FAITS SAILLANTS

• Tournée du Gouverneur de la Région du Lac dans différentes localités de sa juridiction, dont Bagasola, Liwa, Tchoukoutalia et Daboua en date du vendredi 04 septembre 2015. Il affirmé que les forces de défense et de sécurité assurent un contrôle total sur la Région du Lac.

• Le sous-secrétaire général des Nations Unies et coordonnateur humanitaire régional pour le Sahel, Toby Lanzer, a achevé une visite de quatre jours au Tchad durant laquelle il s'est rendu au Lac pour y constater l'impact humanitaire de la crise dans le bassin du lac Tchad.

Le Service de la Commission Européenne à l'Aide Humanitaire et à la Protection Civile (ECHO) est l'un des soutiens les plus importants à l'action humanitaire du HCR au Tchad. Le partenariat du HCR avec ECHO couvre des projets bénéficiant aux réfugiés accueillis au Tchad à savoir les centrafricains, les soudanais, les nigérians ainsi que les retournés tchadiens de la République Centrafricaine. En ligne droite avec son objectif principal à savoir sauver et préserver des vies, prévenir et soulager les souffrances humaines et sauvegarder l’intégrité et la dignité des populations affectées par les catastrophes, qu’elles soient de cause naturelle ou humaine, ECHO a appuyé à hauteur de près de 1.3 million d’Euros le HCR Tchad pour la constitution d’un stock de biens domestiques et d’articles ménagers essentiels pour 30.000 nouveaux réfugiés qui seraient accueillis en 2015 au Tchad.

Niamey, Niger | AFP | Tuesday 9/15/2015 - 03:39 GMT

by Boureima HAMA

Eight months after Muslims rioted in Niger at a cost of 10 lives and many burned churches, efforts are afoot to mend ties with the Christian minority in the west African country.

The rampage was triggered in January when radical Muslims angered by caricatures of the Prophet Mohamed in French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo killed 12 people in an assault on the magazine's Paris offices.

In Niger, hundreds of Muslims took to the streets, clashing with police and razing 45 churches, five hotels, as well as bars and schools run by Christians. The French cultural centre in the second city, Zinder, was also set alight.

Muslims make up about 98 percent of the 17 million population in the deeply poor, landlocked nation south of the Sahara. Until the riots, they lived in peace with the small Christian minority.

However, the threat of armed Islamist activity is present both in the north, where Niger is prey to Al-Qaeda-linked groups in the desert, and the south, which has been attacked by Boko Haram fundamentalists from neighbouring Nigeria.

• 'Value of living together' -

Leaders of both faiths have been striving to restore strong community bonds by means of an inter-religious dialogue backed by a plan to "renew the value of living together" (REVE) funded by the European Union.

The aid organisation CARE International, based in the United States, is overseeing the REVE project "to prevent violence" on the ground and "strengthen peaceful coexistence", according to CARE chief in Niamey, Ibrahim Niandou.

"Committees for dialogue" have already been set up in the country's eight regions and their members reflect all religious tendencies, including "the most radical ones", Niandou said.

"Christians and Muslims mutually enlighten each other for better peaceful coexistence according to the recommendations of the Bible and the Koran," the national CARE chief added.

"It has become necessary... that really different religions, leaders of different religions, meet to talk," says Boubacar Seydou Toure, an influential member of the Islamic Association of Niger (AIN), the biggest such body and one of the oldest.

"You know what has happened over the past months in our country, and it is really down to misunderstanding each other," Seydou added.

Last week, the AIN hosted a peace forum bringing together about 100 Muslim religious jurists and doctors known as ulemas, Christian priests as well as theologians from both faiths.

"The crises are often triggered by religious leaders during their fiery preaching in the mosques and in the churches," Seydou explained.

Christian preacher Baradje Diagou said January's disturbances have heightened the need to co-exist peaceably.

"If we each keep to our own communities, it's very difficult for us to be able to understand one another," he said.

• Christians are 'more wary' -

This week, Roman Catholics and Christian evangelists met "around the same table" for the first time, also with social harmony in mind, said Boureima Kiomso, chairman of the Alliance of Churches and Evangelical Missions in Niger.

"Agreeing to listen to one another and to reexamine ourselves in order to move on together is very important," Kiomso added.

Inter-faith meetings may not be enough to stave off more religious unrest in Niger, where Islam has been gaining ground, with mosques being built in big towns and small villages.

Some radical Muslims do not care for a spread of Christian places of worship, notably evangelical ones, sometimes next door to their mosques.

The enrolment of youths from Niger in the ruthless Boko Haram sect, against which Niamey forms part of a regional military alliance, shows radical Islam has gained ground in the country.

Since February 6, Boko Haram and its local members have carried out attacks in the southern Diffa region, killing dozens of civilians and soldiers.

Diffa lies on the border with northeast Nigeria, where the Islamists have waged a bloody uprising since 2009.

While Niger makes ready for general elections in 2016, its security forces must also contend with the threat of jihadist movements coming across the border from Mali and Libya.

The Christian minority is "more wary" after the violence in January, Kiomso says.

"They have been forced to revise their positions and adapt to new conditions to be able to survive in Niger."

Adamou, a Muslim resident of the capital in the southwest, feels that "many Christians won the sympathy of Muslims who tolerated them badly" before the upheaval.

"I personally helped to rebuild a burned-down church," said Idi Ali, another Muslim citizen.

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Snapshot 9–15 September 2015

Afghanistan: The number of severely food insecure has risen to 1.5 million people, according to a new assessment. 7.3 million people are moderately food insecure. Food security among IDPs is worsening, with around 200,000 people reported to be in need of immediate assistance.

Iraq: 827,964 people were internally displaced in August, making up one-quarter of the total IDP population. The proportion of IDPs living in critical shelter arrangements increased by 2% in the second half of August. Reports of forcible evictions are increasing, and many governorates are enforcing restrictions on IDP movement. Half of all health personnel have left Anbar, Ninewa, Salah al Din and Diyala governorates.

Dominican Republic: At least 1.6 million people are now reported affected by the drought that has been impacting the country since 2014. The breakdown in the production of hydroelectrical power has caused energy blackouts nationwide, and water rationing is being implemented. Crop losses amount to tens of millions of dollars.

Updated: 15/09/2015. Next update 22/09/2015.

Global Emergency Overview Web Interface

NOUAKCHOTT – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a US$2 million contribution from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), allowing WFP to support nearly 50,000 vulnerable Malian refugees from October onwards.

“This contribution could not have come at a better time,” says Janne Suvanto, WFP Representative in Mauritania. “Our food stocks are at their lowest. Without this support, we would not have been able to provide food assistance to the Malian refugees as of October. This could have had disasterous consequences for this extremely vulnerable population, who is depending on aid to survive.”

USAID has donated more than USD 5.4 million since the beginning of 2015 to support Malian refugees in Mauritania, who are still unable to return to their homes due to continued insecurity and violence in their country. The new contribution will allow WFP to purchase nearly 1,540 tons of rice and 93 tons of oil for Malian refugees in Mbera camp.

Since 2012, WFP has worked closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Government, and non-governmental organizations to provide crucial assistance to Malian refugees who fled the conflict in northern Mali.

WFP provides monthly rations to all refugees to cover their basic food needs, along with fortified nutritious foods for children under five and pregnant and nursing women in order to treat and prevent moderate acute malnutrition. Children attending schools in the camp also receive a daily hot meal.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.

Follow us on Twitter: @WFP_WAfrica, @wfp_media

For more information please contact:
Marie-Joelle Jean-Charles, WFP/Mauritanie, mariejo.jncharles@wfp.org, +222 27093363
Adel Sarkozi, WFP/Dakar, adel.sarkozi@wfp.org, + 221 776375964

HIGHLIGHTS

Security and political context

• On 6 September 2015 armed Boko Haram suspects on motorcycles attacked neighboring villages of Muktum and Difhi (Ngarbuwa ward) in Gujba LGA of Yobe state. 4 persons were killed; several houses were burnt while unspecified numbers of cattle were rustled in Difhi villages.

• On Friday 11September 2015 at about 1115hrs, 2 female suicide bombers detonated PDIEDs strapped on their bodies at Malkohi IDP camp in Yola, Adamawa State. 7 people were killed and about 20 injured including a NEMA staff who was airlifted to Abuja for further medical treatment. Elsewhere on the same day in Madagali also in Adamawa State, a young man detonated a PBIED killing him and 4 other persons. This attack represents a major development where an IDP camp has been specifically targeted. All UNHCR staff are accounted for and the office is working with UNDSS to monitoring and evaluate the situation.

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 {p. 2}

Iraq {p. 4}

Sudan {p. 5}

South Sudan {p. 7}

Nigeria {p. 9}

Yemen {p. 11}

Burundi {p. 13}

CAR {p. 14}

DR Congo {p. 16}

Burma/Myanmar {p. 17}

Libya {p. 19}

Highlights

· The humanitarian situation in Diffa continues to be of concern and heavily impacted by the consequences of the situation in Nigeria, even if no major security incidents have been reported.

· In Diffa region, UNICEF continues to strengthen its interventions in collaboration with its partners. As of August and since the beginning of the year, a total 12,609 children under five suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) have received medical treatment; 8,565 displaced people and host communities have benefited from the construction of 437 emergency latrines, thus reducing their vulnerability to feco - oral diseases; 130,394 affected populations have been sensitized on hygiene promotion and have received hygiene kits; and 13,079 affected children have benefitted of psychosocial and recreational activities.

· In August Niger has been hit by heavy rains, causing floods which have severely affected over 50,000 people in 8 regions. UNICEF, in coordination with the Non-Food Items (NFI) Working Group and the Cellule de Coordination Humanitaire (CCH) of the Prime Minister’s Office, has provided NFI kits (plastic sheeting, blanket, mat, mosquito net, soap, bucket), to reduce the vulnerability of over 14,000 people. Preparations are on the way to assist an additional 6,500.

· As of 31st of July 2015 (week 26), 182,054 severely 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).

· UNICEF Humanitarian response remains underfunded. This may hamper UNICEF’s capacity to meet the needs of the expected 368,114 severely malnourished children (the height of the lean season is still ahead of us), as well as the 102,526 children displaced in Diffa region (IDPs, returnees and refugees from Nigeria).

Résumé

En octobre 2013, un atelier de révision du zonage des moyens d’existence organisé par le groupe de travail HEA national a réuni plusieurs organisations de la société civile (OSC), le système national d'alerte précoce (SAP ou EWS en anglais), des structures techniques des ministères de tutelle, des organisations non gouvernementales (ONG) et des agences de l'ONU. Une première version de la carte révisée en était sortie, avec comme résultat l’augmentation du nombre de zones de 13 à 19.

Enfin en décembre 2014, sous la supervision technique de FEWS NET, un atelier de validation a été organisé après une mission de terrain. Ledit atelier a revu certaines questions soulevées autour de la première version sortie en octobre 2013. Cet atelier a validé la carte révisée, avec une diminution des zones de moyens d’existence par rapport à la première version, faisant passer le nombre de zones de 13 à 17 zones au lieu de 13 à 19 zones.

Le présent rapport qui constitue un résumé des principales caractéristiques est la description de quatre des cinq nouvelles zones créées : la zone ML 13 (Centre-est mil et élevage) ; la zone ML 14 (Lacs mil et sorgho de décrue) ; la zone ML 15 (Ouest arachide, sorgho et maïs) ; et la zone ML 16 (Sud-ouest orpaillage et maïs). Le document de profils de 2009 sert de base aux anciennes zones qui restent sans changement.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Shelter a nd NFIs

• Mali situation: A pilot project called ‘Cash for NFI and Shelter’ was launched in the refugee camp of Mangaize.
  Instead of the direct distribution of NFI kits and shelters, beneficiaries will receive monthly cash (10,000 CFA / $17 USD) which they can use to purchase NFI and shelters materials based on their own needs.
  

Livelihood

• Mali situation: In parallel to the ‘Cash for NFI and Shelter’ project, a “Contract Approach” is being tested since August 2015 whereby livelihood support is linked to a commitment by the refugees to forfeit their right to assistance once the Income Generating project has come to an end.
  

Energy

• Nigeria situation: In Sayam Forage and Kablewa camps, sensitization campaigns concerning the use of gas have been carried out. Safe outdoor areas for cooking have been constructed for all households. The distribution of gas will begin in September. The use of gas has many benefits, including the increase of the purchasing power of the refugees, the fight against deforestation and support for peaceful relations between hosts and displaced.
  

Durable Solutions

• Nigeria situation: At the demand of the administration of two communes in the Diffa region – Chétimari and N’Guigmi – the UNHCR ‘Urbanization programme’ has been extended. UNHCR’s intervention aims to support the housing capacities of host communities, meaning their capacities to create the conditions to access land and housing ensuring a harmonious cohabitation.

• Mali situation: In 2013, UNHCR engaged the academic institution IFORD - based in Cameroon, to carry out an indepth analysis of the socio-economic profile of the Malian refugee population living in Niger. This exercise was repeated in 2015 to examine closely the evolution of the situation. The results show a net improvement of the socio-economic situation of the Malian refugees in Niger and will be used to inform future decision making.

• Mali situation: In August, UNHCR facilitated a new phase of voluntary repatriation for Malian refugees. 392 urban refugees in Niamey benefitted from this operation. Since the resumption of the facilitation in November 2014, amongst the 1,676 refugees who have sought the support of UNHCR to return to Mali, 1,128 were located in Niamey (67%). The others were located in Tabareybarey camp. The principle explanation for this is the place of origin of the urban refugees: 65% come from Gao, an area which is currently less susceptible to insecurity.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Having killed at least 7,000 people in Nigeria since January 2014, armed fighters belonging to Boko Haram - now officially the “Islamic State’s West Africa Province” – have brought their violence to Nigeria’s neighbours, including people living in the Far North region of Cameroon.

Boko Haram has disrupted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in northern Cameroon since early 2014, committing crimes under international law and human rights abuses, including wilful killings, attacks directed against civilian objects, misappropriation, looting and abductions. In addition, about 81,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes. The Cameroon government increased its security presence to counter these growing attacks.

However, while playing an important role in defending people threatened by Boko Haram, the response of the Cameroonian security forces has too often been heavy-handed and has failed to put in place all necessary safeguards to prevent crimes under international law and human rights violations being committed during their operations. As a result, many people have been victims of both parties.
This report documents both Boko Haram’s violent attacks and abuses against the population, and the Cameroonian government’s response, including crimes under international law and human rights violations committed by its security forces, and should be read in close connection with previous Amnesty International reports on the situation in north-east Nigeria.

Over 160 people were interviewed for this report, including during three Amnesty International research missions in northern Cameroon in February, March and May 2015, as well as follow-up research between June and August 2015. Those interviewed include victims and eyewitnesses of attacks committed by both Boko Haram and Cameroonian security forces, government officials, including the Minister of Justice, members of the security forces, journalists, human rights defenders, diplomats, humanitarian workers, and other various experts.

Amnesty International shared its findings with government authorities, both verbally and in writing, and continued to engage with the Cameroonian authorities during the drafting of this report. On 8 July 2015, letters were sent to the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Defence, the Head of the military in the Far North region, head of the National Police and head of the National Gendarmerie, with copies to the Secretary-General to the Presidency, requesting updated information on various cases. However, no response has yet been received from the Cameroonian authorities.

Paris, France | AFP | Wednesday 9/16/2015 - 13:31 GMT

by Marianne BARRIAUX

President Muhammadu Buhari told AFP Wednesday that Nigerian authorities were talking to Boko Haram prisoners in their custody and could offer them amnesty if the extremist group hands over more than 200 schoolgirls abducted last year.

The Nigerian leader added that he was confident "conventional" attacks by the group would be rooted out by November -- but cautioned that deadly suicide attacks, some of them waged by children, were likely to continue.

"The few (prisoners) we are holding, we are trying to see whether we can negotiate with them for the release of the Chibok girls," Buhari said in an interview in Paris during a three-day visit to France.

"If the Boko Haram leadership eventually agrees to turn over the Chibok girls to us -- the complete number -- then we may decide to give them (the prisoners) amnesty."

Boko Haram fighters stormed a school in the remote northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok on April 14 last year, seizing 276 girls who were preparing for end-of-year exams in an abduction that shocked the world.

Fifty-seven escaped, but nothing has been heard of the 219 others since May last year, when about 100 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video, dressed in Muslim attire and reciting the Koran.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has since said they have all converted to Islam and been "married off".

• 'Occasional bombings' won't stop -

Buhari, who has promised to stamp out the group's bloody six-year insurgency, said the government would not release any prisoners unless it was convinced it could "get the girls in reasonably healthy condition".

But he cautioned that negotiating with Boko Haram militants was fraught with difficulties.

"We are trying to establish if they are bona fide, how useful they are in Boko Haram, have they reached a position of leadership where their absence is of relevance to the operation of Boko Haram?" he said.

The insurgency, which has claimed more than 15,000 lives and forced 1.5 million others out of their homes, has intensified since Buhari came to power on May 29 on the back of a historic election win.

While the extremist group has lost territory it once controlled in northeastern Nigeria, the group has nevertheless stepped up deadly ambushes in its traditional heartland and across the border in Cameroon and Chad.

Suicide bombers have blown themselves up in bus stations, markets or at checkpoints, while improvised explosive devices have gone off in places like refugee camps, killing more than 1,100 people since Buhari's inauguration, according to an AFP tally. Children have often been used as bombers.

In August, the former military ruler gave a brand new set of military chiefs a three-month deadline to end the insurgency.

He said Wednesday he was confident this deadline would be respected -- but only on Boko Haram's "conventional" assaults and not necessarily on the random suicide attacks that have killed hundreds since he took office.

"The main conventional attacks, where Boko Haram use armoured cars they took from Nigerian troops, or mounted machine-guns on pick-ups and so on, we believe by the end of the three months, we will see the back of that," he said.

"What may not absolutely stop is the occasional bombings by the use of improvised explosive devices," he cautioned.

"We do not expect a 100 percent stoppage of the insurgency."

• Multinational force soon -

Nigeria is already involved in a military offensive launched earlier this year against Boko Haram alongside neighbours Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

But it is due to be replaced by a wider, 8,700-strong force drawing in the four countries plus Benin.

This so-called Multinational Joint Task Force had been due to deploy at the end of July, but has yet to materialise.

"Movement in that area now is extremely difficult, whether it's on foot or vehicular," Buhari said, pointing to the rainy season in the north which is normally ends around September.

"Both Boko Haram and ourselves are trying to see how we can get troops ready on the ground, equipped and so on before the end of the rainy season," he said, adding that by that time, soldiers from the force were expected to be in position.

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CAMEROON
AT LEAST EIGHT KILLED IN TWIN BLASTS
On 13 September, at least eight people were killed and 28 others injured in twin bomb attacks in Kolofata, a border town in Cameroon’s Far North region where Boko Haram insurgents have conducted numerous raids. The attacks were carried out by two assailants, according to media reports.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR)
TWO KILLED IN GRENADE ATTACK
On 9 September, unidentified gunmen on motorbikes threw grenades into crowds of people in the 6th district of Bangui, killing at least two people and injured many others The attacks occurred at a time of improvement of the security situation and recovery of economic activities in Bangui.

CONCERN EXPRESSED OVER EVICTION OF IDPS
On 15 September, the Humanitarian Coordinator and the humanitarian community in the Central African Republic publicly expressed serious concerns on the forceful eviction of 114 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Saint Jean Gabaladja site in Bangui, occurred on 12 September.

COTE D’IVOIRE
ONE KILLED IN VIOLENT POLL PROTEST
On 10 September, one person was killed and property destroyed during clashes between opposition protesters and police in several Côte d’Ivoire towns. The protests, which were the first major eruption of violence ahead of the 25 October presidential poll, came after the Constitutional Court released a list of 10 candidates cleared to run in the election.

SENEGAL
CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS REPORTED
On 9 September, the Senegalese government notified WHO of cases of chikungunya in the south-eastern Kédougou region. The virus began circulating on 27 August. Of the 14 suspected cases, 10 turned out positive for the virus which is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes and causes fever and severe joint pain.

EVD REGIONAL
4 NEW CASES IN SIERRA LEONE
On 11 September, Sierra Leone reported a new confirmed EVD case, a 16-yearold girl from the northern Bombali district where no case has been reported for over six months. 690 inhabitants have been put under quarantine On 7 September, in Kambia district also in the north, three new cases were reported.
All three are relatives of a woman who died of Ebola on 28 August, becoming the first death a week after the then last known EVD patient in Sierra Leone was discharged from hospital. No new cases were reported in Liberia although there are concerns over low reporting of suspected cases. In Guinea, for the first time since the outbreak, no new cases have been confirmed since 1 September.

CAMEROUN
AU MOINS HUIT MORTS DANS UN DOUBLE ATTENTAT
Le 13 septembre, au moins huit personnes ont été tuées et 28 autres blessées dans un double attentat à la bombe à Kolofata, une ville frontalière dans la région de l'Extrême-Nord du Cameroun où les insurgés de Boko Haram ont mené de nombreux raids. Les attaques ont été menées par deux assaillants, selon des sources médiatiques.

RÉPUBLIQUE CENTRAFRICAINE (RCA)
DEUX MORTS DANS UNE ATTAQUE À LA GRENADE
Le 9 septembre, des inconnus armés à moto ont lancé des grenades dans la foule dans le 6ème arrondissement de Bangui, tuant au moins deux personnes et en blessant beaucoup d'autres. Les attaques ont eu lieu au moment de l'amélioration de la situation sécuritaire et de la reprise des activités économiques à Bangui.

PRÉOCCUPATIONS CONCERNANT L’EXPULSION DE DÉPLACÉS
Le 15 septembre, le Coordonnateur humanitaire et la communauté humanitaire en République centrafricaine ont publiquement exprimé de sérieuses préoccupations sur l'expulsion forcée de 114 personnes déplacées internes (PDI) du site de Saint Jean Gabaladja à Bangui, qui a eu lieu le 12 septembre.

COTE D’IVOIRE
1 TUÉ DANS DES MANIFESTATIONS ÉLECTORALES
Le 10 septembre, une personne a été tuée et des biens détruits lors d’affrontements entre manifestants de l'opposition et la police dans plusieurs villes de la Côte d'Ivoire. Les manifestations, la première éruption majeure de violence avant le scrutin présidentiel du 25 octobre, surviennent après que la Cour constitutionnelle a publié une liste de 10 candidats autorisés à se présenter aux élections.

SENEGAL
VIRUS DU CHIKUNGUNYA SIGNALÉ
Le 9 septembre, le gouvernement sénégalais a notifié l'OMS de cas de chikungunya dans la région sud-est de Kédougou. Le virus a commencé à circuler le 27 août. Sur les 14 cas suspects, 10 se sont avérés positif pour le virus qui est transmis à l'homme par des moustiques infectés et provoque de la fièvre et des douleurs articulaires graves.

MVE REGIONAL
4 NOUVEAUX CAS EN SIERRA LEONE
Le 11 septembre, la Sierra Leone a signalé un nouveau cas confirmé de maladie à virus Ebola (MVE), une fille de 16 ans du district nord de Bombali où aucun cas n'a été signalé depuis plus de six mois. 690 habitants ont été mis en quarantaine. Le 7 septembre, dans le district de Kambia, également dans le nord, trois nouveaux cas ont été signalés. Tous les trois sont des proches d'une femme qui est morte du virus Ebola, le 28 août, devenant le premier décès une semaine après que le dernier patient MVE connu en Sierra Leone soit sorti de l'hôpital. Aucun nouveau cas n’a été signalé au Libéria malgré les préoccupations concernant un plus faible signalement des cas suspects. En Guinée, pour la première fois depuis la flambée de l’épidémie, aucun nouveau cas n'a été confirmé depuis le 1er septembre.

L'Essentiel

• La situation pluviométrique s’est nettement améliorée dans la majeure partie de la région. Cependant, certaines zones en particulier le sud du Bénin, du Ghana et du Togo, nord-ouest du Mali, au centre de la Mauritanie, au nord-est du Niger et nord-ouest du Tchad connaissent toujours des déficits de précipitations.

• Le cheptel reste affecté par la longue période de soudure particulièrement dans les zones qui ont connu des retards d’installation de l’hivernage (Frontière sud Mauritanie et Mali, le nord du Sénégal et est du Tchad).

• L’amélioration de la pluviométrie a provoqué des inondations qui ont affecté de nombreuses personnes au Burkina Faso, en Guinée, au Mali et au Niger.

• En Mauritanie et au nord Bénin une détérioration de la situation alimentaire et nutritionnelle a été rapportée.

• La disponibilité en céréales est satisfaisante au Sahel avec des craintes accrues dans le Golfe de Guinée dues à El Niño.

Many of the pesticides used in DESERT LOCUST CONTROL pose a risk to the environment and to human health, even if they are used judiciously.

To minimize the impact of pesticides use on human health and the environment, member countries of the FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Western Region (CLCPRO) established baseline environmental requirements that locust campaigns should comply with.

The endorsement of the Human and Environment Standards by eight countries of the CLCPRO has allowed a better management of pesticide stocks, the mapping of sensitive areas and the use of biopesticides in the region covered by the Commission.

Mali and Mauritania were among the first countries to meet the two most important requirements: developing their Pesticide Stock Management System (PSMS) and mapping of ecologically sensitive areas.