le riz importé sont les produits alimentaires les plus importants consommés au Niger. Le mil est consommé aussi bien par les ménages ruraux que les ménages pauvres urbains dans l’ensemble du pays. Le maïs et le riz importé sont plus importants pour les ménages urbains, tandis que le niébé est principalement consommé par les ménages pauvres des régions rurales et urbaines en tant que source de protéine. Niamey est le marché national le plus important et un centre du commerce international ; elle approvisionne en outre les ménages urbains. Tillaberi est aussi un centre urbain approvisionnant les localités environnantes. Le marché de Gaya est le principal marché urbain pour le maïs avec des liens transfrontaliers. Maradi, Tounfafi et Diffa sont des marchés de regroupement régionaux et des marchés transfrontaliers pour le Niger et d’autres pays de la région. C'est dans ces marchés que vont régulièrement acheter leur nourriture les ménages et les éleveurs des régions déficitaires en céréales du nord. Agadez et Zinder sont également d’importants marchés nationaux et régionaux. Nguigmi et Abalak se trouvent dans des zones pastorales, où la population dépend largement des marchés céréaliers pour leur approvisionnement alimentaire. Ces deux marchés sont particulièrement importants pendant la saison des pluies, lorsque les éleveurs sont confinés dans la zone pastorale.

Le mil, le maïs et le sorgho sont les produits alimentaires les plus importants pour la consommation ménagère. Le mil est le produit de base des ménages les plus vulnérables, tandis que le maïs et le sorgho contribuent aussi au panier alimentaire de la majorité des autres ménages. Le marché de Sankaryare est le plus vaste et le plus important d’Ouagadougou; il approvisionne d’autres marchés du pays et dans la région. Koudougou se trouve dans l'une des régions les plus peuplées du pays, où une majorité des ménages dépend du marché pour son ravitaillement alimentaire. Djibo se situe dans la zone sahélienne, hautement vulnérable. Pouytenga est un marché de regroupement pour les produits du Nigeria, du Ghana, du Bénin et du Togo. Solenzo est un marché rural situé au milieu d’une zone de production excédentaire. Bobo Dioulasso est un important centre tant pour la consommation que pour la production : elle fait office de capitale économique du Burkina-Faso et se trouve dans une importante zone de production céréalière.

• President seen stalling peace talks on northern Mali

• Two years after coup, 350,000 still displaced

• North Mali seen as key to fighting Islamists in Sahel

• Experts sceptical on pledges to fight corruption

By Emma Farge

BAMAKO, March 12 (Reuters) - President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita won power with a pledge to resurrect a "strong and united" Mali from the ashes of a war against Islamists militants yet six months later he has done little to heal the wounds of the conflict.

Read the full article on Alertnet

Local rice and sorghum are the most consumed food products by poor households in Mauritania followed by imported wheat which is a substitute that these households turn to the most. Local rice is grown in the river valley (in the southern regions of Trarza, Brakna, Gorgol and Guidimakha). Sorghum is produced in all areas of production (rainfed) and in flood-recession areas. However, a significant portion is imported from Mali and Senegal. Mauritania depends greatly on food imports (70% in a good agricultural year and 85% in a bad year) than on internal production. Nouakchott is the principal collection market for imported products and also the distribution market where traders acquire supplies for the secondary markets referenced below. Cooking oil is consumed mainly in urban areas. The sale of animals is a lifestyle in all areas and an important source of income and food.

Maize, rice, and cassava are the most important food commodities. Markets selected represent the entire geographic length of the country: two markets in each of the north, center, and south. In the north, Karonga is one of the most active markets in maize and rice and is influenced by informal cross-border trade with Tanzania. Mzimba is a major maize producing area in the northern region. Salima, in the center along the lake, is an important market where some of the fishing populations are almost entirely dependent on the market for staple cereals. Mitundu is a very busy peri-urban market in Lilongwe. In the south, the Lunzu market is the main supplier of food commodities such as maize and rice for Blantyre. The Bangula market in Nsanje district was chosen to represent the Lower Shire area, covering Chikwawa and Nsanje districts.

Millet, maize, and sorghum are the most important food commodities for household consumption. Millet is the staple of the most vulnerable households, while maize 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 a majority of households depend on the market 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.

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 cross-border 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.

The Humanitarian Compendium provides a comprehensive overview of IOM humanitarian projects for 2014 in coordination with other humanitarian partners and agencies.

Faits saillants:

• Plus de 80 000 personnes ont fui les violences en RCA et sont arrivées au Tchad depuis décembre 2013.

• La Communauté humanitaire et le gouvernement tchadien fournissent de l’aide vitale à ces personnes arrivées.

• Le CERF a alloué environ 4,2 million dollars sous la fenêtre Réponse Rapide au Tchad pour répondre aux besoins des arrivés.

• Plus de 1,7 million de personnes vont être touchées par l'insécurité alimentaire au Tchad en 2014.

• ECHO lance ses propres vols humanitaires au Tchad.

• UNHAS introduira des frais de réservation à partir du 1er Avril 2014.