RÉSUMÉ

Au Burkina Faso, le warrantage en tant qu'outil d'accès au crédit et de sécurité alimentaire est mis en œuvre par des organisations paysannes à travers ce que l'on appelle le warrantage paysan. Les organisations établissent des accords directement avec les institutions de microfinances qui facilitent les crédits, en utilisant les produits agricoles comme aval de garantie pour le recouvrement. Les variations intra-annuelles des prix permettent, dans certains cas, de générer des bénéfices ou, tout au moins, de couvrir les frais associés à l'activité, tels que les dépenses de stockage et les frais bancaires. Celui-ci garantit la conservation des récoltes dans de bonnes conditions jusqu'à la période de soudure et permet en même temps l'accès de la population paysanne au crédit. Cette étude décrit le fonctionnement du warrantage paysan au Burkina Faso et procède à une analyse de viabilité économique de l'activité dans la région Centre Nord, basée sur le stockage de haricots, du sorgho, du mil et du maïs.

Les variations de prix ne sont pas toujours suffisantes pour couvrir les coûts liés à l'activité et dépendent de facteurs comme le type de produit entreposé ou la quantité de production selon les campagnes agricoles. Dans la région Centre Nord, quelques expériences de warrantage commencent à être mises en œuvre, soumises à une production agricole très vulnérable aux risques climatiques et à une production céréalière déficitaire. Dans cette région, en raison des conditions de production, les marchés subissent souvent des fluctuations au niveau des prix plus importantes que dans d'autres zones et le warrantage pourrait donc, a priori, être potentiellement plus rentable. Cependant, la faible production de céréales et les problèmes d'insécurité alimentaire de la population pourraient entraver la réalisation de cette activité dans la pratique. Sur le terrain, il existe d'autres facteurs en lien avec l'épargne et une meilleure gestion des ressources alimentaires et monétaires dans les familles, ce qui est d'autant plus intéressant pour les paysans et les paysannes, et qui entrent en jeu au moment d'évaluer la viabilité de l'activité au-delà des aspects purement spéculatifs. Tous ces éléments ont été repris dans le travail présenté ici, lequel souhaite contribuer à améliorer la compréhension des difficultés et des contributions de cette activité, et à décrire les éléments sociaux et culturels qui ont également une influence sur son fonctionnement.

La première partie du rapport décrit le fonctionnement du warrantage paysan au Burkina Faso, les facteurs à prendre en compte pour la réalisation du warrantage, abordés en termes de risques, et décrit finalement les activités génératrices de revenus qui sont souvent associées à l'acquisition du crédit obtenu à travers le warrantage et qui ont une importance cruciale dans le bilan final de l'activité.

La deuxième partie du rapport consiste en une analyse de viabilité économique du warrantage dans la région Centre Nord, centrée sur le stockage des quatre productions principales (haricots, sorgho, mil et maïs). Pour cela, on réalise une brève mise en contexte des prix et de la production agricole et une définition des scénarios d'analyse sur lesquels se base cette étude. Ensuite sont exposés les résultats de rentabilité et de viabilité économique de l'activité, aussi bien du stockage avec accès au crédit que du stockage comme mesure de conservation.
Finalement, une discussion est lancée pour évaluer les résultats de l'analyse monétaire, qui se conjuguent avec d'autres éléments de grande importance dans la réalité et la logique paysanne et qui doivent être pris en considération pour évaluer la pertinence de cette activité, ainsi que ses potentialités et les difficultés auxquelles elle doit faire face.

Dans la région Centre Nord, ainsi que dans d'autres zones du pays où le warrantage est consolidé, la fluctuation intra-annuelle des productions étudiées ne permet pas toujours de générer des bénéfices ni de couvrir les frais associés à l'activité. Le warrantage doit donc être considéré comme une activité qui permet l'accès au crédit et facilite la conservation des récoltes jusqu'à la période de soudure, mais pas comme une activité purement spéculative.

Bien que les bénéfices monétaires ne soient pas toujours évidents et qu'il peut y avoir des pertes, les facteurs en lien avec l'épargne, la possibilité de réaliser des activités génératrices de revenus pendant les mois de stockage, et une plus grande autonomie leur permettant de ne pas dépendre des crédits usuriers et autres activités, ont également un poids énorme sur la valorisation finale de l'activité. Tout cela offre des avantages aux paysans et paysannes au-delà des bénéfices potentiels du stockage en termes de spéculation. Dans ce sens, il serait très intéressant de continuer à travailler pour étudier toutes ces questions et pouvoir valoriser les bénéfices du warrantage au-delà de cette analyse.

La dernière partie du rapport consiste en un chapitre de recommandations basées sur les vérifications faites dans le cadre de cette étude. Il est proposé aux organisations et aux paysans ne pas considérer le warrantage comme une activité spéculative mais comme un système d'accès au crédit, de planifier correctement les AGR, de garantir une bonne estimation des besoins alimentaires des familles pendant la période de stockage, de tenir compte de la logique de l'agriculture paysanne dans la planification des campagnes et d’améliorer leurs capacités de gestion et de négociation. Aux IMF, il est recommandé qu'elles assument la souscription à une assurance pour les produits stockés, qu'elles respectent les dates de visites aux entrepôts pour les contrôles de qualité, la remise du crédit dans les délais et dans de bonnes conditions en termes de sécurité, ainsi que l’assouplissement des conditions de crédit.
Enfin, au gouvernement nous recommandons de collaborer à la construction d’un plus grand nombre d'entrepôts et d'établir des liens entre les réserves locales et nationales.

Highlights

• WFP reached 210,000 food insecure people in the Lake Chad Basin in August and planned to reach 367,000 in September.

• On 08 September, WFP signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), who had requested WFP to bolster their capacity to address the food security crisis in the north-east of the country. WFP is leveraging its operational expertise to build national capacity in Nigeria, and has deployed a team to Nigeria to support this partnership, which is currently working from Abuja and will be deployed to Maiduguri.

Submitted by Sam Worthington on Wed, 10/14/2015 - 12:28pm

This September, global leaders from 193 countries came together to agree on an ambitious set of universal goals to reduce poverty and inequality. The goals recognize that to build inclusive prosperity, the world must tackle hunger and malnutrition, particularly for the most vulnerable. The goals – called the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs for short – commit us towards zero hunger worldwide by 2030. As we celebrate World Food Day on October 16, let’s reflect on how we can achieve this ambitious target.

In the past 25 years, the world has made significant progress in stemming hunger. Together, we have cut the number of undernourished people by half. However, 795 million people still suffer from a lack of essential nutrients every day. One in nine people worldwide lack vitamins, minerals, and proteins to lead active and healthy lives. Fortunately, there are concrete steps that we can take to address chronic hunger globally.

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) play a vital role in the fight to end chronic hunger. In 2014 alone, InterAction members spent over $733 million in private donations from the American public and businesses towards ending hunger and improving nutrition. Members exceeded the spending rate with a 6% increase from their investments in 2013. In Mali, CARE partnered with local farmers to create community food banks to store surplus harvest. During lean season when food is scarce, farmers sold the stored food at a reasonable price to local people – ensuring families could eat.

Nutrition is an important piece of food security efforts. For every $1 we invest in nutrition, a country can get $16 in economic benefits in return. If we help families provide their children with good nutrition, the children are more likely to go on to obtain a good education, earn a living, and escape poverty. In 2014, InterAction members invested over $500 million in private resources towards nutrition-related projects alone. In Bangladesh, BRAC’s nutrition programs work to prevent child malnutrition through distributing nutrition packets to families and raising awareness amongst mothers about the health benefits of breastfeeding.

Governments around the world also have a key role to play. The U.S. government has been at the forefront in the fight to end chronic hunger, and it must continue this momentum. The U.S.'s Feed the Future initiative has made tremendous gains in the last five years. In 2013, the partnership of farmers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and civil society leaders meant 12.5 million children had better nutrition. This has helped create a foundation for prosperity and independence. To build upon these gains and ensure strong U.S. leadership in ending hunger and malnutrition, we must encourage Congress to pass the Global Food Security Act (H.R. 1567 and S. 1252).

To end hunger by 2030, NGOs, governments, private businesses, and universities need to think of new ways to work together. As we have witnessed since 1990, significantly decreasing hunger is possible. Now is the time for us to pave the pathway towards eradicating hunger and building more healthy, just, and peaceful societies for the future.

More for information on how you can encourage Congress to take action, follow InterAction’s new advocacy handle @NGOVoices on Twitter.

Amnesty International today announced the opening of its new national office in Nigeria, as part of a major drive to increase the impact of its human rights work in the country.

The establishment of Amnesty International Nigeria sets out a new way of working for the world’s leading human rights organization in the West African country. Responsibilities that were previously held in London have now been transferred to the new national office in Abuja which will act as the main base for the global movement’s research, campaign and communications work addressing human rights violations in Nigeria. The office has a staff of seven people and is led by M.K. Ibrahim.

“Nigeria has achieved remarkable things - but serious violations continue, unpunished. In establishing a permanent base in Nigeria, we want to send a clear message: Amnesty International stands in solidarity with the victims of human rights violations, alongside the individuals and organizations already fighting abuses,” said Amnesty International Secretary General, Salil Shetty.

"The new government has made promises of accountability, and we welcome that. Now, we must hold them to their words."

Amnesty International will campaign and lobby on a wide range of issues in Nigeria. These include the ongoing attacks and atrocities by Boko Haram, violations committed by the military and other security forces, use of torture, forced evictions and the right to adequate housing and the devastating impact of decades of oil pollution on communities in the Niger Delta.

Amnesty International Nigeria will also strengthen partnerships with national human rights organizations and support campaigning by civil society organizations across the country.

Former Ambassador M.K. Ibrahim brings a wealth of experience to the role of Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, having served in Nigeria’s Foreign Service in various capacities and specializing in human rights. Amnesty International Nigeria, under the direction of MK Ibrahim, will continue to work for the protection and promotion of human rights and social justice in the country, and hold the Federal and state governments to account through its campaigning, research projects and lobbying.

“From the relatives of the thousands killed and missing in north-east Nigeria to the thousands of villagers in the Niger Delta who cannot plant crops or drink clean water because of oil pollution, Amnesty International will stand in solidarity with all the people in Nigeria who face human rights violations and abuses,” said M.K. Ibrahim, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

“Having a permanent base in Abuja, will enable us to campaign harder, shout louder and deliver research and analysis into human rights abuses more rapidly than we could before. More than that, we will be able to stand in solidarity with Nigerian activists and human rights defenders who tirelessly seek justice and better rights for all in Nigeria.”

**Background **

Amnesty International Nigeria is one of only three national office models, developed as part of the decentralisation process of the Amnesty International human rights movement. The other two are Amnesty International Brazil and Amnesty International India. Regional offices have also been opened in Dakar, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Hong Kong and Mexico. These offices are major hubs for the organisation’s investigations, campaigns and communications. Amnesty International is a global movement of more than seven million people, with a presence in 84 countries around the world, including Ghana, Kenya, the USA and South Africa. As the world’s largest human rights organization, Amnesty International campaigns for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Amnesty International is independent of any political ideology, economic interest or religion.

In the coming months, Amnesty International will produce a series of reports on Nigeria, including on forced evictions and the right to adequate housing in Lagos, and the devastating impact of oil pollution in the Niger Delta.

Source: Reuters - Wed, 14 Oct 2015 23:25 GMT

Author: Reuters

NIAMEY, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Niger imposed a state of emergency on the southeastern region of Diffa on Wednesday where at least 40 people have been killed in recent weeks in attacks blamed on the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

Read more on AlertNet.

Author Elizabeth Bryant, Paris

Ahead of December's climate change conference, experts have warned about the effects of climate change on world security - and how fighting global warming can help foster peace. Elizabeth Bryant reports from Paris.

Encroaching desert and Boko Haram extremists. A punishing drought in Syria, pushing 1 million people to flee the countryside to cities already choked with war refugees. Scarce rains and sandstorms in China, forcing the country to import massive amounts of wheat…and sparking a spike in global prices that fed Egypt's 2011 revolution.

Just weeks before a key climate change conference in Paris, experts and defense ministers from more than a dozen nations gathered Wednesday for a rare meeting in the French capital to confront the toxic effects of climate change on world security.

"Climate change is a threat to peace," said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, describing a world where floods, desertification and droughts will intensify conflicts over ever-scarcer resources and spark a massive wave of environmental refugees.

The meeting included ministers from Chad, Niger, Haiti and the Seychelles, countries that are experiencing firsthand the threats and fallout of conflicts and climate-influenced catastrophes.

Benjamin Bewa-Nyog Kunbuor, Ghana's defense minister, spoke of forests where he used to play as a child now reduced to desert, rivers drying up and the country's tree cover shrinking to just a fraction of its size compared with half a century ago.

"Terrorism is significant, but naked hunger is as significant as terrorism," he said. "And the relationship between terrorist activities and naked hunger are obvious. If you look at the vectors of recruitment into terrorist cells, most of the most vulnerable are hunger-prone areas."

Scare resources

Nearly 150 nations have pledged to curb greenhouse gas emissions ahead of December's climate change summit in Paris. If carried through, experts say those cuts could limit global warming to 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) - 1 degree beyond the limit at which they warn the planet could face catastrophic weather events.

Also addressing Wednesday's meeting at the Military School in Paris, Niger's Defense Minister Mahamadou Karidjo described the nexus between climate change and the tangle of militant groups threatening the country, including Boko Haram, al-Qaida and the "Islamic State" group. All are directly linked to ever-scarcer resources, he said, as a creeping desert and vanishing arable land threaten the lives of millions of people.

The surface area of Lake Chad- a lifeline that provides water to the four Sahel countries it straddles, including Niger- has shrunk 90 percent from its size in 1962 due to drying conditions. Scarce water has helped to intensify poverty, poverty, hunger and insecurity, Karidjo said - making people living on its shores more vulnerable to Boko Haram extremists.

"The youth no longer listen to their parents. Increasingly, they become targets for Boko Haram terrorists," he said. "They become drugged, indoctrinated and return to their own villages to sow terror and insecurity."

For his part, Defense Minister Lener Renauld of Haiti, which is threatened by massive deforestation and rising sea levels as temperatures warm, said he was convinced "there's no plan B" to fighting climate change.

'Urgent and growing threat'

Even as experts say climate change is likely to intensify conflicts over increasingly scarce resources, they suggest mechanisms to fight global warming can help foster peace.

"Reducing our greenhouse gasses, developing renewable energy that's accessible to all countries, decarbonising our economies, engaging in energy transition is less a constraint than a chance to seize," said French Environment Minister Segolene Royal.

Officials described Wednesday's meeting in Paris as a first, but it comes as security risks are being increasingly factored into the climate change debate.

In July, a report by the US Defense Department called climate change an "urgent and growing threat" to national security, and this week NATO's parliament demanded stronger action by member states to tackle a warming planet.

In France, EELV Green Party Senator Leila Aichi organized a meeting this week between top military brass and environmentalists. French defense officials are lagging behind the Pentagon in confronting the risks and implications of climate change, she said, but they're heading in the right direction. "They're much more responsive on the question than politicians because they think in the long-term," she said. "The army is also in much closer contact with nature."

But, she added, security risks are not fully factored into climate change talks taking place ahead the Paris summit. Nor has the French military formally incorporated climate change into its defense strategy.

Olivier Dobbels, co-founder of Polarisk, a London-based consulting group that explores future risks in the Arctic and Antarctica, said he was doubtful about the military's ability to provide answers to climate change.

"They're prepared from an operational standpoint," Dobbels said, drawing parallels between the military's response to climate change and peacekeeping operations in Africa and elsewhere. "Peace enforcement, civilian protection, yes. But from a strategic standpoint, they don't have a strategy to bring solutions to climate change."

On October 14, 2015, Secretary Kerry submitted the 2014 International Religious Freedom Report to the United States Congress. Now in its 17th year, this congressionally-mandated Report comprises almost 200 distinct reports on countries and territories worldwide and continues to reflect the United States’ commitment to, and advancement of, the right of every person to freedom of religion or belief. The Report is available at www.State.gov and www.HumanRights.gov.

Key Developments

In 2014, non-state actors committed some of the world’s most egregious abuses of religious freedom and other human rights. Government failure, delay, and inadequacy in combatting these groups often had severe consequences for people living under significant and dire restrictions on, and interference with, their exercise of freedom of religion. Other concerning trends over the year included significant increases in the number of recorded anti-Semitic incidents, and increasing restrictions on religious liberty imposed under the pretext of combatting terrorism and violent extremism.

Non-State Actors’ Suppression of Religious Freedom

In the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia, a range of non-state actors including terrorist organizations, set their sights on destroying religious diversity. Members of religious minorities were disproportionately affected. In these regions, religious intolerance and hostility, often toxically mixed with political, economic and ethnic grievances, frequently turned violent, resulting in death, injuries, and displacement.

Government Violations, Abuses, and Restrictions of Religious Freedom

The 2014 Report notes a continuation of many restrictive governmental policies affecting religious freedom including laws criminalizing religious activities and expression, the threat and enforcement of blasphemy and apostasy laws, prohibitions on conversion or proselytizing, and stringent or discriminatory application of registration requirements for religious organizations.

Combatting Terrorism and Violent Extremism as Justification for Restrictions on Religious Practice

In numerous authoritarian countries around the world, regimes co-opted the language of preventing and countering terrorism and countering violent extremism in their efforts to neutralize and repress political opposition emanating from peaceful religious individuals or groups.

Positive Developments in 2014

While the IRF report aims to shed light on a broad range of limitations on the exercise of religious freedom, it also seeks to highlight positive actions taken by some governments and civil society to provide greater protections for religious minorities and to take measures to ensure the human rights of individuals to worship, practice, learn, teach, and believe, or not believe – according to their own conscience. Across the globe, religious, and civil society groups, as well as interfaith coalitions took steps to promote greater respect for religious beliefs, practices and diversity.

Read the Report at state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/ and HumanRights.gov/reports.

For more information, please contact Chanan Weissman at 202-647-4043 or weissmanc@state.gov or DRL-Press@state.gov. Learn more about U.S. government engagement on international religious freedom at www.HumanRights.gov, and by following Ambassador-at-Large David Saperstein on Twitter: @AmbSaperstein.

15/10/2015 - 08:59 GMT

Berlin envisage de renforcer son engagement auprès de la mission de l'ONU dans le nord de Mali (Minusma), a annoncé jeudi le ministère allemand de la Défense, sans confirmer toutefois les informations de presse évoquant l'envoi de troupes d'infanterie dans des zones dangereuses.

"L'Allemagne porte un intérêt particulier, en terme de politique de sécurité, à la stabilisation du Mali. Pour y contribuer, les ministères de la Défense et des Affaires étrangères envisagent un soutien accru" à la Minusma, a indiqué à l'AFP un porte-parole du ministère de la Défense.

Le gouvernement allemand avait déjà annoncé la semaine dernière une contribution renforcée à une série de missions des Nations unies en Somalie, Haïti, au Mali et dans le sud du Soudan, sans en dévoiler tous les détails.

Jeudi matin, le quotidien bavarois Süddeutsche Zeitung affirme, sur la foi d'un "document interne", que l'armée allemande pourrait envoyer début 2016 des troupes d'infanterie "principalement dans des zones où la menace est élevée".

Il s'agirait, alors que l'Allemagne n'a pour l'heure fourni que sept officiers et deux sous-officiers à la Minusma, l'une des missions les plus dangereuses des Casques bleus, de prêter main forte aux quelque 600 soldats néerlandais engagés dans le nord du Mali.

Le ministère a précisé qu'aucune décision sur le principe d'un engagement renforcé, "ou sur ses éventuelles modalités", n'avait été prise, confirmant seulement qu'une "mission d'exploration" avait été envoyée du 28 septembre au 5 octobre au Mali.

La Süddeutsche Zeitung évoque également l'envoi de drones de reconnaissance de type Luna X2000, une information non confirmée par le ministère de la Défense, et rappelle que le mandat actuel de l'Allemagne prévoit un plafond de 150 soldats engagés dans la Minusma.

L'Allemagne contribue également à la mission européenne de formation des soldats maliens dans le sud du pays, nettement moins dangereux, avec 200 soldats.

cfe/dsa/jlb

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Thursday 10/15/2015 - 11:23 GMT

Nigeria on Thursday welcomed a US decision to send up to 300 military personnel to Cameroon to help the regional fight against Boko Haram, despite having itself requested more direct help from Washington.

President Muhammadu Buhari's spokesman Garba Shehu said the deployment was a "welcome development" while the military said it demonstrated cooperation was needed against the Islamists.

US President Barack Obama on Thursday said 90 personnel had already been sent and the full contingent would conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

"The United States has given the pledge to support the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria and in the region," Shehu told AFP by telephone.

"This is the fulfilment of that pledge and we are very happy about it. The United States' move is quite commendable."

Military spokesman Colonel Rabe Abubakar added: "This is how the fight can be done collectively with partners cooperating with us to fight against a common cause -- terrorism -- which has been ravaging the region for some time now.

"We appeal to other nations to emulate the good example of the United States. The United States has experience in fighting terrorism.

"Fighting terrorism is not one nation's issue. It requires a global effort. We all need to work together... to fight this evil."

Buhari, who took office in May vowing to end the violence and on Wednesday met the US military's Africa Command chief General David Rodriguez in Abuja, has spearheaded efforts for a new, five-nation fighting force against Boko Haram.

The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) was due to be deployed in late July but the deadline passed with no new date announced for it to start.

The US announcement comes after the Islamic State group-allied militants have increased attacks against civilians using suicide bombers in border areas of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Diplomatic relations between Abuja and Washington were strained under Buhari's predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, over the United States' refusal to sell weapons to Nigeria.

Buhari repeated those criticisms in July on a visit to the US capital, asserting the embargo -- in place because of his military's human rights record -- was helping Boko Haram.

Washington last year provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance expertise to Nigeria in the hunt for more than 200 girls abducted from their school.

The assistance included drones and spy planes as well as up to 80 military personnel sent to Chad's capital, N'Djamena.

ade-phz/ser

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Bamako, le 15 octobre 2015: Le Haut Représentant de l’Union africaine (UA) pour le Mali et le Sahel et chef de Mission de l’UA pour le Mali et le Sahel (MISAHEL), Pierre Buyoya, a procédé, hier, 14 octobre 2015, au lancement d’un projet d’appui à l’éducation dans la région de Gao, dans le Nord du Mali. Ce projet sera exécuté par l’ONG CRADE (Cabinet de Recherche Actions pour le Développement Endogène). La cérémonie a eu lieu en présence des autorités régionales, y compris le Gouverneur et le Maire de Gao, ainsi que des responsables en charge de l’éducation, dont le Directeur de l’Académie d’Enseignement de Gao et la Directrice du Centre d’Animation Pédagogique, ainsi que de représentants de la Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée pour la stabilisation au Mali (MINUSMA) et du Bureau de Coordination des Affaires humanitaires (OCHA).

Le projet porte sur la distribution de kits scolaires à 3 500 enfants du cercle de Bourem. Le cercle Bourem a été choisi en raison de l’acuité des besoins dans cette zone, particulièrement au regard de la crise qui a affecté le Nord du Mali. Les responsables locaux ont exprimé leur appréciation à la MISAHEL pour le lancement du projet, qui facilitera la scolarité des enfants de Bourem. Le Gouverneur de la région a exprimé l’engagement des autorités à appuyer les acteurs de l’éducation dans sa région et a promis de suivre de près le bon déroulement du projet. Pour sa part, le Haut Représentant pour l’UA au Mali et au Sahel, après avoir rappelé l’engagement de l’UA au Mali dès le début de la crise politico-sécuritaire qui a affecté le pays, a déclaré: « L’UA a été avec vous lors de la libération, l’UA a été avec vous lors des négociations à Alger, l’UA restera avec vous dans le suivi et la mise en œuvre de l’Accord pour la paix et la réconciliation, l’UA est avec le peuple de Gao, elle est avec les enfants de Gao et soutient l’éducation, pilier pour la paix et le développement de tout pays».

À la suite de ces interventions, le Haut Représentant a procédé à la remise symbolique de kits scolaires aux bénéficiaires. La cérémonie a été clôturée par la présentation d’une motion de remerciement des enfants de Gao.

En marge de la cérémonie de lancement du projet, le Haut Représentant s’est entretenu avec le Gouverneur de Gao, afin de s’enquérir de la situation politico-sécuritaire dans la région. Le Haut Représentant s’est, en outre, entretenu avec le chef de bureau de la MINUSMA à Gao, qui l’a informé de l’évolution de la situation sécuritaire dans la région, insistant sur l’importance que revêt l’accélération de la mise en œuvre de l’Accord pour la paix et la réconciliation au Mali.

Le Haut Représentant a, enfin, rendu visite à l’antenne de Gao de l’Observatoire pour les Droits de la Femme et de l’Enfant (ODEF), une organisation qui bénéficie d’un financement de l’UA pour la mise en œuvre d’une campagne d’éducation et de sensibilisation des populations sur les violences spécifiques faites aux femmes.

Bamako, 15 October 2015: The High Representative of the African Union (AU) for Mali and the Sahel and Head of the AU Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL), Pierre Buyoya, on 14 October 2015, launched a project to support education in the region of Gao, in northern Mali. The project will be executed by the Non Governmental Organization (NGO) CRADE (Office of Research Action for Endogenous Development). The ceremony took place in the presence of the regional authorities, including the Governor and the Mayor of Gao, as well as of officials in charge of education, notably the Director of the Gao Education Academy and the Director of the Pedagogical Centre, and representatives of the United Nations (UN) Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and the Office of the Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The project focuses on the distribution of school kits to 3,500 children in the Bourem area. The Bourem area was chosen because of the acute needs on the ground, particularly in view of the crisis that affected the northern part of Mali. The local officials expressed their appreciation to MISAHEL for the launching of the project, which would facilitate education of children in Bourem. The Governor of the region expressed the commitment of the authorities to support education actors in the region and pledged to monitor closely the smooth implementation of the project. On his part, the AU High Representative for Mali and the Sahel, recalling the commitment of the AU to Mali since the outbreak of the political and security crisis which affected that country, stated: "The AU has been with you during the liberation struggle, the AU has been with you during the negotiations in Algiers, the AU will continue to stand by you in the monitoring and the implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation, the AU is with the people of Gao, it is with the children of Gao and supports education, a pillar for peace and development of any country."

Following these interventions, the High Representative handed over school kits to beneficiaries. The ceremony ended with a vote of thanks by the children of Gao.

On the margins of the ceremony for the launching of the project, the High Representative held talks with the Governor of Gao, in order to inquire about the political and security situation in the region. Furthermore, the High Representative conferred with the Head of the MINUSMA Office in Gao, who informed him about the evolution of the security situation in the region, stressing the need to expedite the implementation of the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali.

Finally, the High Representative visited the Gao branch of the Observatory for the Rights of Women and Children (ODEF), an organization that benefits from AU funding for the implementation of an education and awareness raising campaign about violence perpetrated against women.

• Des productions moyennes à bonnes sont attendues en Afrique de l’Ouest/Sahel.

• Poursuite de la baisse de l’indice FAO des produits alimentaires a été notée.

• Dans les zones affectées par l’insécurité civile et/ou par une soudure plus longue, l’accès à l’alimentation demeure préoccupant.

• Avec l’amélioration des perspectives de production, les prix des céréales sont restés stables de juillet à août.

Les perspectives de productions agropastorales sont globalement satisfaisantes malgré l’installation tardive de la saison des pluies.

Certains ménages ruraux parmi les plus pauvres ne pratiquent pas l’agriculture comme activité principale et donc ne profitent pas des conditions agricoles favorables.

La valeur de l'indice FAO des prix des céréales a baissé à son niveau le plus bas depuis juin 2010.
La situation alimentaire est globalement satisfaisante au Sahel et devrait s’améliorer à partir d’octobre-novembre grâce aux nouvelles récoltes.

Dans la région de Diffa au Niger, l’évolution de la situation alimentaire entre juin, juillet et août selon les zones agro-écologiques montre une détérioration plus marquée en zone agricole, où 46 pour cent des ménages sont concernés.

Au Sénégal, la situation alimentaire des ménages les plus pauvres demeure difficile au sortir de la période de soudure.

Le niveau général des prix demeure inférieur à la moyenne des 5 ans notamment grâce à l’abondance de l’offre issue des récoltes de l'an dernier

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Friday 10/16/2015 - 04:30 GMT

by Serge DANIEL

Former Tuareg rebels in northern Mali and rival pro-government armed groups said they sealed a peace deal Thursday to end hostilities after days of talks.

Mali was hit by violence between the two sides in August and September despite a peace deal signed earlier this year.

But jihadist armed groups still represent the main threat in the region, carrying out regular attacks and laying mines.

Officials from the Tuareg-led Coordination of Movements of Azawad (CMA) and the Platform, a coalition of pro-government groups, told AFP they reached agreement on a "pact of honour" after nearly three weeks of talks in Anefis, 100 kilometres (60 miles) southwest of the regional capital Kidal.

"We have held direct negotiations between us. We finished the meeting this evening (Thursday), everyone has made peace, starting with us, the Platform and the CMA," said Kidal member of parliament Ahmoudene Ag Iknass, a Platform supporter.

"The war is behind us. The Platform and the CMA have made peace, but other tribes or groups that had problems between themselves also made peace," Boubacar Ould Hamadi of the CMA said.

The two sides had fought for control of Anefis in violation of the peace agreement they had signed -- in May for the Platform and June for the CMA.

In a statement released Thursday, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA) welcomed "the series of meetings held in Anefis, from October 4 to 14, 2015, as part of a direct and constructive dialogue" between the two sides.

MINUSMA said it was encouraged by "the development which constitutes a qualitative step in the process of inter-Malian peace."

"This advance adds to the progress that has been made since the completion of the signing of the agreement for peace and national reconciliation in Mali, reaffirming the resolute march towards a lasting and inclusive peace," it said.

Divided into rival armed factions, plagued by drug trafficking and at the mercy of jihadism, Mali's desert north has struggled for stability since the west African nation gained independence in 1960.

In spring 2012 the north fell under the control of jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda who imposed a brutal interpretation of sharia law on the region, with the country reeling from a military coup.

The Islamists were largely ousted by an ongoing French-led military operation launched in January 2013, although they have since launched sporadic attacks on security forces from desert hideouts.

The French defence ministry said Thursday three special forces soldiers were wounded in a landmine blast this week in northern Mali.

Nine French soldiers have died in Mali where 1,300 French military personnel are deployed to fight the jihadists.

sd-cs/mba/mtp/iw

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

Au Mali, plusieurs services et programmes œuvrent dans le domaine de l’insertion professionnelle, néanmoins l’information et l’orientation professionnelle constituent un chainon manquant.

Il existe des opportunités d’emploi, d’auto-emploi ou de formations, mais les jeunes sont livrés à eux-mêmes et ont des difficultés à faire des choix professionnels pertinents. Face à ce constat et en vue de renforcer les activités développées dans le cadre de son Programme d’Appui à la Formation Professionnelle (PAFP), Swisscontact soutient le développement des Espaces Orientation Jeunesse.

Financé par les coopérations suisse et danoise, le PAFP phase IV (2015-2017) vise à former 40 000 personnes dont 10 000 jeunes sans emploi en vue d’une amélioration de leurs revenus et/ou de leur situation professionnelle. A cet effet, le PAFP appuie les collectivités territoriales dans leur rôle de pilotage et de financement de la formation en vue d’une consolidation et pérennisation des dispositifs régionaux de formation professionnelle. Orientées vers les besoins économiques locaux, les formations mises en œuvre donnent accès au marché du travail, soutiennent le développement d‘activités professionnelles génératrices de revenus et contribuent ainsi au développement économique local.

Pour améliorer l’insertion des jeunes sans emploi visés par le programme, Swisscontact appuie le développement d’un dispositif d’information et d’orientation professionnelle. Ce dispositif transversal permet aux jeunes d’obtenir suffisamment d’informations et d’appuis-conseils pour concevoir un projet professionnel, définir les étapes de sa réalisation et le mettre en œuvre. Les jeunes en manque de compétences qui présentent un projet professionnel pertinent peuvent ainsi être orientés, en connaissance de cause, vers les formations soutenues dans le cadre du PAFP.

Appuyée par le PAFP, l’Agence pour la Promotion de l’Emploi des Jeunes (APEJ) a ainsi ouvert, en juillet 2015, les six premiers Espaces Orientation Jeunesse (EOJ). Présents dans le district de Bamako et la commune urbaine de Mopti, les conseillers d’orientation des EOJ accueillent tous les jeunes de 15 à 40 ans en quête d’information liée à l’insertion professionnelle. La phase test de 2 ans (2015-2017) devrait servir d’expérimentation pour le Ministère en charge de la formation professionnelle et de l’emploi.

Source: Swisscontact - Mali

i 16/10/2015 - 12:39 GMT

La France va octroyer environ 300 millions d'euros supplémentaires d'aide au Mali, notamment pour le développement du nord du pays, dont le président Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta sera la semaine prochaine à Paris, a-t-on indiqué vendredi de source diplomatique française.

"On va annoncer environ 300 millions d'euros jusqu'en 2017, dont une partie substantielle pour le Nord", où l'ex-rébellion à dominante touareg et les groupes armés pro-gouvernementaux viennent de sceller la paix, a déclaré cette source.

Cette somme, dont le versement va s'étaler de la mi-2015 à la fin 2017, s'ajoutera aux 300 millions d'euros de prêts et aides déjà accordés par la France lors de la conférence des donateurs pour le Mali en mai 2013 à Bruxelles.

La France présentera cette nouvelle aide lors d'une conférence de l'OCDE (Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Économiques) pour la relance économique et le développement du Mali, jeudi, à Paris.

L'Union européenne, principal bailleur du Mali, la Banque mondiale et la Banque africaine de développement (BAD) feront aussi des annonces à cette occasion.

M. Keïta a été reçu à plusieurs reprises en France depuis son élection, notamment lors d'une visite officielle en octobre 2013, mais il aura droit cette fois à tous les honneurs d'une visite d'Etat.

Il s'entretiendra mercredi avec le président François Hollande, le président du Sénat, Gérard Larcher, et le ministre de la Défense, Jean-Yves Le Drian, et interviendra à l'université de la Sorbonne avant un dîner d'Etat à l'Elysée.

Après la conférence de l'OCDE jeudi matin, M. Keïta se rendra à l'Ossuaire de Douaumont, en Lorraine (est), où reposent des soldats maliens de la Première guerre mondiale. Environ 80.000 Maliens ont été mobilisés dans les rangs de l'armée française sur les deux conflits mondiaux et 17.000 y ont trouvé la mort, dont l'arrière grand-père du président Keïta en 1917.

La visite d'Etat du président malien "tombe à un moment important dans le règlement de la crise (malienne) avec une accélération de la mise en oeuvre des accords d'Alger depuis septembre après des débuts difficiles cet été", a souligné la source diplomatique française.

L'accord de paix d'Alger a été signé au printemps par le gouvernement et les groupes rebelles touareg du Nord pour mettre fin au conflit au Mali. Mais des accrochages meurtriers ont ensuite opposé groupes armés pro-gouvernementaux (rassemblés au sein de la Plateforme) et rebelles de la Cordination des mouvements de l'Azawad (CMA).

Ces groupes rivaux ont finalement annoncé jeudi soir avec scellé la paix après plusieurs jours de pourparlers. Ces accords sont censés ramener la stabilité au Mali, près de trois après le début de l'intervention militaire à l'initiative de la France (janvier 2013) contre les jihadistes qui avaient pris le contrôle du nord du pays.

Ces groupes ont été dispersés et en grande partis chassés depuis mais certains continuent de mener des actions isolées dans le nord (attaques, mines) et effectuent désormais une poussée vers le centre et le sud.

vl/nou/fra

Save The Children (NGO) donates wash Items to Sanda Kayrimi camp Nema North East NEMA Camp Management Yola ‪#‎NEMANIGERIA‬

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso | AFP | Friday 10/16/2015 - 19:19 GMT

by Romaric Ollo HIEN

A month after a bloody attempted coup, Burkina Faso said Friday a general loyal to ousted ex-president Blaise Compaore accused of leading the putsch would be prosecuted on a range of charges, including "crime against humanity".

The development comes as the interim government tries to turn a page on the short-lived putsch and uncover the truth about the death of the country's charismatic former leader Thomas Sankara, just six weeks ahead of landmark presidential and parliamentary elections.

Colonel Sita Sangare, in charge of military justice, told reporters that 11 charges had been filed against General Gilbert Diendere including an unspecified "crime against humanity".

Diendere is accused of leading a power grab by elite presidential guards loyal to ousted head of state Blaise Compaore on September 17. The general, who headed the force, was Compaore right-hand man during much of his 27-year rule.

Burkina Faso was brought to the brink of chaos for six days before the coup collapsed when its leaders admitted they lacked popular support. The presidential guard has since been disarmed and formally disbanded.

According to government figures, 14 people were killed and 251 injured in the unrest.

Sangare also said they may yet prosecute Compaore over the murder of his iconic predecessor Thomas Sankara in 1987.

"For now, former president Compaore is not being pursued (in the Sankara case), but it is not ruled out that it could happen," he said.

Sankara, a revolutionary figure who is still a hero to many in west Africa, was killed in mysterious circumstances.

A lawyer for his family said on Tuesday that an autopsy showed his remains had been riddled with bullets.

"There were more than a dozen all over the body, even below the armpits," Ambroise Farama said.

• Death mystery -

The fate of Sankara -- dubbed Burkina's "Che Guevara" -- has been a thorny issue for decades.

Critics of Compaore accuse him of orchestrating the murder of his former comrade-in-arms and then covering up the deed.

Sankara's death certificate stated the 37-year-old former army captain died of "natural causes".

Several reports have since suggested he was executed by a hit squad at government headquarters on October 15, 1987 -- an account that appeared to be supported by the results of the autopsy.

Sankara and 12 former aides were exhumed at a cemetery in Ouagadougou in May.

About a thousand people turned out in the capital on Thursday night to mark the anniversary of Sankara's death, the first such commemoration in public since Compaore's fall.

Compaore himself was ousted by a campaign of street protests last year after attempting to extend his near-three decades in power.

He was replaced by an interim government, led by Michel Kafando, which this week announced that presidential and parliamentary elections initially set for October 11, but delayed by the failed coup, would go ahead on November 29.

Amnesty International has demanded troops behind the coup be punished for violence against civilians.

"(They) displayed a cold-blooded disregard for human life, killing 14 unarmed protestors and bystanders and wounding hundreds more with automatic weapons," the rights group said in a statement on Wednesday.

A total of 23 people have been charged over the putsch, the military prosecutor said.

Among those charged are members of Diendere's elite guard and high-ranking political figures such as Djibrill Bassole, former foreign affairs minister, and Colonel Sidi Pare.

On Friday Commander Alain Jean-Claude Zagre was appointed to replace Pare as the junior minister in charge of security.

Colonel Sangare also said the failed coup leader's wife Fatou Diendere, whose candidacy for the parliamentary vote has been rejected by the constitutional court, is being prosecuted.

And the Ouagadougou residence of Guillaume Soro, president of Ivory Coast's parliament and a protege of Compaore, was raided by police on October 6, Sangare said.

Soro has not been seen for at least a year at his residence in the Burkinabe capital.

roh/pgf/ser/pdw

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

This Operation has been modified as per Budget Revision 6 (see attachment).

In Burkina Faso, 40 percent of the population of 14 million live below the poverty line. Food insecurity affects 50 percent of households, and is increasing in the urban areas. The nutritional status of children under 5 remains a concern: prevalence of global acute malnutrition is above 10 percent and stunting nearly 30 percent.Child and maternal mortality are among the highest in the world. Illiteracy is widespread, especially among women, and large regional disparities persist, particularly in primary school enrolment.

The most food-insecure regions – Sahel, North and East – will be targeted with a view to reduce chronic food insecurity and support disaster prevention measures and emergency preparedness. The components of country programme 200163 are: i) support for primary education; ii) nutritional support for vulnerable groups; iii) support for the rural economy in the context of climate change; and iv) enhancing the agricultural sector through local procurement and support for food fortification and processing. The programme was defined together with the Government and is aligned with the existing national programmes and priorities identified in the Government’s Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Sustainable Development 2011–2015 concept note. It will contribute to the first and second outcomes of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2011–2015), which aims to support pro-poor economic growth and the development of human capital.

The country programme addresses seven Millennium Development Goals and WFP Strategic Objectives 2, 4, and 5.

Cash transfers will account for 20 percent of WFP assistance. Market analyses and WFP’s experience in the voucher pilot in 2009–2010 indicate that cash-based interventions should have a comparative advantage over food where market conditions are favourable. Cash transfers have been marginally more cost-efficient than food transfers and may be considered more effective in meeting objectives such as increasing dietary diversity. Cash interventions support the government policy of developing a social protection strategy and leveraging the private sector.

The development of national capacities to tackle food insecurity and undernutrition is a cross-cutting element of the country programme, and it ensures gradual hand-over to the local and national authorities. The budget is based on an estimate of regular contributions and additional resources to be raised by the country office.

HIGHLIGHTS

Threat to Lives of IDPs in Taraba/Plateau States

• Taraba State Governor recently instructed traditional rulers to ensure that all IDPs return to their places of original residence and that all lands confiscated from IDPs or returnees be returned to them.

• A number of IDPs thereafter returned and attacks against them have been reported, with at least 7 civilians killed.

• There were also reports of killings of returnees to the state, as they were engaged in clearing their farmlands and rebuilding their houses.

• In Plateau State, daily communal clashes between herdsmen and local farmers have resulted in the killing, maiming and displacement of civilians, as well as destruction of 25 entire villages.

Continued insecurity situation

• Protection Monitoring Summary of August 2015 has revealed forced displacements, killings, security incidents, destruction of property and arbitrary detentions as most prevalent protection abuses.

• Following the 11 September attack in Malkohi Camp in Yola, Adamawa State, and ensuing PSWG discussions on enhanced security measures towards IDPs in camps, UNHCR, as lead for the PSWG, proposed an initial draft of recommendations for enhancing security and protection at IDP sites.

• PSWG members are providing input to the draft recommendations to be compiled and thereafter presented to the Inter-Sector Working Group (ISWG) and discussed with the Humanitarian Country Team.