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Mali: Sahel 2012: Cluster Strategic Indicators/Sector Performance Indicators, September 2012

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia (the), Mali, Mauritania, Niger (the), Senegal
  • Cluster Strategic Indicators: Food assistance - Period: September 2012 - WFP Sahel response

  • Sector Performance Indicators: Agriculture - Period: January - September 2012 - FAO Sahel response

  • Cluster Strategic Indicators: Nutrition - Period: January - September 2012

  • Cluster Strategic Indicators: WASH - Period: January - September 2012


Kenya: IOM Launches A Radio Station To Foster Peace Among Refugees and Host Communities In Kenya

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Source: International Organization for Migration
Country: Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan (Republic of)

Press Briefing Notes 16 November 2012 Spokesperson: Jumbe Omari Jumbe

IOM is today launching a community radio station at Kakuma, a town in North Western Kenya to assist in bringing about peace and harmony among the refugees and the host communities in the area.

The area has witnessed frequent conflicts between the refugees and the local communities and between the Turkana and neighbouring communities caused by the scramble for resources, especially food aid from the humanitarian agencies, pasture and water for the livestock.

Radio Ekisil, which means the champions of peace in the local Turkana language, will mainly target the local youths and the refugees by its messages aimed at preventing the recurrence of communal strife among the refugees and host communities in the area, where a big refugee camp is located. The Kakuma refugee camp hosts some 100,000 refugees from South Sudan, Ethiopian and Somalia.

The idea of establishing a radio in the area was proposed by a local Turkana youth group in 2010, when IOM was implementing peace building and conflict prevention initiatives in the area.

Apart from assisting in building the culture of peace and communal coexistence through its interactive programmes, the radio will also assist in communicating health education, agriculture, and animal rearing and will also provide entertainment. In addition, the radio will serve as a tool for humanitarian agencies in the area.

Radio is the most easily accessible and affordable means of interaction for the rural communities in Kenya.

The station will be powered by solar energy facility, which was established by IOM for the community.

The funding for the project was provided by the government of Japan.

Mali: La situation humanitaire est toujours inquiétante dans le nord

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Source: ICRC
Country: Mali

La situation humanitaire au nord du Mali reste préoccupante. Les ménages ont des difficultés à cultiver leurs champs du fait de l’insécurité et du manque de semences. Pour aider ces populations, le CICR a distribué des vivres à quelque 400 000 personnes.

Les populations du nord du Mali continuent à avoir du mal à couvrir leurs besoins alimentaires de base même si les pluies ont été suffisantes. « Le conflit n'a pas permis à la majorité des familles de profiter de la saison agricole cette année. Les familles ont donc encore besoin d'une assistance alimentaire d'urgence en attendant de développer d'autres moyens de subsistance », affirme Jean-Nicolas Marti, chef de la délégation régionale du CICR pour le Mali et le Niger.

Au moment où une intervention militaire est en préparation, le CICR rappelle que toute opération risque d'avoir un coût humanitaire. « Ces populations ont déjà des difficultés à accéder à l'alimentation et aux services de base. Nous demandons aux acteurs qui pourraient prendre part au conflit de prendre en considération l'impact humanitaire d'une telle opération », déclare Jean-Nicolas Marti.

En collaboration avec la Croix-Rouge malienne, le CICR poursuit son vaste programme d'assistance alimentaire au nord du Mali ainsi que dans le Cercle de Douentza, dans la région de Mopti. À ce jour, quelque 400 000 personnes ont reçu du riz, des haricots, de l'huile de cuisine et du sel iodé. Grâce à ces vivres, les ménages disposent de réserves alimentaires en attendant les prochaines récoltes. Le CICR poursuivra les distributions de vivres jusqu'en décembre 2012.

Pour aider les populations vulnérables, le CICR achète aussi du bétail local qui est ensuite abattu pour fournir de la viande aux plus démunis. À ce jour, plus de 10 000 têtes sur 15 000 ont été déstockées dans les régions de Kidal, Gao et Tombouctou.

Des feux de brousse menacent les populations

Alors que la saison des pluies a permis de régénérer les pâturages, des feux de brousse spontanés constituent un nouveau défi dans les zones rurales au Mali. Le 18 octobre, ces feux ont causé d'énormes dégâts sur un rayon de 160 kilomètres dans la région de Tombouctou, détruisant 115 habitations, brûlant du bétail et ravageant des champs de mil et des greniers. Au total, près de 700 personnes ont été directement touchées, parmi lesquelles des familles rentrées du Burkina Faso.

« Cette situation est préoccupante compte tenu de la vulnérabilité de ces populations déjà affaiblies par la situation qui prévaut dans la région. Si les feux de brousse se propagent dans d’autres zones, les populations ne pourront pas y faire face et les conséquences seront désastreuses sur le plan humanitaire », estime Jean-Nicolas Marti. Afin de venir en aide à ces populations sinistrées, le CICR et la Croix-Rouge malienne leur ont distribué des vivres et des articles ménagers essentiels tels que des bâches, des nattes, des couvertures, des ustensiles de cuisine, des seaux, des pagnes et des articles d'hygiène.

Des milliers des personnes ont besoin d'eau

En cette période de l'année, l'eau se fait rare dans le nord du Mali et ne permet pas de couvrir les besoins domestiques et ceux du bétail. Les quelques mares remplies pendant la saison des pluies sont en voie d'assèchement. Le CICR vient de reprendre les travaux de réhabilitation de 12 puits dans les six communes rurales de la région de Tombouctou, travaux qui avaient été suspendus en mars 2012 à cause du conflit armé. Afin de faciliter l'accès à l'eau des populations et du bétail et de réduire les conflits autour des points d'eau, le CICR a aussi recommencé à réhabiliter quatre stations hydrauliques pastorales dans la région de Tombouctou.

Le CICR a continué à soutenir l'hôpital de Gao, la seule structure de santé de référence au nord du Mali. Des médicaments et du matériel médical ont été distribués à tous les services. En octobre 2012, 167 patients y ont été hospitalisés et 3970 consultations ont été prises en charge. Le CICR soutient également dix centres de santé communautaires, notamment en leur fournissant des médicaments.

Informations complémentaires :
Jean-Nicolas Marti, CICR Niamey, tél. : +227 96 85 78 68
Jean-Yves Clémenzo, CICR Genève, tél. : +41 22 730 22 71 ou +41 79 217 32 17

Ethiopia: Water: Enough in the Nile to share, little to waste

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Source: IRIN
Country: Egypt, Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, 16 November 2012 (IRIN) - As Ethiopia's massive dam-building plans continue to cause disquiet in downstream Egypt, new research suggests there is sufficient water in the Nile for all 10 countries it flows through, and that poverty there could be significantly eased as long as access by small-scale farmers is boosted.

"We would argue that physically there is enough water in the Nile for all the riparian countries," said Simon Langan, head of the East Africa and Nile Basin office of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), at the Addis Ababa launch of The Nile River Basin: Water, Agriculture, Governance and Livelihoods [ http://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/24746 ] published by the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food [ http://www.waterandfood.org/ ].

"What we really need to do is make sure that there is access to this water. Poverty rates are about 17 percent in Egypt but for five of the upstream riparian countries it is more like 50 percent. So, this access to water is very important," he added.

According to a media advisory promoting the book, the Nile "has enough water to supply dams and irrigate parched agriculture in all 10 countries - but policymakers risk turning the poor into water `have-nots' if they don't enact inclusive water management policies."

While better seeds and tools play a key role in boosting agricultural productivity, access to water is even more important, said one of the book's editors, Seleshi Bekele, senior water resources and climate specialist at the UN Economic Commission for Africa.

"The higher water access you have the less the poverty profile... This is not only in comparison between Egypt and upstream countries: within Ethiopia itself, 22 percent less poor were observed in those communities who have access to water," he said.

Access "means that girls can go to school, instead of fetching water from distance that could take hours," he added.

Smallholder farmers, who rely on rainwater to irrigate their crops, could similarly benefit from policies that give them greater access to water in the Nile basin.

The book calls for investment to adopt agricultural water management (AWM) policies, which include irrigation and rainwater collection, so that water-scarce parts of the region are able to grow enough food.

Bekele says improved AWM, seen as key to economic growth, food security and poverty reduction, must be better integrated into the region's agricultural policies.

"It is tempting for these governments to focus on large-scale irrigation schemes, such as existing schemes in Sudan and Egypt, but more attention must also be paid to smaller, on-farm water management approaches that make use of rainwater and stored water resources such as aquifers," he added.

According to IWMI's Langan, "There is enough for the current need, 5.6 million hectares irrigated. The plan to expand to 10 or 11 million hectares. there are questions if there is enough water to do that if we use the water in the same method we do now under the same management."

Call for greater cooperation

The experts also called for greater cooperation among governments of the basin countries.

Egypt and Sudan are still not on board the Nile River Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) [ http://www.internationalwaterlaw.org/documents/regionaldocs/Nile_River_B... ] signed, after years of fruitless negotiations with Cairo, by six other riparian countries in 2010 in a move to revise the terms of colonial treaties that awarded Egypt and Sudan control over the bulk of the river's waters. The six states particularly object to the veto one treaty gives Egypt over upstream Nile projects.

"The CFA makes it clear that no state will exercise hegemony over the Nile waters and their allocation, or claim exclusive rights," Nile expert and author Seifulaziz Milas wrote in a recent article published on the African Arguments website [ http://africanarguments.org/2012/10/03/ethiopia-nile-waters-diplomacy-an... ].

"The launching of the CFA in May 2010 was a shock to Cairo, which had previously thought it could be blocked. The shock was all the greater as in the same week that the CFA was launched, Ethiopia's [now late] prime minister inaugurated the Tana-Beles Project on the Beles river, a tributary of the Blue Nile," he added.

Concern over new Ethiopian dam

More recently, Cairo has expressed concern that Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - due for completion in 2015 - would reduce flow into Egypt, 95 percent of whose water comes from the Nile. Addis Ababa says Egypt's 55.5 billion annual cubic metres of Nile water would not be affected. A panel of international experts is due to deliver its findings on the dam's impact in May 2013.

"Today, as in years past, utilization of the Nile remains strikingly inequitable," Ethiopia's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a recent statement [ http://www.mfa.gov.et/weekHornAfrica/morewha.php?wi=596#596 ].

"Ethiopia, which contributes over 85 percent of the river's flow, makes no use of it; Egypt, which contributes nothing, continues to argue in favour of its continued status as primary beneficiary. Egypt still justifies this lopsided allocation of use on the basis of obsolete colonial treaties that Ethiopia neither signed nor supported. With all notions of fairness and law in its favour, it is no surprise that Ethiopian governments, past and present, have refused to accept the Egyptian position," the statement added.

Despite the heated rhetoric, major conflict over the Nile is avoidable, according to Bekele.

"I don't think there is any reason to go to war... there is a way to manage the water, in fact to enhance cooperation and to bring more regional integration, for example through power trade and agriculture productivity, " he said.

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Mali: Nord du Mali: combats entre islamistes et rebelles touareg du MNLA

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Mali

11/16/2012 17:04 GMT

BAMAKO, 16 nov 2012 (AFP) - Des combats ont éclaté vendredi près de Gao, dans le nord-est du Mali, entre islamistes du Mujao et rebelles touareg du MNLA, au moment où le président burkinabè Blaise Compaoré, médiateur dans la crise malienne, poussait au "dialogue politique" pour régler la crise.

Depuis Paris, le Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad (MNLA), qui rêve de revanche après avoir été marginalisé dans le nord du Mali par les islamistes, a annoncé "une offensive visant à récupérer la région de Gao", aux mains du Mouvement pour l'unicité et le jihad en Afrique de l'Ouest (Mujao).

Selon des habitants et des sources sécuritaires régionales, les affrontements ont lieu dans la région de Ménaka, à l'est de Gao.

Le 27 juin, à l'issue de violents combats qui avaient fait au moins 35 morts, le Mujao, appuyé par Al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique (Aqmi), avait évincé le MNLA de Gao où la rébellion touareg, laïque et favorable à l'autodétermination du Nord malien, avait établi son quartier général.

Depuis lors, le MNLA ne contrôle plus aucune ville du nord du Mali, occupé par les jihadistes surtout étrangers d'Aqmi et du Mujao (groupe très impliqué aussi dans le trafic de drogue) et les islamistes d'Ansar Dine (Défenseurs de l'islam), mouvement surtout composé de Touareg maliens. Ils y appliquent la charia (loi islamique) avec une extrême rigueur.

Et la terreur continue: à Tombouctou (nord-ouest), ville occupée par Aqmi et Ansar Dine, des dizaines de femmes non voilées ont été arrêtées à leur domicile, jeudi et vendredi, par des éléments d'Aqmi, ont rapporté des témoins.

Selon une source médicale, les femmes arrêtées ont été "emprisonnées" dans l'enceinte d'une ancienne banque. Les islamistes "ont dit qu'il vont continuer à arrêter les femmes non voilées, que rien ne peut les empêcher de le faire", a-t-elle dit.

Dialogue à Ouagadougou

Ansar Dine négocie depuis plusieurs jours à Ouagadougou avec la médiation conduite par le président burkinabé Blaise Compaoré au nom de la Communauté économique des Etats d'Afrique de l'Ouest (Cédéao).

Cette semaine, il s'est très clairement démarqué d'Aqmi et du Mujao dans ses déclarations. Il a annoncé renoncer à imposer la charia dans tout le Mali, sauf dans son fief de Kidal (nord-est), et s'est dit prêt à aider à "débarrasser" le nord du Mali du "terrorisme" et des "mouvements étrangers".

Reçues pour la première fois ensemble par M. Compaoré, des délégations d'Ansar Dine et du MNLA ont exprimé "leur disponibilité à s'engager résolument dans un processus de dialogue politique" en vue d'"une solution négociée, juste et durable à la crise", selon une déclaration lue par le chef de la diplomatie burkinabè, Djibrill Bassolé.

M. Compaoré a annoncé aux deux délégations, dont c'étaient les premières discussions formelles depuis des mois, qu'il comptait "établir un calendrier de consultations et de pourparlers de paix", sans plus de précision.

La balle est aussi dans le camp des autorités maliennes, qui n'ont toujours pas installé le "comité national" de négociations promis.

Ansar Dine et le MNLA, eux-mêmes accusés de nombreuses exactions dans le Nord malien, ont "formulé le voeu" que l'armée malienne s'engage "à arrêter toutes formes d'hostilités militaires" contre les civils.

Si l'évolution d'Ansar Dine se confirmait sur le terrain, l'opération armée africaine actuellement en préparation ne devrait viser que les jihadistes d'Aqmi et du Mujao, qui font craindre l'enracinement d'un sanctuaire "terroriste" en plein Sahel.

"Le dialogue ne remplace pas l'intervention militaire", qui devra "mettre hors d'état de nuire les groupes terroristes", a souligné le ministre burkinabè des Affaires étrangères.

Puissance régionale incontournable, l'Algérie a estimé qu'"il faut cibler exclusivement les terroristes et les narcotrafiquants".

Validé par l'UA, le plan stratégique d'intervention prévoit une force internationale de 3.300 soldats essentiellement ouest-africains, qui aura besoin d'un soutien logistique occidental. Il doit être transmis au Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU avant la fin novembre.

bur-tmo/sba

© 1994-2012 Agence France-Presse

Mali: Sahel Crisis 2012: Funding Status as of 16 November 2012

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia (the), Mali, Mauritania, Niger (the), Nigeria, Senegal

Djibouti: Food Security in the Horn of Africa - November 2012

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Source: NATO Civil-Military Fusion Centre
Country: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia

This document reviews food security in the Horn of Africa, including a brief overview of the 2011 crisis, current issues and forecasts for the future. For the purpose of this paper, the following countries were included: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

Synopsis 2011 Food Crisis

Early warning signs were evident in 2010 that food in-security posed a significant risk to millions of citizens across the Horn of Africa (HoA). In November 2010, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) issued their first warnings that a food crisis might be imminent. Similar-ly, the USAID Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) predicted at least seven million people were dangerously exposed to three factors known to catalyse wide-scale famine: drought, escalating food prices, and on-going conflict. According to climate ex-pert Rupa Kumar Kolli from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), “famines are man-made, whereas droughts are natural parts of the system.” Cycles of drought have ravaged the HoA for centuries and will continue to occur. When preventive action is initiated at an early stage, local resiliencies and international assistance can mitigate the effects of drought and stave off wide-scale famine.

Malawi: The long, slow tragedy of chronic hunger in southern Africa

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Source: IFRC
Country: Malawi

On the third page of a recent edition of Malawi’s leading daily newspaper, there was a small article which said the number of people facing hunger in the country is now 1.97 million. This figure represents approximately 11 per cent of the population, and is a 21 per cent increase from the last estimate. The rest of the paper covered business as usual.

There is nothing immediately dramatic about this hunger crisis. People are not dying. Populations are not moving. There is no visible epicentre around which media can mobilize to take heart-wrenching photographs.

The crisis has not happened suddenly. Visitors over the years would notice the gradual erosion of greenery, the deforestation, the growing barrenness of the landscape around villages. But even the villagers themselves barely distinguish this year from the one before. Their hunger has become chronic.

Yet the impact of their hunger in 2012 will shape the rest of their lives, particularly, the lives of the children.

In the village of Nedi, 25 year old Patricia Patero is already a mother of four. Like her neighbours, Patricia’s family has been hit by another year of poor rains and poor harvest. She sold her few belongings months ago, and now supplements her income by chopping down any remaining trees and selling them as charcoal, or working as casual labour in the nearby fields, picking weeds in exchange for mangoes. This may bring in four to five dollars a week.

The money doesn’t go far, not with inflation at 28 per cent and the price of her main food source – maize – now double what it was last year. Her coping strategy is to reduce the amount of food the family eats every day, from two small meals per day to one.

Other villagers have similar stories. Fathers regret having to take their children out of school to work as casual labourers in the fields. Mothers fear for how frequently their weakened children are falling sick with malaria and diarrhea. Teachers speak of a 20 per cent drop in school attendance due to hunger-related absences. Grandparents and parents worry particularly for the young girls, so easily abused – a risk made even more severe by the country’s 11 per cent HIV rate.

One grandmother suggests that most girls over the age of eleven in her village are now involved in sexual transactions for food.

These children may not die from hunger in this crisis, but they will suffer damage for the rest of their lives. Malnutrition in childhood leads to lifelong losses in cognitive capacity and health. Micronutrient deficiencies permanently affect immune systems. Stunting is rooted in poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days from conception to a child’s second birthday, and can result in permanent damage in capacities to learn and generate income. These traits shape limitations for generations.

The situation is even worse in villages further from market centres. In the village of Wandarford Tugadya, poverty is everywhere, but it is most acute in households headed by elderly women caring for grandchildren orphaned by HIV and AIDS. Veronica is in her early 60s and cares for five grandchildren.

Her only income is a few dollars per week for cutting grass and weeding. She feeds the children with little bits of maize flour and rough, wild fruits. On a good day they have one small meal, but often none at all. Veronica herself is listless and disoriented. Her grandchildren are prone to stomach pains, diarrhea and vomiting.

The villagers, the government and aid agencies are unanimous in saying that there needs to be several months of food distribution to support communities through a crisis that will hit its peak in the leanest months of December to March. All agree that food alone is not enough, and that the recovery will have to promote economic regeneration which acknowledges that rain-fed agriculture will not provide sustainable food security for growing populations in what appears to be a climate now characterized by unpredictable rains.

In 2012, much of Africa is beginning to benefit from growing economies and confidence, but small, rural, resource poor and land-locked countries like Malawi will continue to struggle, and be fragile in the face of rainfall patterns and external trends in fuel and food commodity prices.

The extent of that fragility is sadly evident now. The numbers affected and severity of the hunger are such that international support is urgently needed.


Yemen: 80,000 internally displaced people return home to southern Yemen

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Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Country: Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen

GENEVA, 16 November (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency has helped more than 80,000 internally displaced Yemenis return to their homes in the south of their country, the first significant fall in the number of displaced in the area since fighting erupted 18 months ago.

"In southern Yemen, UNHCR is seeing growing numbers of internally displaced people returning to their homes," UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told a news conference. "Over the past four months, and working with the Yemeni authorities, we have helped more than 80,000 people go home, and further returns are on-going. "

The decline in displacement follows the re-establishing of government authority in the southern province of Abyan in July.

"This is the first significant displacement decline since May 2011 when fighting between government troops and militants erupted in the south of Yemen," Edwards said.

Initially, returns were slow due to the widespread presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance, as well as extensive damage to infrastructure. In many cases people also wanted to see more evidence of improved security. However, after de-mining by the Yemeni government and other improvements in security more families are now making the decision to return.

Many of the returns have been from Aden, where more than 23,000 of the 25,000 IDPs who were sheltering in schools and other public buildings have now returned to Abyan. This has allowed normal teaching to resume, although schools still need repairs after having served as IDP sites for over a year.

The 1,500 IDPs still living in Aden schools will be relocated into eight buildings that UNHCR, with the agreement of the government, is rehabilitating to serve as temporary accommodation.

The government has been covering transportation costs – around US$70 per family -- for people returning to Abyan. Security personnel man checkpoints along the route to ensure safe passage, and in Abyan itself UNHCR and other agencies are providing further support.

As the lead international agency responding to IDP and returnee needs for shelter UNHCR has distributed shelter repair kits to some 32,000 people, and non-food items packages to 33,000 people. These packages include mattresses, blankets, kitchen sets, plastic sheeting and tools. UNHCR plans to help 180,000 people in Abyan with shelter and non-food relief kits.

"Currently, the challenges include widespread damage to property and infrastructure, a still fragile security situation, and patchiness in provision of public services," said Edwards. "Continuing international support and stable security will be essential for returns to become sustainable, and particularly if internal displacement in southern Yemen is to be brought to an end during 2013."

Meanwhile in northern Yemen more than 300,000 people are still displaced from a conflict that has been running on and off since 2004 between Yemeni government forces and al Houthis. Insecurity continues to hinder returns there, while tribal clashes earlier in 2012 generated over 6,000 new IDPs in the northern governorates.

Despite the challenges it faces, Yemen remains one of the most generous refugee hosting countries with over 232,000 refugees, mainly Somalis. While 2011 saw a record new influx of 103,000 refugees and migrants, so far in 2012 there have been over 90,500 new arrivals, mainly Ethiopians.

UNHCR Yemen carries out its crucial humanitarian interventions throughout the country with nine offices and some 200 national and international staff on the ground, In 2011 UNHCR's national implementing partners Society for Humanitarian Solidarity (SHS) received the Nansen award for their life-saving assistance to the thousands of refugees and migrants who arrive on the shores of Yemen every year after crossing the Gulf of Aden by boat.

Chad: Chad: Food Insecurity - Emergency appeal n° MDRTD009 - Operation update n°2

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Source: IFRC
Country: Chad

Period covered by this Operations Update: February to October, 2012. This update represents a six-month summary of the operation (cumulative narrative and financial) and beyond.

Appeal target (current): CHF 2,239,273 Appeal coverage: 87%

Appeal history:

  • The Operation Update n°1 was published on 25 May and provided information on the food distribution to malnourished children in the region of Kanem

  • The Emergency Appeal was launched on 25 February for CHF 2,239,273 to assist 123,000 beneficiaries

  • Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF): CHF 231,613 was initially allocated from the Federation’s DREF to support the national society to respond. The DREF fund enabled food distribution to malnourished children and their families in the regions of Kanem.

Summary:

The food insecurity situation in Chad has been critical since 2008, with consistently low rainfall that has also affected the agricultural production during this period. The DREF operation launched on 20 December 2011 enabled immediate response to the needs of 5,000 malnourished children and their families in the severely affected regions of Lac and Kanem. This set the initial groundwork for scaling up of operations culminating in the subsequent launch of the Emergency Appeal on 25 February 2012, to assist 123,000 beneficiaries in the two regions where acute malnutrition rates had risen above the emergency threshold of 15 per cent. The appeal strategy was based on the twin-track approach aimed at meeting the immediate food needs of the most vulnerable households with blanket feeding, alongside concurrent longterm interventions such as support of improved agriculture production, through agro-pastoral strengthening activities, income generation and other livelihoods projects.
Following the launch of the Emergency Appeal, a field level agreement (FLA) was signed with WFP to provide beneficiaries with food assistance for their short term emergency dietary and nutritional needs. This would be achieved through blanket food distribution to malnourished children aged 6 to 23 months and breastfeeding mothers and partial general food distribution in the regions of Kanem and Hadjar-Lamis. Incidentally, a number of planned activities within the timeframe of this agreement were delayed because of the newly-directed focus on blanket feeding food assistance to reduce dietary and nutrition needs during the emergency phase the newly added region of Hadjar-Lamis.
More delays were experience until the arrival of international staff in June, to support the Red Cross of Chad (RRC). IFRC deployed a head of operations, a food security delegate and a regional disaster response team (RDRT) member with logistics expertise. Locally, recruitment took place for a national food security coordinator, three regional coordinators and 12 regional supervisors (four supervisors for each of the three regions).

Syrian Arab Republic (the): R2P Monitor - 15 November 2012 Issue 6

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Source: Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Country: Central African Republic (the), Democratic Republic of the Congo (the), Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan (the), Syrian Arab Republic (the), Uganda, South Sudan (Republic of)

R2P Monitor:

Provides background on populations at risk of mass atrocity crimes, with particular emphasis on key events and actors and their connection to the threat, or commission, of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

Offers analysis of the country’s past history in relation to mass atrocity crimes; the factors that have enabled their possible commission, or that prevent their resolution; and the receptivity of the situation to positive influences that would assist in preventing further crimes.

Tracks the international response to the situation with a particular emphasis upon the actions of the United Nations (UN), key regional actors and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Suggests necessary action to prevent or halt the commission of mass atrocity crimes.

SYRIA

Populations in Syria continue to face mass atrocity crimes committed by state security forces and affiliated militias. The increasingly sectarian nature of the civil war puts civilians at even greater risk.

BACKGROUND

After twenty months of continuous violence in Syria, civilians remain the primary victims of a conflict that has escalated into a civil war. Although documented figures vary, it is estimated that the death toll now exceeds 30,000 people. While the Syrian government continues to target opposition strongholds using artillery, tanks, helicopters and fighter jets, it has also indiscriminately shelled and bombed residential areas, in some cases with cluster munitions. Snipers and allied “shabiha” militias have also been deployed to attack communities, committing large-scale massacres in several towns. One such incident, on 26 September on the outskirts of Damascus, reportedly claimed over 300 lives.

The UN Human Rights Council (HRC)-mandated Commission of Inquiry (CoI) has reported that government forces and allied “shabiha” militias continue to commit crimes against humanity, war crimes and gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law as a matter of state policy. The CoI reported that armed opposition groups have also committed war crimes, albeit on a smaller scale than that of the government.

(Extract)

Somalia: Somalia: Physical Road Conditions Rainy Season - October to March (as of 16 Nov 2012)

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Source: Logistics Cluster
Country: Somalia

Mali: Fighting, crackdown on women mar peace moves in Mali

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Source: Agence France-Presse
Country: Mali

11/16/2012 18:07 GMT

OUAGADOUGOU, Nov 16, 2012 (AFP) - New fighting Friday and a crackdown on women for not wearing veils by Islamist militants in the Malian city of Timbuktu marred peace moves by two of the groups controlling the desert north who said they were ready for peace talks with Bamako.

A Tuareg warlord said his National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) had launched an "offensive" to retake the key north-central region of Gao from Islamist rebels.

"Fighting broke out Friday morning near Ansango between fighters of MNLA and the MUJAO (the Al-Qaeda-linked Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa) as part of an offensive aimed at recapturing the Gao region," Moussa Ag Assarid, a high-ranking member of the group in charge of communication, told AFP.

A Burkina security source said the MUJAO attacked some MNLA fighters and "took a lot of prisoners and two vehicles. There were some dead."

MUJAO had seized control of Gao in June following battles that claimed 35 lives, leaving the MNLA with no city base.

The assertion of an "offensive" to take Gao came the same day as a high-ranking MNLA delegation announced along with Islamist rebel group Ansar Dine that they were prepared to go into peace talks with the government in Bamako.

Meanwhile in Timbuktu, a local official said dozens of women were arrested Thursday by AQIM, a second non-indigenous Islamist group operating in the north along with the MUJAO, for not wearing a veil.

"The Islamists were going into homes to arrest unveiled women," he said.

A medical source said the women were being "imprisoned" at a disused bank, and that the AQIM militants vowed to continue the crackdown in the city they share with Ansar Dine and "that nothing can prevent them from doing so."

In Ouagadougou, the MNLA and Ansar Dine issued a joint statement saying they were "disposed to engage resolutely in a process of political dialogue under the aegis of ECOWAS mediation in order to find a negotiated, fair and lasting solution to the crisis."

The statement followed the talks with Compaore, who is Burkina Faso's president and lead negotiator for the Economic Community of West African States.

-- Burkina peace drive --

The fresh drive by Mali's neighbour Burkina Faso to find a negotiated solution to the crisis, which has effectively split Mali in two, came as plans by regional bloc ECOWAS to send troops into Mali gathered pace.

The aim of the meeting was to get the two sides to hammer out a "joint platform" to present to Mali's transitional authorities.

This interim administration has been running the country since the leaders of a March military coup stepped back from power under international pressure in April.

Ansar Dine and the MNLA, both made up mainly of Malian ethnic Tuaregs, have occupied northern Mali along with the two mainly foreign radical Islamist groups since April.

Both AQIM and the less known but associated MUJAO have imposed a brutal form of sharia Islamic law, stoning unmarried couples, amputating thieves' hands and whipping drinkers and smokers.

Ansar Dine has made some conciliatory gestures to the secular MNLA, notably announcing this week that it would not insist on sharia law across Mali but just in its northeastern fiefdom of Kidal.

It has also said it would work to help rid the region of "terrorists" and "foreign movements", thereby distancing itself dramatically from AQIM and MUJAO.

Ansar Dine has also regained favour with the international community by renouncing its separatist ambitions.

The repositioning makes it increasingly likely that the ECOWAS intervention would focus on dislodging AQIM and MUJAO, in the hopes of eliminating a potential sanctuary for international extremist groups.

The planned force, approved by the African Union, will comprise some 3,300 mainly West African troops. The plan must go before the UN Security Council by the end of the month.

But questions still hang over the operation, particularly its exact composition and financing. It will also require logistical support from countries such as France and the United States.

The European Union also wants to support the effort. Its foreign ministers will meet Monday in Brussels to discuss sending a training mission made up of 200 to 400 European soldiers to Mali in January, according to French sources.

But the international community has made clear it favours a negotiated solution to the crisis.

roh-tmo/gd/boc

© 1994-2012 Agence France-Presse

Mali: Ongoing humanitarian concern over situation in north

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Source: ICRC
Country: Mali

16-11-2012 Operational Update The situation in northern Mali remains worrying. The lack of security and the shortage of seed make it difficult to farm the land. To provide relief, the ICRC has distributed food to some 400,000 people.

People in the north of Mali are still having difficulty meeting their basic food needs even though rainfall has been adequate. "Because of the conflict situation, most people have not benefited from the growing season this year," said Jean-Nicolas Marti, the head of the ICRC regional delegation for Mali and Niger. "As a result, they will still need emergency food aid for as long as it takes to develop new ways of supporting themselves."

At a time when preparations for a military intervention are under way, the ICRC is drawing attention to the fact that any military operation would likely have a human cost. "These people already have difficulty obtaining food and basic services," said Mr Marti. "We are asking all those who might take part in the conflict to consider the impact of such an operation."

In cooperation with the Mali Red Cross, the ICRC is pressing on with a vast programme of food aid in the northern part of Mali and in the Douentza administrative subdivision of the Mopti region. To date, some 400,000 needy people have been given rice, beans, cooking oil and iodized salt. Thanks to these food supplies, people have reserves to see them through until the next harvest. The ICRC will continue to provide food aid until next month.

To help needy people, the ICRC has undertaken the so-called "de-stocking" of animal herds (local livestock are purchased and slaughtered, and the meat is then distributed to those in greatest need). So far, more than 10,000 head of a planned 15,000 have been "de-stocked" in the Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu areas.

Brush fires put people at riskNo sooner had the rainy season regenerated pastures than spontaneous brush fires emerged as a new challenge in rural areas of Mali. On 18 October, large-scale brush fires covering a 160-kilometre radius caused major damage in the Timbuktu region. The fires destroyed 115 homes, burned livestock and damaged millet fields and granaries. In all, nearly 700 people were directly affected, including some families that had returned from Burkina Faso.

"This situation is especially worrying because the people had already been made vulnerable by the crises in the region," said Mr Marti. "If the brush fires spread to other areas people will not be able to cope, and the consequences will be disastrous in humanitarian terms." In order to help the people affected, the ICRC and the Mali Red Cross gave them food and such household essentials as tarpaulins, mosquito nets, blankets, kitchen utensils, buckets, clothing and hygiene items.

Thousands of people need water

At this time of year, water is scarce in northern Mali both for domestic use and for livestock. The small number of ponds that were filled during the rainy season are gradually drying up. The ICRC recently resumed renovation work on 12 wells in the six rural communities of the Timbuktu region. The work had been suspended in March because of the armed conflict. To improve access to water for people and livestock and to reduce friction between people around water points, the ICRC also resumed efforts to upgrade four rural water stations in the Timbuktu region.

The ICRC has been maintaining its support for the hospital in Gao, the only referral health-care facility in the northern part of Mali. Medicines and medical supplies have been distributed to all hospital departments. Since October, 167 people have been admitted to the facility and 3,970 patients have been seen by the hospital staff. The ICRC also provides medicines and other support for 10 community health-care centres.

For further information, please contact:

Jean-Nicolas Marti, ICRC Niamey, tel: +227 96 85 78 68 Jean-Yves Clémenzo, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 22 71 or +41 79 217 32 17

Egypt: Mediterranean Review - November 13, 2012

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Source: NATO Civil-Military Fusion Centre
Country: Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan (the), Tunisia, Uganda, South Sudan (Republic of)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

In Focus 1

North Africa 2

Northeast Africa 4

Horn of Africa 6


Mali: 19th November Foreign Affairs Council on Mali: call for a comprehensive EU approach serving human rights

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Source: Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de I'Homme
Country: Mali

Open letter to Madam Ashton and Mr Lambrinidis

Dear Madam Ashton and Mr Lambrinidis,
Dear Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Development and Cooperation,
Dear PSC Ambassadors,
Dear Mr Piebalgs,

The EU and its Member States are currently discussing the best way to address the situation in Mali. In line with UN Security Council Resolution 2071(2012) that calls upon the member states, regional and international organizations, including the AU and the EU, to “provide assistance, expertise, training and capacity-building support to the armed and security forces of Mali”, the EUHR/VP has informed the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee that a "crisis management concept relating to the training and modernization of Malian forces" is envisaged and will be discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council of 19 November. Yesterday, in Paris, the Foreign Affairs Ministers and Ministers of Defense of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain confirmed that the project was still relevant, even if the format this assistance should take and its articulation with the political dialogue and development cooperation remain to be clarified.

Whatever format the support may take (CSDP mission and/or other), FIDH, the International Federation for Human Rights and its member organization, the Malian Association for Human Rights (AMDH), call upon the EU to place human rights at the center of its response and adopt a holistic EU approach to the situation in Mali.

In consequence, and in advance of the 19 November discussions in the Foreign Affairs Council on Mali, FIDH and the AMDH call on the European Union and its Member States to ensure that the UN Security Council, should it authorize the deployment of an international military force, integrates a strong focus on human rights both in the mandate and the modalities of deployment of this force. We also call on the EU to ensure that human rights are adequately addressed if an EU CSDP (or other form) mission is approved. Finally, we call on the EU to focus its attention on strengthening the rule of law in Mali as a key element to ensure that tangible institutional and human rights advances are identified as key building steps in the solving of the crisis and the transition:

EU must ensure human rights are integrated in the mandate of the UN-backed and possible CSDP (or other form) missions

The European Union and its Member States, especially those in the UN Security Council, must ensure that the deployment of an international military force to assist the armed forces of Mali, as well as a potential CSDP (or other form) mission to assist the efforts of the Malian forces, are accompanied by the proper safeguards for civilian protection, respect for human rights and proper monitoring capability. The UN-backed and CSDP (or other form) forces will indeed conduct operations in cooperation with a weak Malian army, which contains units and officers implicated in serious human rights abuses and in violations of international humanitarian law. In this sense, the UN-backed and EU forces will have to build on lessons learned from the Somalia intervention under AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) for which the absence of a well-staffed team to monitor and report on adherence to international human rights and humanitarian law by all parties of the conflict led to an accountability-free zone. Abuses committed by AMISOM troops, the various armed forces and groups, including government-backed and anti-government militias, were not adequately prevented, reported and addressed.

In a decade of crisis management operations, the EU has shown leadership regarding the systematic integration of human rights in the planning and implementation phases of CSDP missions. We therefore call on the EU to ensure that these elements are applied within the establishing of the UNSC mandate and the potential CSDP (or other form) mission.

Concerning the UN-backed ECOWAS/AU mission, we call on the EU and Member States to:

ensure that the UNSC mandate foresees the deployment of a strong and well-staffed team of UN human rights observers alongside the international military force to monitor adherence to international humanitarian and human rights law, and report publicly and regularly to the Security Council on its findings and recommendations.

ensure that the UNSC mandate allows for appropriate human rights training to contingents.

ensure that the UNSC mandate includes vetting procedures and provisions allowing for independent and impartial investigation of allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, whatever the parties involved.

in the event the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court decides, according to the Rome Statute, to open an investigation in Mali, require the UNSC mandated international force to provide the Court with full cooperation as requested in the course of the investigation, and support the enforcement of the arrest warrant.

Concerning the potential CSDP (or other form) mission, we call on the EU and Member states to include the above mentioned recommendations and more especially to:

include in the Council Decision establishing the mandate of the possible future CSDP (or in any other decision if the support takes an other form), the obligation for the EU mission to prevent and promote international human rights law and integrate human rights guarantees in the mission’s benchmarks, planning and evaluation, in line with the EU Strategic Framework for Human Rights and Democracy.

include in the potential CSDP (or other form) mission mandate an accountability mechanism to deal with possible breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

provide in the potential CSDP (or other form) mission sufficient human rights staffing, expertise and training (including towards the Malian forces). Foresee human rights advisors in the enabling mandate of the mission. Precise that they shall be tasked with ensuring the mainstreaming of human rights, the provision of guidance for operations, the monitoring and public reporting of the human rights situation and the sending of recommendations to ensure human rights are integrated in policy decisions concerning the mission.

provide that the mission work in close coordination with other relevant regional and international bodies and United Nations mechanisms and hold regular exchanges with SCOs in order to benefit from their experience, expertise and early warning capacity.

implement UNSC resolutions 1325 and 1820 on Women, Peace and Security from the early planning phase to the conduct and follow-up of the future operations.

ensure that the same human rights considerations and safeguards are integrated in the EU regional response, including in the CSDP EUCAP SAHEL Mission in Niger launched in August 2012, which aims at training Nigerian forces and reinforcing the regional security coordination.

EU must provide adequate pressure to ensure human rights are at the centre of a transition

The resolution of the situation in North Mali, as well the effectiveness and legitimacy of the long-term cooperation between Mali and the EU beyond the crisis will only succeed if the challenges facing the whole country are faced.

The EU should therefore adopt a comprehensive approach by combining a political approach (support to the ECOWAS/AU/UN solution, continuation and strengthening of the dialogue) with the military (support to the future ECOWAS/AU mission and future CSDP), humanitarian, cooperation and economical ones. In doing so, and to ensure human rights are placed at the centre of the road towards transition, the EU should “make use of the full range of instruments at its disposal” and “ensure the best articulation between dialogue, targeted support, incentives and restrictive measures”. This would imply that the EU makes full use of all leverage represented by reactive measures that foster tangible commitments while stepping-up human right.

This combination of a wide range of instruments corresponds to the principles of the EU Strategy for Cooperation and Development in Sahel and the EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy.

We call on the EU and Member States to:

clarify the time-bound conditions for a gradual reestablishment of EU development cooperation aid by using the possibilities offered by articles 8, 9 and 96 of the Cotonou agreement, and ensure at minimum the realization of the following benchmarks:

adoption and implementation of a credible and consensual road map for transition and setting up of an inclusive national dialogue open to civil society organizations in order to ensure the reestablishment of the Constitutional order, the rule of law and a fully sovereign democratic government;

taking measures to ensure the respect and fulfillment of all human rights, including economic and social rights in the areas under control of the transition authorities;

immediate liberation of all persons arbitrarily detained following the coup;

guaranteeing the physical and moral integrity of human rights defenders, journalists and members of the civil society.

setting-up of a national Commission of Inquiry to look into cases of human rights violations, including extra-judicial executions, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, enforced disappearances, support the efforts to held accountable those responsible (military and responsible) for these violations.

establishing an electoral framework and a calendar for free, fair and transparent elections to democratically designate the government and the President.

ensure that this incentive approach established in the framework of the Cotonou art. 8, 9 and 96 consultations be reinforced by the sanctioning of human rights violators, through the setting-up, in coordination with ECOWAS and AU partners, of targeted sanctions (visa bans and asset freeze) against individuals and organizations involved in violations (militia, insurgents, self-defense groups or armed forces).

provide support for the organization of future elections through technical and political support to establish a framework and agenda. A future Election Observation Mission should be placed in the wider context of reinforced EU support to democratic institutions and electoral assistance.

In any case:

Continue to closely monitor the human rights and humanitarian situation, call with partners for unconditional humanitarian access, step up assistance for the most vulnerable groups

Support the realization of human rights including the rights to food, health and education, and redirect funds to that end

Step-up financial and political support to human rights defenders and the civil society at EU Delegation and diplomatic levels.

Background information:

FIDH and AMDH issued last July an investigative report on international crimes committed by armed Islamist groups and MNLA in the North of Mali since the beginning of the offensive in mid-January 2012. Our organizations identified dozens of war prisoners’ executions, summary and extra-judicial executions, rapes and other sexual crimes, recruitment of child soldiers, hostage-takings, arbitrary detentions, lootings and destruction of goods, particularly of invaluable cultural goods and places of worship. The international crimes identified in this report were committed during the six-month conquest of North of Mali by the combined forces of the Tuareg from MNLA and the Islamists from AQIM, Ansar Dine and MUJAO, and to a lesser extent, by self-defense groups and military men from the Malian army.

Souhayr Belhassen FIDH President

Mali: UNICEF Mali Situation Report - 29 October 2012

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Source: UN Children's Fund
Country: Mali

HEADLINES

  • The UN Security Council has unanimously approved Resolution 2071 (2012) requesting a plan for a military operation in northern Mali within 45 days. To lay the roadmap the AU, EU and UN met with the Malian Transitional Government and ECOWAS in Bamako on 19 October.

  • UNICEF discussions with the Ministry of Justice have led to develop a communication plan addressing child protection issues such as separation and enrolment in armed conflicts and complex emergencies. In collaboration with UNWomen and UNFPA, training has begun for all military in South Mali on Child and Women’s rights.

  • A UNICEF funded integrated vaccination campaign to reach all children aged 0- 59 months in the northern regions, has to date covered 86% of the targeted children with polio vaccine (265,324 children), 94% with measles vaccines (259,314), 85% with Vitamin A (235,672) and 82% de-worming with albendazole (202,687). Displacement due to the conflict has negatively affected the reach.

  • The 2013 Consolidated Humanitarian Appeal document and budget is being finalized and consolidated with UNICEF led cluster strategies and partners' project documents.

Burkina Faso: UNICEF Burkina Faso Monthly Situation Report - 25 October 2012

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Source: UN Children's Fund
Country: Burkina Faso, Mali

Highlights

 The total estimated annual caseload of children under 5 with severe acute malnutrition is 100,000 children in 2012. A cumulative total 71,614 children have been treated between January and September 2012.

 The annual national nutrition survey using SMART methodology started in September 2012 with UNICEF technical and financial support, and from WFP, World Bank and key NGOs as well. The results are expected in November 2012

 The final figures for the integrated measles immunization in July are now available and are showing that more than 68,383 children aged between 9 months to 15 years (including 7,888 Malian refugee children in Oudalan and Soum camps) were immunized against measles.

 In October 2012, 77 cases of cholera and 4 deaths have been reported in Dori district. No case has been reported in the Malian refugee camps that are far away from these villages. The proximity of the mining area of Essakane poses a danger for the spread of cholera.

 The level II census conducted by UNHCR has been completed and revealed there are 14,473 school age children in official (10,011) and non-official (4,462) sites. To date, approximately 6,453 children, including 3,020 girls and 3,443 boys have access to education.

Mauritania: UNICEF Mauritania Monthly Situation Report - 4 November 2012

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

Highlights

  • Despite the abundant rainy season and avoidance of a humanitarian catastrophe thanks to the combined emergency response of the Government supported by the humanitarian community with the assistance of donors and technical and financial partners, there is still a need to tackle significant levels of global acute and chronic malnutrition among children.

  • Analysis of malnutrition trends suggests that coping mechanisms of communities need to be reinforced to respond to recurrent and multiple shocks. Building resilience is a priority.

  • From January to September 2012, a total of 7,918 children under-five suffering from severe acute malnutrition were admitted within public health facilities run by the Ministry of Health and supported by UNICEF and partners across the country. This represents 63% of the expected annual case load of 12,600.

  • The number of Malian refugees in Mauritania is now at 108,953. In coordination with UNHCR, the Government, UN agencies and NGOs, UNICEF continues to support a set of actions in the areas of Nutrition, WASH, Health, Education, and Child Protection. Preparations for the start of the school year are under way.

  • Planning for the 2013 inter-agency Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) took place in October. Key priorities for 2013 include emergency support to households that remain vulnerable to malnutrition; building resilience; and responding to the Mali crisis.

  • Global Hand-washing day events on the 15th October focussed on vulnerable areas, populations and pupils in schools. The messages reached over 4,500 schools and over 200,000 people through the media. The event also took place in the Mbera refugee camp and the host communities. In Nouakchott health centres, 1,000 hand-washing kits were distributed to mothers who had benefited from hygiene promotion sessions.

  • The nation-wide polio eradication campaign including the refugees and host communities run by the Ministry of Health with support from UNICEF and WHO started last week for a period of 3 days, with assistance from all actors engaged in the humanitarian response.

Niger (the): Monthly Humanitarian Situation Report, Niger - 31 October 2012

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Source: UN Children's Fund
Country: Mali, Niger (the)

Highlights

1) During the flooding that affected more than 520,000 people in Niger since July 2013, UNICEF assisted 14,816 households in Tillia, Agadez, Niamey, Dosso, Tillaberi. Approximately 103,712 beneficiaries have received non-food items from UNICEF and its partners. After receiving assistance, most of the displaced families who were occupying schools (as of 3 of September, 891 classrooms were occupied) did vacate them. Consequently, boys and girls could get back to school.

2) As of 7 October, 287,762 under-five children have been admitted to therapeutic feeding centres for severe acute malnutrition (SAM), while another 369,560 have been receiving treatment for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM).

3) As of 14 October 2012, a cumulative total of 4,887 cholera cases and 102 deaths since the beginning of the year with a case fatality rate of 2.09 percent have been reported against 2,133 cases with 49 deaths reported at the same period in 2011. In one month, 664 cases have been registered. The epidemic is still spreading. Activities are being implemented by UNICEF partners to contain outbreaks.

4) Due to the armed intervention threat in Mali, the number of officially recorded refugees continues to rise and has now reached a total of 65,012 (including 40,307 children) in refugee camps and other sites close to the Malian border. From 30 October to 14 December, UNHCR will carry out its level 2 registration to provide additional data on refugee profile. Further to this process, and as specified in the CAP 2013 scenario elaborated by UNHCR, the number of refugees is expected to go down. However, preparedness activities are underway to ensure partners will be ready to respond to additional influxes as well as internal displacement in Niger resulting from the military intervention in Mali.

5) Further to the CAP 2013 workshop held on 8 and 9 October 2013, each Cluster finalized its resilience-based strategy and projects. After sectoral reviews and approval, some 84 projects have been submitted so far to the Inter-cluster for review and comments.

6) On 6 October 2013, the Letter of Understanding (LoU) between UNHCR and UNICEF was signed. It details the activities UNICEF will lead in the camps, in particular the provision of Education for refugees.

7) In an effort to broaden the stakeholder base for multilateral humanitarian action, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and OCHA invited representatives of some 18 Member States, Regional Organizations, Banks, and Red Crescents with a growing interest in multilateral humanitarian action to visit Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from 14-21 October 2012. The purpose of the visit was to give participants the opportunity to consider first-hand the value of multilateral humanitarian activities and to foster a dialogue on how the global humanitarian system operates in the field and how all partners can contribute to creating a more inclusive and effective response system.

8) Since the beginning of October, Back to School activities are taking place in each district. In each Regional Education Directorate (DREN), communication and community mobilization activities are being broadcasted on TV/Radio to encourage parents to send their children back to school.

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