La MINUSMA réitère sa ferme condamnation des affrontements armés qui opposent la Plateforme et la Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad depuis le 15 août dernier, y compris la prise d’Anefis aujourd’hui par des éléments de la Plateforme. Ces actes constituent une violation flagrante du cessez-le-feu et de l’Accord de Paix.

La MINUSMA exhorte les parties à immédiatement cesser les combats et à retourner sur les positionsqu’elles occupaient avant le 15 août 2015.

La MINUSMA est déterminée à assumer ses responsabilités en ce qui concerne la protection des populations civiles.

Dans ce cadre, et pour parer à toute éventualité d’une extension des combats quipourraient affecter la population de la ville de Kidal, la MINUSMA annonce les mesures suivantes :

• Une zone de sécurité de 20 km autour de la ville de Kidal entrera en vigueur à partir de demain mardi 18 août à 8h00, et le restera jusqu’à nouvel ordre,

• Tout mouvement à l’intérieur de cette zone de sécurité par des éléments de la Plateforme, ou affiliés à la Plateforme, seront considérés comme constituant un danger imminent pour la sécurité de la population de la ville de Kidal,

• En cas de violation de cette zone de sécurité par des éléments de la Plateforme, ou affiliés à la Plateforme, la MINUSMA agira en conséquence conformément à son mandat.

Par ailleurs, et en parallèle, des enquêtes seront conduites pour déterminer les responsabilités en matière de violation du cessez-le-feu et les conclusions seront partagées avec le Conseil de sécurité.

MINUSMA reiterates its strong condemnation of the armed clashes that have been taking place between the Plateforme and the Coordination des Mouvements de l’Azawad since 15 August, including the takeover of Anefis by elements of the Plateforme today. These acts constitute a flagrant violation of the ceasefire and the Peace Agreement.

MINUSMA urges the parties to cease fighting immediately and to return to the positions they occupied before 15 August 2015.

MINUSMA is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities pertaining to the protection of civilians.

In this context, as a preemptive measure to protect the population of the city of Kidal from being affected should the fighting continue to spread, MINUSMA announces the following measures:

A 20 km security zone around the city of Kidal will be established tomorrow, Tuesday, 18 August at 0800 hrs, and will remain in effect until further notice.

Any movement inside this security zone by elements of the Plateforme or affiliated with the Plateforme will be considered an imminent threat to the safety of the population of the city of Kidal.

In case of a violation of the security zone by elements of the Plateforme or affiliated with the Plateforme, MINUSMA will react accordingly, in conformity with its mandate.

Concurrently, investigations will be conducted into the ceasefire violations to establish responsibilities, and their results will be shared with the UN Security Council.

Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Wednesday 8/18/2015 - 12:05 GMT

by Aminu ABUBAKAR

The number of villagers massacred by Boko Haram jihadists in a remote village in northeastern Nigeria rose to 160 on Wednesday, according to locals, amid official denials over the attack.

Residents of Kukuwa-Gari in Yobe State described how more than 150 of their relatives and neighbours drowned in a river fleeing militants who opened fire on the village on Thursday last week, while another eight were shot dead.

A local official put the death toll at a much lower 50 while the Director of Defence Information, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, was quoted by the private Channels TV news station as saying reports of the incident were "untrue".

The station did not clarify whether Abubakar was denying the death toll or that the incident took place at all, and attempts by AFP to contact the military were unsuccessful.

The villagers' count of the dead in Kukuwa-Gari would constitute the largest loss of life in any single Boko Haram attack since President Muhammadu Buhari swept to power on May 29, vowing to crush the insurgency.

Telecommunications in Kukuwa-Gari are almost non-existent, but villagers who fled to nearby settlements said those who returned had buried 160 bodies, while many feared going back while there was no official acknowledgement of the attack.

Alhaji Kankana Sarkin-Baka, leader of a local group of hunters co-opted to fight the insurgency alongside vigilante groups, said 17 fighters had come on motorcycles, including a local Boko Haram emir, or commander.

"They had superior firepower because they were using modern guns while we were using hunting guns. We were outpowered but they were outnumbered," he told AFP.

He said six of the fighters positioned themselves by the river, blocking the only escape route, and opened fire on fleeing residents, forcing to them to jump into the water.

'No troops deployed'

"This led to the huge death toll we recorded. So far we have buried 160 people. And out of this number only eight bodies had gunshot wounds, which means all the others drowned," he told AFP.

Sarkin-Baka said the hunters killed 14 of the attackers, including the amir and his deputy, while three escaped with gunshot wounds.

The villagers, who have secured reinforcements of 100 hunters from the state capital Damaturu, say the gunmen were "born and bred" in the area and joined Boko Haram several years ago.

"Up to this moment no troops have deployed. Our major operational challenge is good weapons to effectively counter possible any possible further attack by Boko Haram. All we have are hunting guns," Sarkin-Baka told AFP.

Kukuwa-Gari resident Modu Balumi, who had fled to neighbouring Gombe State, told AFP his sister-in-law and two of her children were among several villagers still missing.

"Honestly, I am not happy with the way the military tried to deny that our village was attacked. Many of us who are yet to return have changed our minds about going back by this stance of the military," he told AFP.

Boko Haram has waged a violent campaign for a separate Islamic homeland in the northeast which has seen more than 15,000 deaths since 2009.

"The fact that reports of the Kukawa-Gari massacre are only being reported five days after the fact... suggests that there was unlikely any discernible security presence in the region at the time the militant incursion took place," Ryan Cummings, chief security analyst at South African consultancy Red 24, told AFP.

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© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

by Ryan Cummings

On August 3, the Nigerian army reported it had freed as many as 178 captives from the clutches of Boko Haram. This was the second mass liberation of the group’s hostages in as many weeks—a cause for celebration for new Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, whose election platform included a firm commitment to ending the Islamist insurgency. There are, however, a number of details that cast doubt over the official accounts of the supposed breakthroughs, and whether they represent a turning point in Nigeria’s military campaign against Boko Haram.

According to military spokesman Colonel Tukur Gusau, the most recent hostage release was secured through the “besiegement” of a Boko Haram rebel encampment near the Borno State settlement of Aulari, 40 miles south of the state capital Maiduguri. Those rescued included 101 children, 67 women, and 10 men, while an unidentified military commander was also reportedly captured.

On July 28, at least 30 Boko Haram captives were similarly freed from captivity during an army counteroffensive on Dikwa—a town in eastern Borno State that has traded hands between militant and government forces at least three separate times.

These developments followed a resurgence in Boko Haram violence since Buhari’s inauguration on May 29, claiming the lives of more than 600 Nigerians. Adding to Buhari’s concerns, the upsurge in violence came at a time when counterinsurgency operations launched by the regime of former president Goodluck Jonathan finally appeared to be paying dividends, with the Nigerian army dislodging the insurgents from territory they ostensibly controlled in the rural northeast. In light of this, the timing of the recent liberations seems highly convenient for Buhari. Coupled with the tendency of Nigerian authorities to skew national political narratives when under pressure, should these claims be believed?

It would certainly not be the first time Nigerian authorities have provided false details around Boko Haram captives. For example, just three days after the April 15, 2014 abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok—the subject of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign— the Nigerian army claimed to have rescued all of the abductees. However, they were quickly forced to retract this statement when family members of the hostages refuted the claims.

Attempts to verify the exact number and identities of the recently liberated hostages have been complicated by the government’s relocation and rehabilitation process. Former hostages are generally transported to congested and disorganized internally displaced persons camps dotted across the country. From here, they are sent to a secretive rehabilitation center where they receive supportive psychotherapy to allow their reintegration into society. Although an understandable course of action to both protect victims and facilitate their convalescence, the clandestine repatriation has only fueled speculation regarding the progression of the fight against the extremist sect.

In light of the lack of testimony from captives, there are significant doubts as to how the Nigerian government was able to successfully free them, when counterinsurgency operations of this nature have frequently led to significant hostage casualties in the past. In May 2015, for example, Boko Harm militants executed a large group of abductees as the Nigerian military encroached on their positions in the Sambisa Forest. The sect, or at least its purported affiliates, have similarly executed foreign kidnap victims when challenged. This includes the 2012 execution of British and Italian hostages in Sokoto. A year later, the same fate awaited a group of expatriates kidnapped by Boko Haram’s suspected offshoot Ansaru in Jama’are, Bauchi State. Although these incidents do not preclude the Nigerian’s armies successful liberation of Boko Haram captives, it does indicate that these undertakings are occurring at significant risk to civilian hostages. Or does it?

While high risk rescue operations may well be securing the release of hundreds of rebel captives, could there be another explanation for the recent liberations? It is certainly conspicuous that they coincided with the Buhari’s claims that he was open to negotiations with the insurgents, specifically regarding the release of kidnapped civilians.

Questioned on whether his regime would negotiate with Boko Haram to secure the release of the Chibok girls, Buhari said, “If we are convinced that the [Boko Haram] leadership that presented itself can deliver these girls safe and sound, we’ll be prepared to negotiate what they want.” This was in stark contrast to his pre-election stance, in which he denied his regime would enter into any negotiations. Members of Nigeria’s military brass have similarly supported the possibility of dialogue, though there has yet to be any official acknowledgment that it has taken place, and it has certainly not been cited as a contributing factor to the recent freeing of captives.

Had it occurred, however, dialogue of this nature would not be unprecedented. Writing a month after the Chibok events, I detailed how the Nigerian government and Boko Haram were “no strangers to the bargaining table” and had brokered a number of reciprocal hostage release agreements on previous occasions. In one of these incidents, civilian captives were “rescued” by Nigerian security forces a day after the government pledged to release detained Boko Haram members.

If Boko Haram had made similar demands in return for the release of the recent hostages, they might have proven unpalatable to many in Nigerian society, and countered the narrative that Buhari was prioritizing a hard-nosed military response to the insurgency.

The lack of transparent and verifiable information from the recently freed captives and Buhari’s regime invites considerable doubts of this nature. While efforts to safeguard innocent civilians subjected to Boko Haram’s brutality shouldn’t be criticized, the government continues to fuel mistrust among a population whose cooperation will be needed to provide for Boko Haram’s ultimate defeat.

"Originally Published in the Global Observatory"

HIGHLIGHTS

• The security situation in Nigeria has been steadily deteriorating in the past weeks. Hundreds of deaths have resulted from attacks that took place after a brief respite during the elections. Conditions in IDP sites are rapidly becoming dire, with urgent needs unmet in the WASH, education, health and shelter sectors.

• With the departure of Chadian and Niger troops from north-eastern Nigeria, owing to seasonal rains, Niger’s Diffa region in the southeast of the country, especially near the border with Nigeria, has become more exposed to risk of insurgent attacks. Against this backdrop, multiple incidents have taken place and triggered new waves of forced displacement into Niger.

• In Cameroon, the security situation in the Far North has sharply deteriorated during the reporting period. Insurgents persistently launch assaults on Cameroonian soil especially in the Mayo Sava and Logone et Chari Departments, in search of sustenance and logistical resources, such as vehicles, to facilitate their mobility.

• There have been multiple insurgent attacks and communal tensions on Lake Chad in the past month. Thousands of people have been forced to flee from villages on Lake Chad’s islands towards the mainland. Those affected have been regrouping in various locations on the coast and further inland.

Borno State authorities set up a panel of 13 experts assigned to reopen schools in this north-eastern area of Nigeria, closed for over a year due to the violence and attacks by the Islamist Boko Haram group.

According to Lagos's Guardian newspaper, the panel will present an action plan to the government within the next three weeks. The decision will then be immediately applied, in an aim to reopen all schools across the state by the start of the next school year.

Among the main problems faced by the experts is the presence of over 175,000 internally displaced in the area, particularly in the areas of Maiduguri and Biu. Many school buildings were converted into shelters, so alternatives will need to be found for the displaced, in addition to the reregistration of their children into the local schools.

[DM/BO]

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Tuesday 8/18/2015 - 16:20 GMT

by Serge DANIEL

UN peacekeepers set up a security zone around the northern Mali town of Kidal on Tuesday to curb fighting between rival armed groups that threatened to torpedo a fragile peace deal.

Three days of clashes between pro-government militants and Tuareg rebels in the troubled region left several dead and led neighbouring Niger to call off a round of reconciliation talks planned Wednesday.

The outbreak of violence was slammed by the UN as a "blatant violation" of the peace deal which seeks to end decades of ethnic divisions and uprisings by Mali's Tuareg, a traditionally nomadic people whose 2012 rebellion plunged the country into chaos.

The peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, has set up a 20-kilometre safety zone around the rebel stronghold of Kidal, 1,500 kilometres (750 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, to protect civilians and prevent a spread of fighting.

The establishment of the safety zone comes after three days of clashes between pro-government Tuareg fighters -- who form part of the loyalist Platform coalition -- and the rebel Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA).

The two groups accused each other of starting the fighting over the weekend.

The worst clashes took place on Monday as loyalist fighters seized control of Agnefis, about 120 kilometres south of Kidal, which is the stronghold of the CMA.

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

Fahad Ag Almahmoud, a top official from the pro-government alliance, spoke of 15 deaths.

A meeting planned in Niamey to "seal the peace" between the rival groups who concluded a peace deal in June, was called off "due to the fighting", said a source involved in the organisation of the meeting.

The outbreak of violence also sparked concerns among ordinary Malians of a return to the chaos experienced after a 2012 Tuareg uprising in 2012 which sparked a coup in Bamako.

The political upheaval allowed the separatists to seize large parts of the north in alliance with Al-Qaeda-linked militants who later cast out the Tuareg and seized full control of the vast desert north for nearly 10 months.

The Islamists were ousted in a French-led military offensive in 2013 but Bamako has yet to gain full control of the north which is overrun with competing armed groups.

The peace deal is seen as key to stability in the remote north whose Tuareg and Arab populations have long accused sub-Saharan ethnic groups in the more prosperous south of marginalising them.

"Sure, there have been acts of violence here and there, terrorist acts ... but this is the first time that signatories of the accord, through deliberate action, have violated the accord," said government spokesman Choguel Kokalla Maiga in comments to the Essor daily.

• 'Tension palpable' -

"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 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 trafficking.

"There has been no fighting on Tuesday but near the town of Touzik (where fighting began Saturday) tension is palpable," said a MINUSMA source.

MINUSMA said in a statement Monday the security zone would "remain until further notice".

Any movement within the zone by pro-government Tuareg forces or their allies "will be deemed to constitute an imminent danger to the security of the population of the town of Kidal", it said.

The peacekeeping force would "act in accordance with its mandate" in the event of any violation, it added.

MINUSMA also said it would carry out investigations to determine responsibility for the ceasefire violation and forward the findings to the UN Security Council.

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PROJECTED FOOD ASSISTANCE NEEDS FOR FEBRUARY 2016

This brief summarizes FEWS NET’s most forward-looking analysis of projected emergency food assistance needs in FEWS NET coverage countries. The projected size of each country’s acutely food insecure population (IPC Phase 3 and higher) is compared to last year and the recent five-year average and categorized as Higher ( S), Similar ( X), or Lower ( T). Countries where external emergency food assistance needs are anticipated are identified. Projected lean season months highlighted in red indicate either an early start or an extension to the typical lean season.
Additional information is provided for countries with large food insecure populations, an expectation of high severity, or where other key issues warrant additional discussion. Analytical confidence is lower in remote monitoring countries, denoted by “RM”. Visit www.fews.net for detailed country reports

KUWAIT, Aug 18 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's prominent contributions to the humanitarian field had an international impact and recognition, as the UN celebrates the World Humanitarian Day on Wednesday August 19.
Kuwait had been providing humanitarian aid all over the world ahead of its independence, however, the contributions and efforts had strongly developed since His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah came into position in 2006.
His Highness, who was awarded the title of "Humanitarian Leader" by the UN, had taken the responsibility to aid people in natural disaster-struck countries such as Somalia, Turkey, Japan and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Kuwait also played a huge role in easing the suffering of those living in conflict-struck countries in the Arab World, including Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Palestine.
The country also held three donors conferences for Syria, which resulted in pledges of USD 300 million in the first conference in 2013, USD 500 million in 2014 and USD 500 million in 2015.
Kuwaiti charity organizations including the Red Crescent and the International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO) had been continuously delivering aid to Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.
As for the Palestinian Cause, Kuwait had also been delivering humanitarian aid to provide citizens with their basic needs amidst Israeli siege and war.
Moreover, His Highness Sheikh Sabah had donated USD 34 million for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in January 2009 to develop its role.

Kuwait had also donated USD 200 million for the Palestinian government for the next five years in March 2009, as part of the plan to reconstruct Gaza after the Israeli war.
In 2012, the country had signed an agreement with the World Bank to contribute USD 50 million to the Palestinian program for reform and reconstruction affiliated with the bank.
In addition, Kuwait had organized many humanitarian aid campaigns to aid people in Yemen, as the war had waged in the country.
As for natural disasters aid, Kuwait had donated USD ten mln for Bangladesh which was struck by a tornado in November 2007. Meanwhile, it had also aided Japan with five million oil barrel (worth about USD 500 million) upon the destructive tsunami earthquake that struck the country in March 2011.
In July 2012, Kuwait had delivered humanitarian aid worth USD ten million to Somalia to aid people suffering from famine and drought.
In 2012, the country had donated USD 250,000 for victims of Turkey's earthquake. Moreover, it had provided USD ten million to the Philippines, suffering the aftermath of a devastating tornado in 2014, while also contributing USD five million to the World Health Organization (WHO) to fight the Ebola virus in the same year.
The UN celebrates the World Humanitarian Day on August 19 of each year, which is the anniversary of the 2003 Canal Hotel Bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 UN workers, including the UN's Special Representative in Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello, and injured over 100. The blast targeted the UN's Assistance Mission in Iraq created just five days earlier. (end) aas.aas.ag

HIGHLIGHTS

• During the month of July 1,495 individuals arrived spontaneously and were registered in Minawao camp. 85% of them were already present in the country since 2014, but decided to approach the camps due to decision of government to deport undocumented foreigners living in Cameroon, spe-cially in the Far North. 62 % of them are children and 54 % of them are female.

• Opening of transit center in the far north and beginning of profiling phase two exercise for IDPs, refugees out of camps and host communities. 116 Nigerians awaiting registration moved from Minawao camps to the transit center

• Several incidents of forced expulsions of Nigerian Nationals from border areas in Cameroon back to Nigeria have been reported.

• Deteriorating security situation in the far north

Highlights

• The Chadian Government is planning to evacuate the population living near the Chad-Nigeria border, currently a militarized zone, to keep it free from civilians. The minister of Home Affairs called on the humanitarian community to provide assistance to this population. Detailed information on how the evacuation shall be organized (where, when, number of persons etc) is pending.

• The Chadian Government adopted several security measures to protect the population from further attacks of Boko Haram, including the prohibition of wearing the Burka and of vehicles circulating with tinted classes; furthermore, foreigners without proper identification papers risk to be expelled or deported.

• A partnership agreement was signed between WFP and CRT (Chadian Red Cross) regarding the distribution of food supplement to children aged 6-23 month at the Dar Es Salam site. This action will contribute to fight child malnutrition, and will target at least 1,000 children from the most vulnerable families.

Highlights

• The withdrawal of the Niger-Chadian forces in the northern area of Nigeria has also caused mass movement of people in Niger.

• The state of emergency is still activated and thus the circulation restrictions on motored vehicles between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

• For World Refugee Day, the Distance Education center was inaugurated in Maine Soroa by high Government Officials alongside with the UNHCR Regional Representative in Dakar, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and the United States Ambassador in Niger. This mission also visited the urbanization project in Diffa.

REGIONAL SITUATION ANALYSIS

In the month of July, large scale displacement persisted in Nigeria (about 1.5 million IDPs) and in the neighbouring countries Chad, Cameroon and Niger (170,532).

In July, the security situation got worse and saw the highest number of deadly attacks in neighbouring countries (about 650 people killed reaching a total of 4,5002 in 2015 and 15,000 since 20093 ). In North-eastern Nigeria, insurgents have resumed attacks on worship centers – churches and mosques – and reports by security and government officials indicate that there might be attacks on in major cities, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. There has been a rapid increase in suicide bombings also in neighbouring countries. At the beginning of the month BH claimed their involvement in the three terroristic attacks in N’Djamena and on two islands in the Lake Chad. On 13 July BH also launched their first suicide bomb attack in Fotokol, Cameroon, whereby two women blew themselves up killing 15 people. One week after, the city of Maroua witnessed five barbaric suicide attacks on civilian targets, allegedly committed by BH. The Government has reinforced security measures on all fronts and started to register Nigerian refugees in the immediate border area, provoking fear among some refugees that they might be returned to Nigeria against their will. In this context, several incidents of forced expulsions of Nigerian nationals from border areas back to Nigeria have been reported. UNHCR works closely with the authorities advocating for full compliance with international protection standards for refugees when it comes to return movements.

In southern Niger’s Diffa region, authorities reported the arrival of some 2,500 people from Nigeria following an attack by BH in Damassak (Nigeria). Most new arrivals refer to stay along the border rather than in Sayam Forage refugee camp, as they hope to be able to return home soon .

Key messages

• As one of the world's least developed countries, Chad continues to face a complex emergency as a result of chronic food insecurity, malnutrition, natural hazards, epidemics and massive displacement of populations.

• The European Commission's humanitarian aid totals 43.6€ million in 2015. Commission funding contributes significantly to the treatment of acutely malnourished children, assistance to the displaced people and to the distribution of in-kind food aid and cash grants to the poorest families during the lean season.

• Recent conflict in neighbouring CAR has triggered an influx of refugees and Chadian nationals. This puts an additional strain on the already overstretched resources. Since 2014 the Commission has allocated close to 8 € million to cover these populations’ immediate needs.

• The increasing insecurity in Nigeria and the attacks by Boko Haram group along the Nigeria/Cameroon/Chad borders have led to a new population displacement of 9 115 refugees, 7 876 returnees and 10 494 IDPs with a strong negative humanitarian impact. The humanitarian community expects a new massive wave of displacement, due to ongoing evacuations of resident populations from the Lake Chad islands, as a result of military operations in the area.

(Dakar, 19 août 2015) – À l’occasion de la Journée mondiale de l’aide humanitaire, les partenaires humanitaires du Sénégal et de l’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre joignent leur voix à tous ceux et celles qui appellent à un monde plus humain et rendent hommages aux héros humanitaires.

A travers le monde, les besoins humanitaires sont en augmentation constante. Aujourd’hui, les partenaires humanitaires ambitionnent de fournir une assistance à près de 80 millions de personnes qui, dans 37 pays, luttent au quotidien pour survivre à l'impact des catastrophes naturelles, des conflits, de la faim ou de maladies. C’est presque le double d’il y a dix ans.

L’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre n’est pas épargnée, avec les crises au Mali, en République centrafricaine et dans le nord-est du Nigéria, la vulnérabilité aiguë qui prévaut au Sahel et l’épidémie d’Ébola qui a couté la vie a plus de 11 000 personnes et décimé les services de base de trois pays de la région. Au total, plus de 30 millions de personnes requièrent une assistance humanitaire. « Aujourd’hui plus que jamais, nous avons besoins d’action humanitaire », déclare Allegra Baiocchi, la Cheffe du Bureau régional de l’ONU pour la Coordination des Affaires Humanitaires en Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre. « L’esprit d’entraide est la force de cette région. Il s’exprime à travers le travail des acteurs de terrain qui dédient leurs vie à aider les autres, mais aussi par la générosité immense des communautés qui portent secours à leurs proches, comme les populations hôtes qui accueillent les personnes déplacées victimes de l’insécurité dans la région.»

Plus d’une centaine d’organisations humanitaires sont à pied d’œuvre dans la région, souvent dans des circonstances dangereuses et difficiles. En quinze ans, 383 travailleurs humanitaires ont été tués, blessés ou enlevés en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre. « L’an dernier, la région a payé un terrible tribut dans la bataille contre la maladie à virus Ebola », ajoute Allegra Baiocchi. « Cette journée est l’occasion de rendre hommage à ceux qui ont payé de leur vie pour enrayer une menace sans précédent. » En l’espace de quelques mois, plus de 500 membres du personnel sanitaire sont décédés des suites du virus tandis qu’ils venaient en secours aux malades en Guinée, au Libéria et en Sierra Leone. Quelques 800 autres ont été contaminés.

L’édition 2015 de cette journée internationale a pour thème d’« Inspirer l’humanité !» en sensibilisant le public à l’engagement de chacun dans l’avènement d’un monde plus humain. A travers une campagne digitale mondiale, des célébrités et le public ont prêté leurs fils d’actualité sur les réseaux sociaux pour relayer les récits du terrain. Avec le hashtag #ShareHumanity, la campagne a déjà atteint plus d’un demi-milliard de personnes. Des personnalités du monde entier s’y sont ralliées, et notamment la chanteuse franco-malienne Inna Modja.

La campagne marque aussi le début du décompte d’ici au Sommet Humanitaire Mondial qui aura lieu à Istanbul en mai 2016. Lancé par le Secrétaire général de l'ONU, Ban Ki-moon, ce premier sommet du genre sera l’occasion pour les chefs d'État, les acteurs privés, la société civile et les communautés affectées de se réunir pour chercher des solutions aux énormes défis humanitaires d'aujourd'hui et de demain.

A Dakar, les équipes d’une quinzaine d’organisations non-gouvernementales et de des Nations Unies actives au Sénégal et dans la sous-région iront à la rencontre du public lors d’une foire humanitaire organisée dans les jardins de la Mairie de Dakar l’après-midi du 19 août. Des éléments multimédia présentés au public donneront voix aux communautés affectées par les crises et à ceux qui les assistent.

Notes de contexte :

• Le 19 août a été choisi par l'Assemblée générale des Nations Unies en tant que Journée Mondiale de l’Aide Humanitaire en référence à l’attentat, le 19 août 2003, du Siège des Nations Unies à Bagdad, qui a causé la mort de 22 personnes. La célébration de la Journée mondiale de l’aide humanitaire est l’occasion de rendre hommage à ceux et celles qui font face au danger et à l'adversité pour aider les autres et à l’esprit humanitaire qui inspire leurs actions.

• A travers le monde, près de 60 millions de personnes sont aujourd’hui déplacées de force, dont 3,7 millions au Sahel. Nous sommes confrontés à une crise migratoire forcée, à une échelle sans précédent depuis la deuxième guerre mondiale. En moyenne, une personne qui a fui sa maison restera déplacée pendant 17 ans.

• Plus de 840 millions de personnes – soit plus d’une personne sur huit à travers le monde – sont chroniquement sous-alimentées. En cette période de soudure, dans la seule région du Sahel, on estime que plus de 25 millions de personnes sont en insécurité alimentaire et 4.5 millions ont besoin d’assistance alimentaire. Les niveaux de la malnutrition aiguë sont encore très élevés dans la région du Sahel et il est estimé que dans cette région en 2015, 5,8 millions d’enfants âgés de moins de cinq ans souffriront de malnutrition aiguë globale dont 1,4 million de malnutrition aiguë sévère.

• Les catastrophes naturelles sont plus fréquentes et plus intenses. On estime que d’ici à 2050, jusqu’à un milliard de personnes à travers le monde pourraient être déplacées des conséquences du changement climatique.

• En 2014 dans le monde, dix travailleurs humanitaires ont perdu la vie chaque mois. Au total, 329 travailleurs humanitaires ont été victimes d'attaques violentes dans 27 pays. Malgré une diminution de 30 pour cent par rapport à l’an dernier, le nombre d'incidents reste alarmant. La plupart des attaques perpétrées contre les travailleurs humanitaires en 2014 ont eu lieu en Afghanistan, en Syrie, au Soudan du Sud, en République centrafricaine et au Pakistan.

• En l’Afrique de l’Ouest, c’est la République Démocratique du Congo qui détient le triste record avec 134 humanitaires victimes d’attaques entre 2000 - 2015. Suivent ensuite la République Centrafricaine, le Nigéria, le Tchad et le Mali.

• Les partenaires présents à la foire humanitaire de Dakar incluent ACTED, Caritas, le service de la Commission européenne à l'aide humanitaire et à la protection civile (ECHO), l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO), OCHA, l’Organisation Internationale pour les Migrations (OIM), le Programme Alimentaire Mondial (PAM), Plan International, Save the Children, le Haut-Commissariat aux Réfugiés (UNHCR), l’UNICEF et World Vision International.

Pour découvrir les personnalités engagées dans la campagne, les récits humanitaires inédits, visitez : www.worldhumanitarianday.org. Pour les demandes d’interviews: Ivo Brandau, Chargé de l’information publique, OCHA ROWCA: +221 33 869 85 44, +221 77 450 62 32 brandaui@un.org Bérénice Van Den Driessche, Chargée de l’information publique, OCHA ROWCA: +221 33 869 85 22, +221 77 333 91 95 ou vandendriessche@un.org

ABUJA - As the world marks World Humanitarian Day on the theme “Inspiring the World’s Humanity”, the INGO Forum in Nigeria would like to pay tribute to the private individuals, local organizations and humanitarian workers dealing with the crisis in North East Nigeria. For months, they have been delivering assistance to the 1.5 million Nigerians displaced by the conflict, among which over 800,000 children, and to the 4 million people facing acute levels of hunger. They do so at great risks as bombs continue to go off at crowded places and civilian populations remain the first victims of the conflict. Towns are still attacked regularly and communities remain too unsafe for internally displaced people to return home. The amount of people affected by the conflict is higher than ever.

The situation has been extremely difficult for displaced people, who worry a lot about their future but feel helpless to do anything about it. Some have tried to return to their ordinary lives, sometimes at the greatest expense.

As Musa told Save the Children “I am not free here”.

He came to live with his brother after their father was killed in the fighting. His father had returned to their village to tend to the cattle when he was caught up in the chaos.

Now, Musa has no income. He is reliant on his hosts and worries about where he will find his next meal from. “All the time I think about my dad and my home,” he says. He says when the security situation is calmer, he hopes to return home to tend the land his father once had.

Like Musa, 4 million people are facing difficulty eating every day. Most of them are asking for ways to earn money themselves to feed their family. The direst needs are food, protection and livelihoods, with health, nutrition, shelter/NFI, education, WASH and psycho-social support remaining at a critical stage. The problem is expected to worsen given that majority of internally displaced people were farmers, who did not have the chance to farm during this rainy season, are likely to face famine-like conditions during the dry season with no reserved food stocks. In addition, protection remains a major concern, especially for the 800,000 displaced children, many of whom are traumatized by their experiences.

Humanitarian workers and committed individuals who dedicate their lives to helping people like Musa can only do so with the support of all in and outside Nigeria. Their commitment can only bear fruit if the private sector, international organizations, institutional and private donors commit to working with them to address the needs of the affected populations. They need everybody’s attention and support to respond to the crisis in Northeast Nigeria.

Contact: ingoco.ng@acf-international.org

Dans le cadre de la célébration de la Journée internationale de l’aide humanitaire, coup de projecteur sur l’organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture, la FAO, qui apporte son aide aux autorités. En étroite collaboration avec le gouvernement malien à travers le Ministère de l'Agriculture, l'organisation accompagne le Mali sur toute l'étendue de son territoire et intervient dans les 8 régions administratives selon leurs spécificités et selon les préoccupations des populations

Depuis la crise de 2012-2013 au nord Mali, les interventions se sont intensifiées avec une grande opération d’urgence en vue d’appuyer et d’assister les populations qui étaient affectées par cette crise notamment les personnes déplacées, les familles d’accueil, mais aussi les communautés vulnérables. Ernest BANIRAMBONA est coordinateur des bureaux de la FAO au Mali, au micro de Sékou Gambi de Mikado FM, il explique comment l'organisation tente d'aider les familles les plus vulnérables face aux changements climatiques et l'insécurité qui affectent la production alimentaire.

(Extrait sonore : Ernest BANIRAMBONA, Coordinateur des bureaux de la FAO au Mali; propos recueillis par Sékou Gambi de Mikado FM)

- Widespread heavy rain continues and increases risks for flooding over many areas of West Africa.

- Rainfall deficits have persisted over parts of Eastern Africa despite increased rain during the recent weeks

1) A premature cessation of rain has increased moisture deficits and negatively impacted crops in the southern parts of Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Limited rain is forecast along the Gulf of Guinea during the next week, likely to sustain moisture deficits.

2) A delayed onset and general lack of rainfall has resulted in abnormal dryness across parts of central and eastern Sudan, northern Ethiopia, and southern Eritrea. Moderate to locally heavy rain is expected along the Sudan-Eritrea-Ethiopia borders during the next week, which could help reduce deficits.

3) Despite some increase in rainfall over the past few weeks, the much delayed start to the rainfall season has resulted in drought, which has severely impacted ground conditions and already led to death in livestock across parts of north-central and eastern Ethiopia.

4) Widespread, heavy rain during the past few weeks has caused flooding over localities of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The forecast continued, heavy rain during the next week maintains elevated risks for flooding over many local areas of the region.

5) Abundant rain is forecast to continue over eastern Chad and western Sudan during the next week, heightening risks for flooding and potential waterborne disease outbreaks.