Violence affecting Africa's Lake Chad region has forced thousands of people to flee their homes. The ICRC and the Cameroon Red Cross recently distributed food and household items to displaced persons and the families hosting them.

"We are concerned about the situation affecting people in the region, including host families who have taken in displaced persons. This situation could become even more dire with the worsening of the security conditions along the frontier with Nigeria and Chad. Humanitarian assistance is vital," said Simon Brooks, head of the ICRC's delegation in Cameroon.

In late June, the ICRC and the Cameroon Red Cross distributed food to 10,400 families at 99 locations in Mayo Sava and Mayo Tsanaga, and 3,000 of these families also received essential items.

Aid distributions started in early June with the distribution of 100 tonnes of seed to 5,000 host families. Some 250 tonnes of fertilizer were provided to ensure the production of staple foods and guarantee families the reserves they will need until the next agricultural season.

"People have flocked to our area completely traumatized by what they have experienced. Some had been living in neighbouring Nigeria for several years and were welcomed by their relatives," explains a village elder in Mogodé, near Mokolo, on the border with Nigeria. "But many people, including women and children, came here because they didn't know where to go."

Residents of the communities where IDPs have settled are also suffering the consequences of the conflict. To make things worse, the poor harvest of 2014 has left local residents short of food.

"Our people don't have much left in their store rooms. But it's difficult to refuse hospitality to people who have nothing, mostly women and children," said group leader Mora of Mayo Sava Department.

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Monday 8/17/2015 - 14:36 GMT | 131 words

Several people died on Monday in Mali's restive north in clashes pitting a pro-government Tuareg group and the main Tuareg rebel body, security sources said.

The fighting erupted at Agnefis, about 120 kilometres (74 miles) south of the strategic northern town of Kidal, "killing several people," a regional security source said.

Fahad Ag Almahmoud, a top official from the pro-Bamako Imghad Tuareg group spoke of 15 deaths, including those of some military leaders from the main Tuareg rebel group CMA or Coordination of Movements for Azawad.

The CMA meanwhile confirmed the clashes but did not provide a toll.

The two groups accuse each other of starting the fighting over the weekend, breaching a peace deal signed by the governmental camp on May 15 and the rebels on June 20.

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Bamako, Mali | AFP | Monday 8/17/2015 - 18:32 GMT

Several people died on Monday in Mali's restive north in clashes pitting a pro-government Tuareg group against the main Tuareg rebel body, security sources said.

The fighting erupted at Agnefis, about 120 kilometres (74 miles) south of the strategic northern town of Kidal, "killing several people," a regional security source said.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali known as MINUSMA said in a statement that this was a "blatant violation" of the recently agreed Mali peace deal known as the Algiers Accord.

"The international community, as well as the population, is concerned by the increasing number of these violations, which could hinder the progress made towards a stable and lasting peace in Mali," said the statement.

A MINUSMA security source told AFP the clashes had left "at least 10 dead and many injured".

Fahad Ag Almahmoud, a top official from the pro-Bamako Imghad Tuareg group spoke of 15 deaths, including those of some military leaders from the main Tuareg rebel group CMA or Coordination of Movements for Azawad.

"The situation has stabilised. The fighting has temporarily stopped," Ag Almahmoud said Monday afternoon.

The CMA meanwhile confirmed the clashes but did not provide a toll.

"We are very worried about the future, especially because it seems both sides are using heavy weaponry," a foreign security source in the region told AFP.

The same source said that during Mali's rainy season, many of the roads become impassable in the north and groups end up fighting each other for control of roads used for illegal trafficking.

The two groups accuse each other of starting the fighting over the weekend, breaching a peace deal signed by the governmental camp on May 15 and the rebels on June 20.

Mali was shaken by a coup in 2012 that cleared the way for Tuareg separatists to seize towns and cities of the north, an expanse of desert the size of Texas.

Al-Qaeda-linked militants then overpowered the Tuareg, taking control of the region for nearly 10 months until they were ousted in a French-led military offensive.

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Bamako, Mali | AFP | lundi 17/08/2015 - 17:11 GMT

par Serge DANIEL et Ahamadou CISSE

Des combats ayant opposé lundi dans le nord du Mali des membres d'un groupe armé progouvernemental et la rébellion à dominante touareg ont fait plusieurs morts, des affrontements dénoncés par l'ONU comme une violation de l'accord de paix signé il y a peu par les protagonistes.

C'est le troisième jour de violences entre la Coordination des mouvements de l'Azawad (CMA, rébellion) et le Groupe armée d'auto-défense touareg Imghad et alliés (Gatia, pro-Bamako) dans la région de Kidal (extrême nord-est).

Le Gatia et la CMA font partie des signataires de l'accord de paix conclu à Alger, signé le 15 mai par le camp gouvernemental et le 20 juin par la rébellion.

Fahad Ag Almahmoud, un responsable du Gatia, parle de "15 morts dont des chefs militaires" du camp adverse tandis qu'une source de sécurité au sein de la Minusma évoque "au moins dix morts et de nombreux blessés". La CMA a confirmé les combats, sans énoncer de bilan.

Les combats de lundi se sont déroulés vers Anéfis, à 120 km au sud-ouest de la ville de Kidal, selon les deux camps ainsi qu'une source de sécurité étrangère dans la région et une source au sein de la Mission de l'ONU au Mali (Minusma), tous interrogés par l'AFP.

D'après la source à la Minusma, ils font suite à des "escarmouches" samedi et dimanche entre les deux camps, qui se sont accusés mutuellement d'avoir déclenché les hostilités.

Samedi, des heurts avaient eu lieu vers Touzik et Amassine (entre 70 et 80 km au sud de Kidal). Dimanche, ils s'étaient déplacés sur l'axe Tabankort-Anéfis, d'après un communiqué de la Minusma.

La mission onusienne condamne ces combats menés "en violation flagrante" de l'accord d'Alger, conclu à l'issue de plusieurs mois de médiation internationale conduite par l'Algérie.

"Le nombre croissant de violations préoccupe vivement la communauté internationale ainsi que la population et risque d'entraver les avancées effectuées vers une paix stable et durable pour le Mali", pays qui a connu plusieurs rébellions touareg depuis son indépendance de la France en 1960, prévient la Minusma.

"La situation s'est stabilisée. Les combats ont temporairement cessé", a indiqué Fahad Ag Almahmoud lundi en milieu d'après-midi.

"Nous avons récupéré des véhicules et d'importantes quantités d'armes et de munitions. Ca fait trois jours que les hostilités ont commencé entre Anéfis et Tabankort", à mi-chemin entre Kidal et Gao, principale ville du nord du Mali, a-t-il poursuivi.

• Route de "trafics illicites" -

"Nous sommes très inquiets pour la suite, surtout qu'il semble que c'est de l'armement lourd qui est utilisé de part et d’autre", a dit la source de sécurité étrangère dans la région.

"En période d'hivernage", a-t-elle indiqué pour expliquer le regain de tensions, "de nombreuses routes sont impraticables dans le Nord pour l'organisation des trafics illicites. L'une des rares routes praticables se trouve vers le secteur" des combats.

Selon elle, ce sont "donc aussi des combats pour le contrôle d'une route qui sert à organiser les trafics illicites".

A l'issue des combats de lundi, le Gatia a affirmé s'être emparé d'Anéfis, auparavant entre les mains de la rébellion touareg. Ce qu'ont confirmé la source de sécurité au sein de la Minusma et un élu local proche du Gatia.

"Actuellement, les mouvements de la Plate-forme (qui réunit des groupes progouvernementaux) contrôlent la ville de Anéfis, la tension reste très vive dans le secteur", a dit la source de sécurité au sein de la Minusma.

"Les combats sont terminés actuellement. Ce sont les groupes de la Plate-forme qui contrôlent Anéfis", a renchéri l'élu local.

Les rebelles touareg ont d'abord été alliés aux islamistes qui, les ayant ensuite évincés, ont contrôlé le nord du Mali de fin mars-début avril 2012, jusqu'au déclenchement en janvier 2013 d'une intervention militaire internationale.

Cette opération a en grande partie chassé et dispersé les jihadistes de cette région mais plusieurs zones du pays échappent encore au contrôle des forces nationales et internationales.

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N'Djamena, Tchad | AFP | lundi 17/08/2015 - 17:21 GMT

La justice tchadienne jugera prochainement dix membres présumés du groupe islamiste nigérian Boko Haram, arrêtés après un double attentat-suicide en juin dans la capitale N'Djamena, a annoncé lundi à l'AFP une source judiciaire.

Il s'agira du premier procès au Tchad de membres présumés de Boko Haram. La Chambre d'accusation de la Cour d'appel de N'Djamena a renvoyé lundi devant la Cour criminelle les dix accusés, à une date non précisée.

Parmi les 10 accusés figure Mahamat Mustapha alias Bana Fanaye, un Nigérian, présenté par les autorités comme le "cerveau" de ces attentats commis le 15 juin: ce jour-là, deux attentats-suicides simultanés contre le commissariat central et l'école de police de N'Djamena ont fait 38 morts, dont les trois kamikazes, et 101 blessés.

"Les dix auteurs présumés sont poursuivis pour assassinat à l'aide d' explosifs, détention illégale d'armes de guerre, et association de malfaiteurs", selon la même source.

"Ils ne sont pas poursuivis pour terrorisme parce que la loi portant répression sur le terrorisme n'a pas encore été promulguée", a expliqué la même source, ajoutant: "C'est à la Cour criminelle de qualifier le délit et de procéder à leur jugement".

Selon les déclarations du procureur de la République, Alghassim Kassim, après l'arrestation fin juin de Bana Fanaye celui-ci est le "coordinateur d'un réseau de trafic d'armes et de munitions entre le Nigeria, le Cameroun et le Tchad. Il est responsable également de la logistique, notamment d'achat d'armes, de matériels, du recrutement et de la gestion des hommes de la secte Boko Haram".

Le 12 juillet, un nouvel attentat, revendiqué par Boko Haram, a encore frappé N'Djamena: Un kamikaze déguisé en femme s'est fait exploser sur le marché central, faisant au moins 15 morts et 80 blessés.

L'armée tchadienne est engagée dans une opération militaire régionale depuis le début de l'année contre l'insurrection islamiste, qui s'est étendue au-delà du nord-est du Nigeria, son fief historique, vers les pays limitrophes: Tchad, Niger et Cameroun.

Cette offensive a infligé de sérieux revers au groupe affilié à l'organisation Etat islamique (EI), mais les insurgés, qui ont perdu des territoires, multiplient attaques et attentats au Nigeria, comme au Tchad et au Cameroun.

Dimanche dernier, leur chef, Abubakar Shekau, a démenti dans un enregistrement audio avoir été tué ou remplacé à la tête de Boko Haram comme l'avait laissé entendre récemment le président tchadien, Idriss Deby.

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Armed clashes erupted on 15, 16 and 17 August between CMA and Plateform in Kidal region, respectively in Touzek Oued, located 60 km southeast of Kidal , east of Amassine, 80 km south of Kidal and in the Tabankort-Anefis axis, 45 km southwest of Anefis, where fighting has resumed today.

Pending the findings of the Equipe de Mixte d’Observation et de Vérification (EMOV) that is on route to Anefis today in order to establish facts, MINUSMA condemns in the strongest terms these acts committed in flagrant violation of the Cease-fire Agreement and the Peace and National Reconciliation Agreement for Mali.

The international community and the people of Mali are extremely concerned by the increasing number of violations which may hinder progress towards a stable and lasting peace for Mali.

MINUSMA reminds the parties responsible for the resumption of hostilities that they will have to answer for their actions before the Security Council. In its resolution 2227 of 29 June 2015, the latter expressed its readiness to consider targeted sanctions against those who resume hostilities and violate the ceasefire and those who take actions to obstruct or threaten the implementation of the Peace Agreement.

MINUSMA urges the parties currently engaged in hostilities on the ground to immediately cease fighting.

MINUSMA stresses that it will not hesitate to take all necessary actions in accordance to its mandate and rules of engagement, in order to protect civilians whose security might be under threat.

MINUSMA continues its good offices with the parties concerned to restore the cease-fire and urges them to comply with the security arrangements as included in the Peace Agreement. The Mission will continue to monitor closely developments on the ground.

17 août 2015 – La Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation au Mali (MINUSMA) a condamné dans les termes les plus forts lundi une violation du cessez-le-feu dans la région de Kidal, dans le nord du Mali, au cours du weekend.

Des confrontations armées ont opposé les 15, 16 et 17 août la Coordination des Mouvements de l'Azawad et la Plateforme dans la région de Kidal, respectivement à Touzek Oued, situé à 60 km au sud-est de Kidal, à l'est d'Amassine, 80 km au sud de la ville de Kidal, et sur l'axe Tabankort-Anefis à 45 km au sud-ouest d'Anefis jusqu'à ce matin, a indiqué la MINUSMA dans un communiqué de presse.

« En attendant les conclusions de l'Equipe Mixte d'Observation et de Vérification (EMOV), en route aujourd'hui vers Anefis pour établir les faits, la MINUSMA condamne dans les termes les plus fermes ces actes, commis en violation flagrante des accords de cessez-le-feu et de l'Accord de paix et de réconciliation nationale pour le Mali », a dit la MINUSMA.

« Le nombre croissant de violations préoccupe vivement la communauté internationale ainsi que la population et risque d'entraver les avancées effectuées vers une paix stable et durable pour le Mali », a ajouté la Mission.

La MINUSMA a rappelé aux parties responsables de la reprise des hostilités qu'elles devront répondre de leurs actes devant le Conseil de sécurité à travers sa résolution 2227 du 29 juin 2015. Ce dernier s'est déclaré disposé à envisager des sanctions ciblées contre ceux qui s'emploient à empêcher ou à compromettre la mise en œuvre de l'Accord de paix.

La MINUSMA a exhorté « les parties actuellement engagées sur le terrain a immédiatement cesser les combats » et a souligné qu'elle n'hésiterait pas à entreprendre toutes actions nécessaires conformément à son mandat et ses règles d'engagement pour protéger les populations civiles qui seraient en danger.

« La MINUSMA poursuivra ses bons offices auprès des parties concernées pour restaurer le respect du cessez-le-feu et les appelle à s'inscrire dans les arrangements sécuritaires inclus dans l'Accord de paix. Elle continuera à surveiller de près l'évolution de la situation sur le terrain », ajoute le communiqué de presse.

Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Monday 8/17/2015 - 19:06 GMT

Boko Haram extremists on Monday raided a village in restive northeast Nigeria's Borno state near the border with Niger, killing seven people, community leaders told AFP.

Dozens of gunmen stormed Awonori, a farming and herding village near the fishing town of Damasak, and carted away food supplies and livestock, they said.

"They killed seven people, looted grains and took away all the livestocks in the village before fleeing into the bush," Muhammadu Modu Wan-Wan, head of the Damasak fishermen's union, told AFP.

"The gunmen who came in vans and on motorcycles around 7:00 am (0600 GMT) besieged the village and opened fire on residents as they were having breakfast before moving to their farms," he said.

Wan-Wan said the attack forced the villagers to flee but they returned after the assailants had left.

Abubakar Gamandi, the head of Borno's fishermen's union, confirmed the attack.

"I received report from my members in the Damasak area that Boko Haram gunmen attacked Awonori village this morning where they killed seven people and took away food and livestocks," he said.

Last month, residents of Damasak and surrounding villages fled their homes and crossed the border into the Niger town of Diffa, fearing Boko Haram attacks.

But Wan-Wan said many residents have since returned to their farms.

"People have no food to feed their families which is why they take the risk of going back to their villages to work on their farms now that the rainy season has started," he said.

Boko Haram, which is seeking to carve out a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria, has killed some 15,000 people since 2009.

A regional 8,700-strong force aimed at ending the insurgency is due to deploy within days.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday told a national security gathering in Abuja that his government would "employ at least an extra 10,000 police officers and establish a properly trained and equipped federal anti-terrorism multi-agency task force" to crush the rebellion.

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N'Djamena, Chad | AFP | Monday 8/17/2015 - 20:10 GMT

Ten suspected Boko Haram members are set to go on trial in Chad over their alleged roles in twin attacks that killed 38 people in the capital N'Djamena in June, a judicial source told AFP.

The case was on Monday referred to the country's criminal court, the source said, though no date was given for the start of the proceedings.

The trial of the suspected Islamists from the Nigeria-based group will be the first of its kind in Chad.

"The 10 suspected perpetrators stand accused of murder using explosives, illegal possession of weapons of war and criminal conspiracy," the source said.

The accused include Nigerian national Mahamat Mustapha, also known as Bana Fanaye, who according to Chadian authorities was the mastermind behind the June 15 suicide attacks that struck a school and a police building in N'Djamena, killing 38 people and injuring over 100.

Shortly after Fanaye's arrest in late June, Chad's top prosecutor Alghassim Kassim said the suspect was the "ringleader of a network smuggling weapons and munitions between Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad".

Fanaye was also responsible for procuring weapons and "recruiting and managing Boko Haram members", Kassim added.

The June attacks in the Chadian capital were followed by another suicide blast at a market in July that killed 15 people.

Chad -- which is part of a regional fightback against Boko Haram -- has beefed up security in response to the bloodshed. Its parliament last month also passed a stringent anti-terror bill that reintroduces the death penalty for the most serious offences.

The draft law has yet to be promulgated however and as such has no bearing on the case of the 10 detainees set to go on trial, the judicial source told AFP.

Boko Haram, which is seeking to carve out a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria, has killed some 15,000 people since 2009.

A regional 8,700-strong force aimed at ending the insurgency is due to deploy within days.

Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have all pledged troops towards the new force.

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Highlights

• Increasing insecurity along the border with Nigeria has caused new massive displacements (refugees, IDPs and returnees) from Nigeria and internally. On June 27th the village of Assaga Nigeria (15km from the border, along the Koumadougou river) was attacked, causing the displacement of 877 households (around 6,000 people) who fled in Assaga Niger. In Damassak Nigeria, after the departure of Niger army, people fled in fear of attacks. Official figures are not yet available, but humanitarian actors estimate that over 10,000 people fled into the border villages of Chetimari et Gagamari, which were already hosting several hundred displaced families

• UNICEF continues to scale up its intervention in Diffa ensuring the access to medical care for 11,139 children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), for 10,989 children suffering from pneumonia, 16,230 suffering from diarrhea, and 45,540 suffering from malaria, UNICEF also ensures the access of 12,632 children to psychosocial support activities.

• As of 30th of June 2015 (week 26), 144,943 severe acute malnourished children have been admitted in therapeutic feeding centres nationwide since the beginning of the year (out of a total of 368,114 cases expected during the year), including 16,110 children with medical complications and 128,833 children without medical complications.

• UNICEF Humanitarian response remains underfunded. This may hamper UNICEF’s capacity to meet the needs of the expected 368,114 severely malnourished children, the 30,368 Malian refugee children in camps and hosting areas and the 105,583 children displaced in Diffa region (IDPs, returnees and refugees from Nigeria).

Scale-up needed for community-based treatment of acutely malnourished children

Abuja, 17 August 2015 – The Government of Nigeria and UNICEF announced today they have reached more than a million Nigerian children with a highly successful and cost-effective treatment for acutely malnourished children, saving over 200,000 lives in the past six years.

Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) was piloted in Gombe and Kebbi States in 2009 and has now been introduced in 11 northern Nigerian states where malnutrition poses the greatest threat. CMAM treats acutely malnourished children from six months to five years old on an out-patient basis. More than 830,000 children have been cured in the programme with the cure rate rising steadily – currently standing at 85 per cent. Of the remaining children, about two per cent do not respond to treatment and are referred to hospitals; the current mortality rate is just one per cent, while the other children have defaulted from the programme.

“We must scale-up CMAM in Nigeria. It is a proven high-impact intervention that is saving lives and helping Nigerian children reach their full potential through a good start in life,” noted UNICEF Nigeria Representative Jean Gough. “We need greater investment in Nigeria’s future by investment in good nutrition,” she added.

There are approximately 1.7 million severely acutely malnourished children under five in Nigeria – accounting for a tenth of the global total. Nearly a thousand Nigerian children die of malnutrition-related causes every day – a total of 361,000 each year. Acute malnutrition also leads to stunting of children causing life-long physical limitations and can reduce intellectual capacity.

“The Government of Nigeria is committed to reaching more children with CMAM,” said Linus Awute, Permanent Secretary of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health, “We cannot accept that Nigerian children continue to die of malnutrition and that our potential future leaders should be diminished by its effects.”

CMAM is carried out during weekly appointments over approximately eight weeks at primary health care centres. It includes education of parents and caregivers on nutrition, the importance of continuing breast-feeding and the role of hand-washing and hygiene. The nutrition status of the children is assessed during the CMAM sessions and children are given a health screening; if necessary, they are also treated for other illnesses. Children are given highly nutritious Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) during the sessions and mothers and caregivers are provided with supplies of RUTF to feed the child at home.

The cost for CMAM is just US$160 for each child treated, including US$76 for the RUTF; the remaining US$84 covers all other costs, including staff time and training, transport and storage of supplies, and basic medicines. UNICEF and the Government of Nigeria are scaling up the CMAM response and UNICEF is advocating for increased investment in CMAM from both the Government of Nigeria and external donors.

Over the years since its introduction in 2009, financial support for the programme has been provided by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), DFID, ECHO, the European Union, USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and JICA.

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Notes to the editor

Three articles relating to the CMAM programme, which include figures up to 204, have been published on the website of the Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN). These articles can be accessed at: http://www.ennonline.net/fex , with an overview of the ENN Journal issue’s Field Exchange section and a link there to the Nigeria section. The documents can also be reached directly in pdf version at the following link: http://www.ennonline.net/file/download/2386

About UNICEF: UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org

For further information, please contact:

Doune Porter, Chief of Communications, Nigeria, Tel: +234 (0)803 525 0273 Email: dporter@unicef.org

L'Essentiel

• La soudure pastorale perdure malgré l’amélioration des précipitations en fin juillet 2015 dans la zone pastorale.

• La campagne agricole tarde à prendre une allure normale en raison d’une persistance du déficit pluviométrique dans la zone sahélienne.

• La poursuite des conflits et de l’insécurité civile au Nigeria et au Mali continuent à occasionner les mouvements de population.

• L'indice FAO des prix des produits alimentaires au niveau mondial est à son plus bas niveau depuis six ans.

Despite good July rainfall, concern continues for areas where the season started significantly late

KEY MESSAGES

• Continued northward migration of the Intertropical Front (ITF) has been observed during the past several weeks. The ITF has stayed at or north of its climatological position over most of the region during the last month and a half, resulting in aboveaverage rainfall over large portions of the Sahelian zone.

• Areas affected by moderate to severe rainfall deficits in the Sahel, including northwestern Senegal, southwestern Mauritania, areas in central and eastern Niger, northeastern Nigeria, and eastern Chad, require continued close monitoring as the occurrence of subsequent dryness could result in significant crop and pasture yield reduction.

• The end of the long season rains in July/August in the Bi-modal zone is favorable for harvest activities in coastal Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo.

• Given the favorable medium term rainfall forecasts, pasture regeneration across the pastoral zones of the Sahel is expected to continue, which is likely to result in improved pasture availability for areas where moderate to severe rainfall deficits have been observed.

Installation définitive de la campagne agricole au Sahel, avec des retards localement importants

MESSAGES CLES

• Le régime pluviométrique s’est significativement amélioré à partir de mi-juillet et les prévisions sont favorables pour des cumuls supérieurs à la moyenne pour le reste de la saison au Sahel y compris les zones ayant souffert de déficits pluviométriques et retards significatifs notamment le nord Sénégal, le sud-ouest Mauritanie, nord Maradi, nord Zinder, et Diffa, au Niger et le nord-est du Nigeria.

• Les disponibilités alimentaires céréalières sont au-dessus de la moyenne et seront renforcées à partir d’octobrenovembre suite aux nouvelles récoltes. L’état d’approvisionnement des marchés restera satisfaisant jusqu’en décembre et cela même dans certaines zones affectées par les conflits notamment dans le nord Mali avec l’accord signé le 20 juin. Toutefois, au nord-est Nigeria affecté par conflit, les niveaux d’approvisionnement vont rester relativement faibles par rapport à la normale.

• Les zones affectées par le conflit de Boko Haram sont les plus affectées par l’insécurité alimentaire. Le seuil d’Urgence (Phase 4 de l’IPC) est actuellement en cours dans les zones les plus touchées et cette situation pourra se maintenir jusqu’en septembre. Une amélioration est possible à partir d’octobre suite aux nouvelles récoltes mais le niveau de Crise (Phase 3 de l’IPC) se maintiendra dans ces zones jusqu’en décembre.

• En Mauritanie et Sénégal, les effets des déficits de productions agricoles et pastorales de 2014/15 maintiennent une insécurité alimentaire de type Crise (Phase 3 de l’IPC). Elle pourra se prolonger jusqu’à septembre en zones agro-pastorales. En octobredécembre, une amélioration est possible vers l’Insécurité alimentaire Minimale (Phase 1 de l’IPC) ou le Stress (Phase 2 de l’IPC) suite à la restauration des complètes des pâturages et des revenus issus de la vente de bétail.

• En Guinée, Libéria et Sierra Leone, les revenus inférieurs à la moyenne, consécutifs aux effets résiduels de la crise Ebola ou aux nouveaux cas, maintiendront jusqu’en septembre plusieurs ménages pauvres en Stress (Phase 2 de l’IPC) ou Crise (IPC Phase 3). En octobre-décembre, les nouvelles récoltes et les améliorations de revenus, permettront une évolution vers la phase Minimale (Phase 1 de l’IPC) sauf en Sierra Leone où le Stress (Phase 2 de l’IPC) sera localement observé.

• Dans le reste de la région, l’insécurité alimentaire Minimale (Phase 1 de l’IPC) va davantage se renforcer jusqu’en septembre 2015 avec l’installation de la saison et la restauration des productions pastorales. Elle sera maintenue entre octobre et décembre suite à la généralisation des récoltes dans la région.

Snapshot 12 August –18 August 2015

Yemen: The humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate. 1.4 million people have become displaced since conflict escalated in March – a 12% increase since early July. Fuel shortages and access issues continue to affect provision of health services. 23% of Yemen’s health facilities are either partially funtional or non-functional.

Iraq: The security situation continues to deteriorate. Of the 3.17 million IDPs, 16% have been displaced since April. Many are stranded in conflict areas such as Ramadi and Falluja in Anbar and face access restrictions into neighbouring governorates. 8.6 million people are in urgent need of aid overall and 5 million are estimated to live in hard to reach IS-held areas.

Niger: A new assessment finds 2.7 million people severely food insecure during the June–September lean season in Niger, corresponding to 15% of the Nigerien population and indicating a severe humanitarian crisis. Population displacement in Diffa region and current flooding in central and southern Niger, affecting 20,000, also impact food security levels in the long-term.

Global Emergency Overview Web Interface

Niamey, Niger | AFP | mardi 18/08/2015 - 14:52 GMT

Une "réunion de réconciliation" de groupes touaregs rivaux du nord du Mali, prévue à partir de mercredi à au Niger voisin, "a été annulée" après la reprise des combats dans le nord malien, a appris mardi l'AFP.

"La réunion de réconciliation des frères maliens initiée par les autorités (du Niger) du 19 au 21 août, a été annulée en raison des combats (...) dans le nord malien", a indiqué à l'AFP une source proche du dossier.

La rencontre "devrait être présidée" par le Premier ministre du Niger, Brigi Rafini, lui-même un touareg d'Agadez, une région du nord du Niger proche du Mali, a indiqué cette source.

Le premier vol devant transporter les participants "était attendu mardi" à Niamey, a-t-elle souligné.

"Une centaine de responsables" de la Coordination des mouvements de l'Azawad (CMA, rébellion) et le Groupe armé d'autodéfense touareg Imghad et alliés (Gatia, pro-Bamako) "devaient se retrouver à Niamey" pour "sceller la paix" et "donner des chances de survie aux Accords d'Alger" signés avec le gouvernement du Mali, a affirmé à l'AFP une autre source touareg.

Des combats meurtriers ont opposé lundi les deux camps autour de la ville de Kidal, fief de la CMA. Les plus sérieux affrontements ont eu lieu, lundi, à Anéfis (environ 120 km de Kidal) et ont fait "au moins dix morts et de nombreux blessés", selon une source de sécurité au sein de la Minusma.

L'ONU a commencé mardi matin à établir une "zone de sécurité" et "jusqu'à nouvel ordre" autour de la ville de Kidal, dans le nord du Mali, où la tension restait perceptible.

Le Gatia et la CMA font partie des signataires de l'accord de paix au Mali conclu à Alger, le 15 mai par le gouvernement malien et ses groupes alliés, puis le 20 juin par la rébellion.

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Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Tuesday 8/18/2015 - 14:22 GMT

Up to 150 people drowned in a river or were shot dead fleeing Boko Haram gunmen who raided a remote village in Nigeria's northeastern Yobe state, locals said on Tuesday.

Dozens of militants arrived on motorcycles and a car on Thursday last week and opened fire, scattering terrified residents of Kukuwa-Gari.

"They opened fire instantly, which forced residents to flee. They shot a number of people. Unfortunately many residents who tried to flee plunged into the river which is full from the rain. Many drowned," Modu Balumi, a resident of the village told AFP.

"By our latest toll we have 150 people either (shot dead) or drowned in the attack. The gunmen deliberately killed a fisherman who tried to save drowning residents of the village."

Balumi said the bodies of many of the drowned were picked out by locals several kilometres away.

News of the attack was slow to emerge because the militants have destroyed telecom masts around the village, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Yobe State capital Damaturu, since the insurgency began in 2009.

"Boko Haram gunmen attacked our village on Thursday which led to the deaths of around 150 people. Most of the victims died in the river while trying to escape. The gunmen opened fire on the village forcing people to run to safety," Bukar Tijjani, another villager, told AFP.

"Most residents, particularly women and children, ran towards the river in confusion. They were pursued by the gunmen, who kept firing at them. In the frantic effort to escape they jumped into the river, which was full to the brim."

A local government official confirmed the attack but put the death toll much lower, at around 50.

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