Executive Summary

The outlook for 2016 is grim. Millions of civilians, uprooted from their homes by violent and prolonged con ict, will remain in desperate need of protection and humanitarian assistance. About 60 million people are displaced around the world, and more than a quarter of these displacements are due to the con icts in Iraq, South Sudan and Syria. Con ict has scarred people’s lives, robbed them of dignity, and shattered economies, livelihoods and vital infrastruc- ture, including health facilities and schools. Humanitarian partners require $20.1 billion to meet the needs of over 87.6 million people in 37 countries around the world.

In Syria, an estimated 13.5 million people need humanitarian assistance, including food, health care and shelter, and 70 per cent of the population remains without regular access to safe drinking water. Of the Palestinian refugees in Syria, 62 per cent are displaced and almost all depend on aid for their basic needs. In Iraq, the number of people who need protection and humanitarian assis- tance has doubled in the past year to 10 million. More than 3 million people living in ISIL-controlled territory are in need of assistance, yet humanitarian access in Iraq remains severely restricted by insecurity. In Libya, 2 million people need health assistance, but at least 20 per cent of all hospitals are closed, and up to 60 per cent of hospitals in con ict areas have been inaccessible or closed over the last six months.

In Yemen, grave violations and human rights abuses continue to be committed by all parties to the con ict. By mid-October, health facilities had reported over 32,300 casualties, including more than 5,600 deaths — an average of 153 injuries or deaths every day. Child deaths and inju- ries have increased vefold compared with last year. With more than 12 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, stranded migrants and food-insecure people, Yemen is a ashpoint for migration worldwide. But despite this, people are still willing to make the risky journey to Yemen: over 11,000 people arrived in October.
In South Sudan, food insecurity has reached its highest level since the con ict began. About 3.9 million people, or 34 per cent of the population, are severely food insecure — an 80 per cent increase from 2014. For the rst time, catastrophic-level food insecurity at the household level was reported for 40,000 people in the areas worst affected by ghting, where humanitarian workers’ access is limited. If access does not improve, the outlook for 2016 is bleak.

In CAR, some 2.3 million people (more than half of the population) require immediate humanitarian assistance. A quarter of the population remains displaced, with an estimated 480,000 IDPs and close to 450,000 refugees in neighbouring countries. CAR has one of the world’s most serious protection crises: human rights violations occur on a daily basis, especially against children, women, IDPs and minority groups. In neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), at least 8.2 million people are affected by the crisis.

Cameroon continues to host 323,000 refugees from CAR and Nigeria. This is in addition to the 92,000 people displaced following the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram. The number of food-insecure people has now more than doubled since June 2015 to 2 million people, 250,000 of whom require immediate food assis- tance to survive.

The current crisis in north-eastern Nigeria, precipitated by Boko Haram-related violence, is affecting some 14.6 million people. The situation in the Sahel countries shows no improvement. Seven of Mauritania’s 13 regions have excessive levels of malnutrition. In neighbouring Senegal, one in six people is food insecure. In Gambia, wasting among children under age 5 has signi cantly increased from 6.4 per cent in 2005 to 11.5 per cent today. Humani- tarian funding urgently needs to be scaled up.

Despite the extreme challenges and severe access restrictions, humanitarian organizations continue to reach more people than ever. During 2015, humanitarian partners in Sudan assisted more than 2 million people with health services and some 3.1 million people with food and agricultural inputs. Over 25,000 newly displaced house- holds and 120,000 South Sudanese refugees received shelter materials and essential household supplies. Some 83,000 children under age 5 were treated for severe acute malnutrition, and 1.6 million people were given access to improved drinking water. But despite donors’ generosity, the gap between needs and funding has continued to grow, and there is no quick x. The funding gap means that 1.2 million sick and injured people in Libya will not be able to access health care. Nearly 100,000 children will miss out on an education, and millions will continue to be exposed to threats to their safety and dignity. In Afghanistan, the funding gap means a further reduction in reach to the esti- mated 1 million malnourished children (current treatment reaches fewer than 30 per cent of children in need).

Underfunding also means that more children die before their fth birthday and suffer stunting due to malnutrition. More women die in childbirth; more people suffer from preventable diseases; more children lose the opportunity to build a future through education; and less protection is given to the most vulnerable displaced people, increasing the risk of sexual abuse and exploitation, especially for girls and women. It also means that more farmers are forced to use their seeds for food instead of crops, starting another cycle of poverty and deprivation.

Addressing underfunding requires a range of measures.It will mean adjusting the approach to protracted crises and disasters, including those in middle-income countries. Potential solutions include leveraging diverse funding sources; using the right mix of nancial instruments for each situation and investing more in preparedness. Funding mechanisms, such as the Central Emergency Response Fund and the country-based pooled funds, can effectively support a rapid humanitarian response and underfunded emergencies. The use of cash programming will ensure an ef cient, cost-effective response that gives people dignity and choice.

Faced with ever-growing needs, we rely on the interna- tional community, Governments and the public to give their support and resources — nancially and in kind — to allow us to continue humanitarian action. Our shared aims are to end suffering, meet the immediate needs of crisis-affected people, keep them safe from harm and enable them to live in dignity.

(Geneva, 7 December 2015): More than 125 million people in the world need humanitarian assistance. Through collective and coordinated action, aid organisations aim to bring urgent help to more than 87.6 million of the most vulnerable and marginalized of them in 2016. This will require a record US$20.1 billion in funding – five times the amount a decade ago.

“Suffering in the world has reached levels not seen in a generation. Conflicts and disasters have driven millions of children, women and men to the edge of survival. They desperately need our help,” said Stephen O’Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, launching the Global Humanitarian Overview 2016 in Geneva. “UN agencies and our partners are committed to do everything we can to respond quickly and effectively to the urgent needs of affected people, families, and communities. They count on us all today for their tomorrow. I urge the international community to respond generously again to our call for funding to allow us to do the job.”

The humanitarian appeal is the culmination of a global effort in which hundreds of organisations delivering food, shelter, medicine, protection, emergency education and other basic assistance to people in conflict- and disaster-affected regions come together to assess needs, decide response strategies and present their plans to donors. At the start of 2016, the plans span responses in 37 countries.

Conflicts in Syria, Iraq, South Sudan and Yemen will remain among the greatest drivers of prolonged humanitarian needs in 2016, fueling new displacement within countries and across borders. Worldwide, the number of people forced to flee their homes has already reached 60 million, a level previously unknown in the post-World War II era.

“Mass movement of people, be it refugees or people fleeing within their own countries, has become the new defining reality of the 21st century,” said High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres. “The international humanitarian system is all too often the only safety net that exists for people fleeing wars. It has to be funded on a scale that’s realistic and commensurate with today’s immense challenges. It is clear that with the present level of resources, we are not able to provide even the very minimum in both core protection and life-saving assistance.”

So far in 2015, international donors have provided $9.7 billion to the global appeal but it represents only 49 per cent of the requirements which in the course of the year rose to $19.9 billion. Humanitarian organizations approach the end of this year with a funding gap of a record $10.2 billion - the largest gap ever.

“The number of people now affected by conflicts and other crises is unprecedented, with an unprecedented impact on their health,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “WHO and its partners are committed to ensuring that everyone - especially women and children - get the health care they desperately need. But we urgently require more funding in order to do so.”

Dr. Ahmad Faizal Perdaus, Chair of the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) and President of Mercy Malaysia, said: "Humanitarian response must be understood as an investment in people, not as a sunk cost. Investing to help those in need provides returns however we measure it – in human life and dignity it’s priceless of course, but also in financial terms. The real price being paid today is by those who are hungry, are without safety, fleeing war and terror."

The Global Humanitarian Overview 2016 documentation, including an online version of the appeal document and global funding map, can be found on www.unocha.org/stateofaid

Appeal document deep link (PDF format): http://bit.ly/1OMQMQy

Note to the editor

The humanitarian appeal 2016 is based on response plans and strategies in 27 crises: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, occupied Palestinian territory, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.

Central African Republic, Burundi, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen are crises that affect entire regions and their neighbouring countries are included in regional response plans raising the number of countries included in the plans to 37.

Jens Laerke Spokesperson OCHA Geneva Phone: +41 22 917 11 42 Mobile: +41 (0)79 472 9750 Email: laerke@un.org Twitter: @JensLaerke

Description of the disaster

On 12 December 2014, 10 cases of cholera were reported in the Chetmari area of Diffa region of Niger. By 14 December 2014, 91 cases and four deaths had been reported and by 20 December 2014, this had risen to 183 cases.

The Regional Public Health Director of Diffa (DRSP) reported 292 cases (including 17 deaths) (DRSP / Diffa final epidemic report). On 6 February 2015, due to the evolving insecurity situation in the Diffa region, which has included incursions by the Boko Haram group into Niger, all activities in Diffa region were suspended The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), as the lead agency in the region, have continued to monitor the security situation.

On 5 March 2015, following a meeting between all Movement partners operating in Diffa, it was agreed that activities could be resumed in accordance with a new “intervention strategy for Diffa region”, which will prioritize: awareness raising / sensitization, distribution of water purification tablets and oral rehydration solutions (ORS), provision of hygiene items and disinfection of latrines in health centres / schools.

On 24 December 2014, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) released CHF 261,637 from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support the Red Cross Society of Niger (NRCS) respond to the needs of the affected population. This DREF operation was intended to support 3,000 households (15,000 people) in the Diffa region, with heath and care, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion activities; over a period of three months. On 20 March 2015, an Operations Update was issued to extend the timeframe of the DREF operation and to enable NRCS to contribute to the complete eradication of the epidemic. In accordance with the new intervention strategy, which included a revision to the schedule as per the Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA). Even though the epidemic had been brought under control (Ministry of Public Health), the probability of cases spreading remained high as a result of the continuing influx of refugees from Nigeria, movement of people within the Diffa region, and prevailing poor hygiene practices. From 23 March – 11 April, the IFRC Niger country representation’s operations manager carried out a 10-days mission to the Diffa region, with the intention of assessing the situation, prioritizing relevant activities, and establishing with movement partners a new operational strategy. The operational strategy was reviewed, and thus some activities were removed and replaced with new activities, taking into consideration the epidemiological situation, the security conditions, the accessibility to beneficiaries, and the finances available. On 24 April 2015, another Operations Update was issued to enable the revision of the operation strategy (as above).

This DREF has been replenished by the Belgian Red Cross/Government, Canadian Red Cross/Government, Netherlands Red Cross/Silent Emergencies Fund and Spanish Red Cross/Government AECID. The major donors and partners of the DREF include the Red Cross Societies and governments of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the USA, as well as DG ECHO, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) the Medtronic, Zurich and Coca Cola Foundations and other corporate and private donors. The IFRC, on behalf of the Red Cross Society of Niger would like to extend many thanks to all partners for their generous contributions.

Chad: Deadly attack in Koulfa Island, Lake Chad

MSF teams providing support to the Chadian Ministry of Health

London, 7 December 2015– A triple suicide attack that took place on the island of Koulfa in the Lake Chad area in Chad on Saturday morning has reportedly killed 30 people and wounded up to 200. Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams present in the area immediately mobilised to provide support to the Chadian Ministry of Health.

The attacks took place at around 10am local time on Saturday in busy market areas. Wounded people had to be evacuated by boat as there was no easy access to the remote and isolated island. They were first taken to Guitté, a town on the shores of Lake Chad. Forty-two patients were transferred to the district hospital of Mani, a town on the border with Cameroon. The most severely wounded who required advanced surgical care - 36 in total, including 14 children - were transferred by ambulance to the capital, N’djamena.

“This is one of the biggest attacks we have seen in the area in recent months,” says Federica Alberti, MSF’s head of mission in Chad. “In Mani, the hospital did not have enough space or medications and equipment to deal with the number of wounded. An MSF team composed of a surgeon, a doctor and a nurse and two logisticians arrived Sunday afternoon to support the Ministry of Health in the response and teams are now working around the clock to provide lifesaving care.”

MSF installed three tents with a total of 30 beds to expand the capacity of Mani Hospital. On Sunday afternoon, the team assisted the hospital staff in providing surgical care for 37 wounded patients. The MSF logistics team also ensured that electricity and running water were available to support the medical activities.

In N’djamena, to where the 36 severely wounded were transferred, MSF is supporting the General Hospital and Liberty Hospital. Teams are also supporting the Mother and Child Hospital where eleven children are currently in a serious condition. In all three hospitals, MSF teams have donated essential medications and surgical supplies to assist the Ministry of Health in the response.

Note to editors:

MSF has been working in Chad since 1981, and currently runs regular medical programmes in Abéché, Am Timan and Moissala. In March 2015 in the Lake Chad region, MSF launched an emergency response for people displaced due to violence by Islamic State’s West Africa Province, also known as Boko Haram. Teams are now based in Baga Sola and Bol. In N’djamena, MSF also supported Ministry of Health hospitals following suicide bomb attacks that took place on 15 June and 11 July. Since April this year, MSF has been training Ministry of Health staff on the management of mass casualties in order to increase their capacity to respond to emergency situations. Similar training has also recently been carried out in Abéché Regional Hospital, and surgical kits have been donated.

MSF teams are also currently present in several locations in the four countries bordering Lake Chad. In northern Nigeria, MSF is providing essential medical care to displaced and host communities in Borno and Yobe states. MSF is running health facilities in Minawao, Mora, Mokolo and Kousseri in North Cameroon. Lifesaving medical care is also provided in the Diffa region of Niger.

Objectifs de l’enquête

• Mettre à jour les indicateurs clé de la sécurité alimentaire

• Analyser et apprécier la situation de la sécurité alimentaire et les moyens d’existence

• Produire des informations fiables et de qualité qui seront utilisées lors du prochain du Cadre Harmonisé

• Apporter une réponse objective aux questions suivantes :
  o Qui est en situation d’insécurité alimentaire ou de vulnérabilité ?
  o Combien de personnes sont en situation d’insécurité alimentaire ou de vulnérabilité?
  o Où vivent ces personnes ?
  o Pourquoi sont-elles en situation d’insécurité alimentaire ou de vulnérabilité ?
  o Que peut-on faire pour améliorer leurs conditions de vie et renforcer leurs moyens de subsistance?

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Monday 12/7/2015 - 16:36 GMT

by Phil HAZLEWOOD

Nigeria's government has vowed to end the Boko Haram insurgency by this month but the deadline looks likely to be missed as attacks persist with little sign of an effective regional response.

President Muhammadu Buhari gave his military commanders the target in August to build on apparent gains in recapturing territory seized by the Islamists in 2014.

But despite further claimed successes since then and a reduction in the group's trademark hit-and-run attacks, there has been no let-up in deadly suicide and bomb attacks.

"I think it's pretty impossible for them to meet the deadline," said security analyst Fulan Nasrullah, who tracks the conflict. "Boko Haram is still in control of Borno North senatorial district.

"There are still attacks occurring in Chibok, Buratai, Gwoza (in Borno state) and Buni Yadi (in Yobe), as well as in the Gulak region of northern Adamawa."

Nigeria's army is still trumpeting its successes, however, and at the weekend announced the arrest of about a dozen suspects it said were part of Boko Haram "sleeper cells" in the capital, Abuja.

It also said it had again begun operations against Boko Haram bases "deep inside" the Sambisa Forest in Borno, despite indications fighters have now moved to islands on Lake Chad.

• 'Worthless' deadline - Imposing a deadline in the first place took many observers by surprise.

Buhari, a retired army general and former military ruler, had consistently vowed to approach the conflict differently from his predecessors.

The previous administration under Goodluck Jonathan made repeated pledges of a swift end to the conflict, all of which came and went, hitting military and government credibility.

Buhari promised to restructure the military, which was hit by complaints that money and weapons were not reaching frontline troops despite massive government defence spending.

Yet apart from redeploying the high command to the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, and a claimed upsurge in the morale of troops, there have been few signs of an immediate overhaul.

Since announcing the deadline, Buhari has been more cautious. In September, he accepted guerrilla-style tactics will persist and on Monday told army top brass the deadline "should serve as a guide".

For Ryan Cummings, chief Africa analyst at the Red24 risk consultancy, an artificial deadline was "worthless" given the regional nature of the conflict.

Boko Haram's expansion into neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger, underlined the need for multilateral rather than unilateral action and greater coordination, he said.

"There are many dynamics at play which makes it very difficult to assess when the insurgency will be truly be ended," he said.

"But an imminent end to the Boko Haram crisis seems a very unlikely development at this stage."

Nasrullah said Nigeria's military was still focusing on defeating Boko Haram as a conventional fighting force and little, if anything, had been done to tackle the insurgency's root causes.

"The Nigerian military is not in any way prepared to fight the kind of war that's being fought. Boko Haram see it as a religious ideology.

"Physical combat is just one facet of the whole war."

• Regional inaction - A coordinated, regional approach to ending the insurgency still looks far off, even after an increasing wave of suicide and bomb attacks outside Nigeria.

At least 17,000 have been killed since the conflict began in 2009 and some 1,500 in Nigeria since Buhari took office in May, according to an AFP tally.

A new 8,700-strong Multi-national Joint Task Force (MNJTF) comprising troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin was supposed to have been deployed in late July.

But the African Union-backed force has yet to start operations, with no reason given for the lengthening delay and questions over whether the countries have the resources to commit.

Boko Haram, pushed out of northeast Nigeria, also poses a potential international threat, after its leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group in March.

Nnamdi Obasi, senior Nigeria researcher at the International Crisis Group, said the lull in attacks since late October lends weight to Nigerian military claims the militants were in disarray.

He agreed attacks would likely continue into 2016, widening a climate of fear both in the places affected and further afield and handing ammunition to Buhari's political opponents.

"It appears that he is repeating the mistakes made by the Goodluck Jonathan regime... by making promises that he can't keep and being conspicuously silent, some may even say indifferent, to the acts of mass violence Boko Haram continues to perpetrate within Nigeria's borders," he added.

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© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

REGIONAL OVERVIEW

Introduction

Violence in northern Nigeria and across the Lake Chad Basin has intensified in 2015 and the situation continues to deteriorate. Many people fleeing widespead and indiscriminant attacks on civilians are seeking safety in neighbouring countries, but the spillover of terror and economic instability is compounding the refugee crisis, and the humanitarian situations in Cameroon, Chad and Niger continue to deteriorate. In 2015, the terrorist group Boko Haram expanded its attacks across the region and has continued to commit indiscriminate attacks against civilians, including numerous suicide bombings, looting, extractions and abductions, which have fuelled fear, mistrust and suspicion among the affected populations and led to the harassment and stigmatization of certain groups. Attacks throughout the year have further led to the scaling-up of military operations in all affected countries, including by the Multinational Joint Task Force, and continued tightening of security measures, such as road blocks, military deployment, burqa bans, curfews and so called humanitarian evacuations in the Lake Chad Region, especially from Cameroon. These measures have resulted in further forced displacement and a considerable number of Nigerian nationals who were and are being returned to their home country.

UNHCR and other humanitarian actors have repeatedly emphasized with Governments that such return operations, if not voluntary, may be in contravention of international protection principles and even constitute an act of refoulement.

The Lake Chad Region is characterized by a harsh living environment with difficult topographic conditions, extreme poverty, weak public services and food insecurity, due among other factors, to limited crop production and farming opportunities, water shortage and challenges related to the provision of energy such as firewood. Intensified insecurity, military operations and displacements across the region have disrupted trade, fishing, farming and other income generating activities, laying the ground for an economic crisis, and further exacerbating the humanitarian situation.

Furthermore, the high density in certain areas as well as poor sanitation resulting from make-shift settlements makes these areas susceptible to epidemic outbreaks.

The Nigeria 2016 Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP) outlines the strategy to protect and assist refugees and other vulnerable people affected by the ongoing conflict in north-eastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin. It promotes the transition from emergency assistance to more durable solutions by supporting respective national development plans in the Lake Chad Basin region. The RRRP is a coordinated effort by UN agencies and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, and also serves as a joint platform for advocacy and fundraising for all actors involved.

The 2016 RRRP contains country chapters for Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, with detailed information on achievements made and challenges faced in 2015.

It presents harmonised planning figures on refugees and members of impacted host communities in all three countries, as well as on returning Niger nationals and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Niger, outlining the most urgent protection and humanitarian needs of people affected by the situation in the region. Moreover, the country chapters include detailed sector plans jointly developed by response partners, and the respective financial requirements of each partner in the interagency response. The coordination structures in each country, based on UNHCR’s Refugee Coordination Model (RCM), are also presented.

KADUNA/DAKAR, 7 December 2015 (IRIN) - Boko Haram translates as “Western education is forbidden,” so it is perhaps unsurprising that a disproportionate number of teachers become victims of the Nigerian militant group. Hundreds have been killed, while many more have fled the violence.

A UNICEF report in mid-September revealed that Boko Haram attacks had displaced 1.4 million children across the region. Meanwhile, girls as young as 11 have been employed as suicide bombers, sent into crowded market places or mosques to blow themselves up, instructed to take as many others with them as they can. Boko Haram only came to many people’s attention when it kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from a secondary school in Chibok.

See: Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide

But while the mass abduction, the millions displaced, and the relentless suicide attacks have received most of the headlines, the exodus of teachers and the disintegration of the education system could be a longer-lasting legacy of Boko Haram that sets northeastern Nigeria back a generation.

Teachers in the crosshairs

Schools and universities have been particular targets of the Islamist militant group since it began its insurgency in 2009.

More than 1,100 schools have closed or been destroyed since the start of 2015 across the Lake Chad Basin region, which also encompasses parts of neighouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Northeastearn Nigeria has been worst hit. Many of the abandoned buildings now shelter the internally displaced.

Between 2009 and October this year, Boko Haram murdered more than 600 teachers in northern Nigeria, according to the Nigerian Union of Teachers. Another 19,000 teachers have fled their posts because of the violence. About half of the deaths occurred in Borno State alone. Countless more teachers have been threatened, injured or kidnapped.

“Don’t forget, in the northeast, there was a shortage of qualified teachers before the crisis,” stressed NUT President Michael Olukoya.

Living in fear

“I have been a teacher for 20 years now, but I’m always afraid to attend class,” 42-year-old Ahmadu Abba, who works at the Jajiri Government Day School in Maiduguri, told IRIN. “Most of our colleagues have been killed or injured.”

Classes are held just two days a week now, and when school is in session armed guards stand at the entrance.

“If you are inside the school, you feel safe,” Abba said. “But outside school premises is always dangerous because you don’t know what will happen next or if you are being trailed. Many times I have felt like quitting my job because of my safety.”

Government officials declined to comment directly on the security situation but said they had been meeting with community leaders and local “vigilante” groups, urging them to report any suspicious activity.

A spokesperson for Kaduna State’s police command said the unit had organised a series of security workshops with schools and had deployed additional officers to patrol school grounds.

But Olukoya, the head of the teachers’ union, called for more to be done, telling IRIN: “To check further bloodshed and loss of teachers, the federal government must beef up security around public schools across the country.”

Hadiza Bashir, a widowed mother-of-seven, works at a primary school in Maiduguri.

“As a teacher, I’m always concerned about my safety because the insecurity is a thing of worry for all of us in the city,” she told IRIN. “The school I teach [at] has no fence or guard to check those going in and out… anybody can just go in and plant anything.”

Many teachers refuse to even consider working in the northeast until things improve.

“I recently rejected an offer to work at Gashua, the federal university in Yobe State, because of the security situation,” said Shehu Ahmed, a professor who currently works in the northwest. “I felt it would be too risky for me to work there.”

Doctors too

It is not just teachers who have fled the conflict zone. Many doctors have gone too.

Nigeria and India together accounted for more than one third of all maternal deaths in 2015. Nationwide in Nigeria, for every 100,000 live births, 814 women die, according to the latest figures from the United Nations Population Fund [ http://www.unfpa.org/world-population-dashboard ].

There are no figures for maternal mortality rates in the northeast, but they are likely to be disproportionately high, as an estimated 61 percent of global maternal deaths happen in places where there is a humanitarian crisis, according to the UNFPA.

The Nigerian Demographic Health Survey found that 90 percent of women in the northeast who conceived between 2009 and 2013 didn’t have pre- or post-natal check-ups, citing fears of Boko Haram attacks, intimidation by security agents at checkpoints, or destroyed local clinics.

Kabir Muhammed Abdullahi is the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative’s team leader for Kaduna State. He told IRIN that if a maternal and newborn mortality study was “thoroughly carried out” in the northeast, the numbers would be even higher than feared.

“This is because people ran away from their livelihoods,” he said. “They are denied access to health services.”

Ninety percent of people who flee have taken refuge outside the camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), making it more difficult for the government and aid workers to reach them with services. Even within the camps, the maternity situation is worrisome.

“There are women delivering in IDP camps without necessary health support,” Abdullahi told IRIN. “These IDP camps don’t have the capacity to provide skilled birth attendants. The government must… intervene to provide effective services so as to save women and children’s lives.”

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Sub-regional Humanitarian Overview

Throughout North East Nigeria and across the border regions in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, children are in critical danger. Insecurity caused by the conflict between the armed group commonly known as ‘Boko Haram’, military forces and civilian self-defense groups in North East Nigeria has escalated into a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Around 1.4 million children have been displaced by conflict and violence representing nearly 60% of the displaced population (nearly 2.4 million). The slight decrease from the last update is due to fluid situation in Nigeria, where there has been a small decrease in number of IDPs (IOM DTM Oct 2015). In North East Nigeria alone, around 1.1 million children have left their homes. The number of children who have been uprooted in Cameroon, Chad and Niger is approximately 220,000 after their villages were attacked or threatened. Families have often been left with little else than the clothesthey were wearing.

Every day children across North East Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon are missing out on their childhood. They are at risk of being trapped in a cycle of violence - separated from their families, exposed to exploitation and recruited by armed groups. Many children have been killed, maimed and subjected to unimaginable atrocities. Young women and girls have been abducted, subjected to forced marriage, physical and psychological abuse, forced labor and rape.

The humanitarian situation continues to be worrisome with worsening food insecurity combined with limited access to education, safe drinking water, child protection and health services. In the most affected areas, health centers have been damaged or destroyed. Many health workers have fled while others are not able to access those in need, leaving many families without health services, such as routine immunization, maternal and child care. Children are at risk of dying from diarrhea, malaria or malnutrition.

Across the four countries, more than 1,100 schools are closed or facing major disruption of services due to the conflict. Teachers and students have been deliberately targeted; many classrooms have been damaged, looted or occupied.
Since the beginning of this year, there has been a sharp increase in both the frequency and intensity of bombings in North East Nigeria and more recently in Chad (lake region), Niger (Diffa), and Cameroon.

Women and girls are involved in approximately three-quarters of the attacks. Children do not instigate the bombings; they are used, often without knowing, to carry bombs that were strapped to their bodies and detonated remotely in public places.

Yenagoa, Nigeria | AFP | Monday 12/7/2015 - 21:11 GMT

Violence, fraud and the kidnapping of election officials have forced a partial re-run of a vote for a new governor in former president Goodluck Jonathan's home state, the electoral body said Monday.

Voters went to the polls on Saturday in the southern state of Bayelsa but the election was extended into Sunday because of unrest in the Southern Ijaw local government area.

Rival supporters of incumbent governor Seriake Dickson, of Jonathan's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), clashed with those of former governor Timipre Sylva, from President Muhammadu Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC).

One woman was shot dead, according to police. Unofficial reports said at least four people died.

The local commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Baritor Kpagih, said the vote in Southern Ijaw was "substantially marred by violence, ballot box-snatching and hostage-taking of electoral officers".

He added: "This falls short of internationally acceptable thresholds for credible elections.

"Consequently, the commission has decided, in the interest of the integrity of the process, to cancel the governorship election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.

"A new date for the conduct of the election in the area will be announced."

The vote was being closely watched after an inconclusive election for the Kogi state governorship two weeks ago also saw claims of fraud and the sudden death of the APC candidate when he was poised to win.

The new APC candidate was eventually declared winner on Sunday after a partial re-run of the vote in 90 disputed areas.

In Bayelsa, returning officer Zana Akpagu said results from seven of the eight local government areas showed the PDP ahead of the APC by 105,748 votes to 79,594.

There were 120,827 voters in Southern Ijaw.

Jonathan won more than 98 percent of the vote in Bayelsa during his unsuccessful re-election bid in March.

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© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

(Genève, 7 décembre 2015): Plus de 125 millions de personnes dans le monde ont besoin d’aide humanitaire. A travers une action collective et coordonnée les organisations humanitaires visent en 2016 à apporter une aide d’urgence à plus de 87,6 millions de personnes parmi les plus vulnérables et marginalisées. Cela demandera un financement de 20,1 milliards de dollars américains – soit cinq fois le montant demandé il y a dix ans.

« La souffrance dans le monde a atteint des niveaux jamais vu en une génération. Les conflits et les catastrophes ont poussé des millions d’enfants, de femmes et d’hommes à la limite de la survie. Ils ont désespérément besoin de notre aide », a dit Stephen O’Brien, Secrétaire général adjoint des Nations Unies aux affaires humanitaires et Coordonnateur des secours d’urgence en lançant l’appel humanitaire global 2016 à Genève.

« Les agences onusiennes et leurs partenaires sont déterminés à faire tout ce qu’ils peuvent pour répondre de manière rapide et efficace aux besoins urgents des personnes, familles et communautés touchées. Ils comptent sur nous aujourd’hui pour leur futur. J’exhorte la communauté internationale à répondre une nouvelle fois généreusement à notre appel de financement afin que nous puissions faire notre travail. »

L’appel humanitaire est le point culminant d’un effort global dans lequel des centaines d’organisations qui fournissent aide alimentaire, abris, médicaments, protection, éducation d’urgence, et toute autre forme d’assistance de base aux populations dans les régions touchées par les conflits et catastrophes se rassemblent pour évaluer les besoins, décider des stratégies de réponse, et présenter leurs plans aux donateurs. Les plans de l’appel humanitaire global 2016 prévoient une réponse dans 37 pays.

Les conflits en Syrie, Irak, Soudan du Sud et au Yémen resteront parmis les plus grands facteurs entraînant des besoins humanitaires en 2016, provoquant de nouveaux déplacements à l’intérieur des pays et à travers les frontières. A travers le monde, le nombre de personnes forcées de quitter leurs foyers a déjà atteint 60 millions, un niveau jamais connu depuis la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

« Les mouvements massifs de population, qu’il s’agisse de réfugiés ou de personnes se déplaçant à l’intérieur de leurs pays, sont devenus la nouvelle réalité du 21ème siècle », a dit le Haut Commissaire aux réfugiés António Guterres. « Le système humanitaire international est trop souvent le seul soutien qui existe pour les personnes fuyant la guerre. Il doit être financé de manière réaliste et conforme aux immenses défis d’aujourd’hui. Il est clair qu’avec le niveau de ressources actuel, nous ne sommes pas à même de fournir ne serait-ce que le minimum de protection et d’assistance d’urgence. »

Jusqu’ici en 2015, les bailleurs de fonds internationaux ont fourni 9,7 milliards de dollars à l’appel global, couvrant uniquement 49 pourcent des besoins qui ont augmenté dans le cours de l’année jusqu’à 19,9 milliards de dollars. Les organisations humanitaires approchent la fin de cette année avec un déficit de financement de 10,2 milliards de dollars – le plus important déficit rencontré jusqu’à présent.

« Le nombre de personnes affectées par les conflits et autres crises est aujourd’hui inégalé, avec un impact sans précèdent sur leur santé », a dit Dr. Margaret Chan, Directrice générale de l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé. « L’OMS et ses partenaires sont engagés à s’assurer que tout le monde – particulièrement les femmes et les enfants – accède aux soins médicaux dont ils ont désespérément besoin. Mais pour cela, nous avons urgemment besoin de plus de financement. »

Dr. Ahmad Faizal Perdaus, Président du Conseil International des Agences Bénévoles (ICVA) et Président de Mercy Malaysia, a dit: « La réponse humanitaire doit être comprise comme un investissement dans les personnes, pas comme un coût. Investir pour aider ceux dans le besoin apporte des retours, quelque soit la façon de le mesurer – en vie humaine et dignité c’est inestimable bien sûr, mais aussi en termes financiers. Le véritable prix payé aujourd’hui est celui payé par ceux qui ont faim, qui ne sont pas en sécurité, qui fuient la guerre et la terreur. »

La documentation sur l’Appel Humanitaire Global 2016, y compris une version en ligne du document et une carte du financement global, est disponible sur www.unocha.org/stateofaid

Lien du document de l’appel: http://bit.ly/1OMQMQy

Note à la redaction:

L’appel humanitaire 2016 se base sur des plans de réponse et stratégies dans 27 crises: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, République centrafricaine, Tchad, République démocratique du Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopie, Gambie, Guatemala, Haïti, Honduras, Irak, Lybie, Mali, Mauritanie, Myanmar, Niger, Nigéria, le Territoire palestinien occupé, Sénégal, Somalie, Soudan du Sud, Soudan, Syrie, Ukraine et Yémen.

Les crises en République centrafricaine, au Burundi, Nigéria, Soudan du Sud, Syrie et Yémen affectent des régions entières et leurs pays voisins sont inclus dans des plans de réponse régionaux ce qui augmente le nombre de pays compris dans l’appel à 37.

Pour plus d’informations, merci de contacter:

Jens Laerke, OCHA Genève, laerke@un.org , Tel: +41 (0)22 917 11 42, Cell: +41 79 472 9750 Adrian Edwards, UNHCR Genève, edwards@unhcr.org , Tel: +41 (0)22 739 8741, Cell: +41 79 557 9120 Karin de Gruijl, UNHCR Genève, degruijl@unhcr.org, Cell: +41 79 255 9213 Tarik Jaserevic, OMS Genève, jasarevict@who.int, Cell: +41 79 367 6214 Nan Buzard, ICVA, nan.buzard@icvanetwork.org, Tel: +41 (0)22 950 9600 Les communiqués de presse d’OCHA sont disponibles sur : www.unocha.org or www.reliefweb.int

Résumé Analytique

Les perspectives sont sombres pour 2016. Des millions de civils, arrachés de chez eux par des conflits violents et prolongés, continueront à avoir désespérément besoin de protec - tion et d’assistance humanitaire.

Environ 60 millions de personnes sont déplacées dans le monde et plus d’un quart de ces déplace - ments est dû aux conflits sévissant en Irak, au Soudan du Sud et en Syrie. Les conflits ont laissé des cicatrices dans la vie des gens, leur ont volé leur dignité, ont détruit leurs économies, leurs moyens de subsistance et leurs infrastructures vitales, notamment les établisse - ments sanitaires et scolaires. Les partenaires humanitaires ont besoin de 20,1 milliards de dollars pour répondre aux besoins de plus de 87,6 millions de personnes dans 37 pays dans le monde.

En Syrie, on estime à 13,5 millions le nombre de personnes ayant besoin d’assistance humanitaire, dont des vivres, des soins de santé et des abris et 70 pour cent de la population n’a toujours pas un accès régulier à une eau potable saine.

Concernant les réfugiés palestiniens en Syrie, 62 pour cent sont déplacés et presque tous dépendent de l’aide pour leurs besoins essentiels. En Irak, le nombre de personnes ayant besoin de protection et d’assis - tance humanitaire a doublé l’année dernière pour passer à 10 millions.

Plus de 3 millions de personnes vivant sur le territoire contrôlé par l’Etat Islamique d’Irak et du Levant (ISIL/EIIL) ont besoin d’assistance et pourtant, l’accès humanitaire en Irak reste fortement limité à cause de l’insécurité. En Libye, 2 millions de personnes ont besoin d’assistance humanitaire mais au moins 20 pour cent de tous les hôpitaux sont fermés et jusqu’à 60 pour cent des hôpitaux dans les zones de conflit sont inaccessibles ou fermés depuis plus de six mois.

Au Yémen, de graves violations et des enfreintes aux droits de l’homme continuent d’être perpétrées par toutes les parties au conflit. A la mi-octobre, les étab - lissements de santé avaient fait état de plus de 32.300 victimes, notam - ment plus de 5.600 décès et une moyenne de 153 blessures ou décès chaque jour. le nombre d’enfants blessés ou décédés a été cinq fois plus nombreux que l’année précé - dente. Avec plus de 12 millions de personnes déplacées à l’intérieur du pays, de réfugiés, de migrants bloqués et de personnes vivant en situation d’insécurité alimentaire, le Yémen est une poudrière en termes de migration dans le monde. Mais, malgré cela, les personnes sont toujours prêtes à se lancer dans un périlleux voyage vers le Yémen et plus de 11.000 personnes sont arrivées en octobre dernier.

Au Soudan du Sud, l’insécurité alimentaire a atteint son niveau le plus élevé depuis le début du conflit.
Environ 3,9 millions de personnes, soit 34 pour cent de la population, vivent dans une grave insécurité alimentaire – soit une augmentation de 80 pour cent depuis 2014. Pour la première fois, une insécurité alimen - taire d’un niveau catastrophique au niveau des ménages a été rapportée pour les 40.000 personnes vivant dans les zones les plus gravement touchées par les combats où l’accès des travailleurs humanitaires est limité. Si cet accès ne s’améliore pas, les perspectives seront très sombres pour 2016.

En République Centrafricaine (RCA), quelque 2,3 millions de personnes (plus de la moitié de la popula - tion) ont besoin d’une assistance humanitaire immédiate. Un quart de la population reste déplacé et l’on estime à 480.000 le nombre de personnes déplacées dans le pays et à près de 450.000 le nombre de réfugiés dans les pays voisins.

La RCA traverse l’une des plus graves crises de protection dans le monde : des violations des droits de l’homme sont commises chaque jour, en particulier à l’encontre des enfants, des femmes, des personnes déplacées et des groupes minor - itaires. Dans la République démocra - tique du Congo voisine, au moins 8,2 millions de personnes sont affectées par la crise.

Executive Summary

The outlook for 2016 is grim. Millions of civilians, uprooted from their homes by violent and prolonged con ict, will remain in desperate need of protection and humanitarian assistance. About 60 million people are displaced around the world, and more than a quarter of these displacements are due to the con icts in Iraq, South Sudan and Syria. Con ict has scarred people’s lives, robbed them of dignity, and shattered economies, livelihoods and vital infrastruc- ture, including health facilities and schools. Humanitarian partners require $20.1 billion to meet the needs of over 87.6 million people in 37 countries around the world.

In Syria, an estimated 13.5 million people need humanitarian assistance, including food, health care and shelter, and 70 per cent of the population remains without regular access to safe drinking water. Of the Palestinian refugees in Syria, 62 per cent are displaced and almost all depend on aid for their basic needs. In Iraq, the number of people who need protection and humanitarian assis- tance has doubled in the past year to 10 million. More than 3 million people living in ISIL-controlled territory are in need of assistance, yet humanitarian access in Iraq remains severely restricted by insecurity. In Libya, 2 million people need health assistance, but at least 20 per cent of all hospitals are closed, and up to 60 per cent of hospitals in con ict areas have been inaccessible or closed over the last six months.

In Yemen, grave violations and human rights abuses continue to be committed by all parties to the con ict. By mid-October, health facilities had reported over 32,300 casualties, including more than 5,600 deaths — an average of 153 injuries or deaths every day. Child deaths and inju- ries have increased vefold compared with last year. With more than 12 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, stranded migrants and food-insecure people, Yemen is a ashpoint for migration worldwide. But despite this, people are still willing to make the risky journey to Yemen: over 11,000 people arrived in October.
In South Sudan, food insecurity has reached its highest level since the con ict began. About 3.9 million people, or 34 per cent of the population, are severely food insecure — an 80 per cent increase from 2014. For the rst time, catastrophic-level food insecurity at the household level was reported for 40,000 people in the areas worst affected by ghting, where humanitarian workers’ access is limited. If access does not improve, the outlook for 2016 is bleak.

In CAR, some 2.3 million people (more than half of the population) require immediate humanitarian assistance. A quarter of the population remains displaced, with an estimated 480,000 IDPs and close to 450,000 refugees in neighbouring countries. CAR has one of the world’s most serious protection crises: human rights violations occur on a daily basis, especially against children, women, IDPs and minority groups. In neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), at least 8.2 million people are affected by the crisis.

Cameroon continues to host 323,000 refugees from CAR and Nigeria. This is in addition to the 92,000 people displaced following the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram. The number of food-insecure people has now more than doubled since June 2015 to 2 million people, 250,000 of whom require immediate food assis- tance to survive.

The current crisis in north-eastern Nigeria, precipitated by Boko Haram-related violence, is affecting some 14.6 million people. The situation in the Sahel countries shows no improvement. Seven of Mauritania’s 13 regions have excessive levels of malnutrition. In neighbouring Senegal, one in six people is food insecure. In Gambia, wasting among children under age 5 has signi cantly increased from 6.4 per cent in 2005 to 11.5 per cent today. Humani- tarian funding urgently needs to be scaled up.

Despite the extreme challenges and severe access restrictions, humanitarian organizations continue to reach more people than ever. During 2015, humanitarian partners in Sudan assisted more than 2 million people with health services and some 3.1 million people with food and agricultural inputs. Over 25,000 newly displaced house- holds and 120,000 South Sudanese refugees received shelter materials and essential household supplies. Some 83,000 children under age 5 were treated for severe acute malnutrition, and 1.6 million people were given access to improved drinking water. But despite donors’ generosity, the gap between needs and funding has continued to grow, and there is no quick x. The funding gap means that 1.2 million sick and injured people in Libya will not be able to access health care. Nearly 100,000 children will miss out on an education, and millions will continue to be exposed to threats to their safety and dignity. In Afghanistan, the funding gap means a further reduction in reach to the esti- mated 1 million malnourished children (current treatment reaches fewer than 30 per cent of children in need).

Underfunding also means that more children die before their fth birthday and suffer stunting due to malnutrition. More women die in childbirth; more people suffer from preventable diseases; more children lose the opportunity to build a future through education; and less protection is given to the most vulnerable displaced people, increasing the risk of sexual abuse and exploitation, especially for girls and women. It also means that more farmers are forced to use their seeds for food instead of crops, starting another cycle of poverty and deprivation.

Addressing underfunding requires a range of measures.It will mean adjusting the approach to protracted crises and disasters, including those in middle-income countries. Potential solutions include leveraging diverse funding sources; using the right mix of nancial instruments for each situation and investing more in preparedness. Funding mechanisms, such as the Central Emergency Response Fund and the country-based pooled funds, can effectively support a rapid humanitarian response and underfunded emergencies. The use of cash programming will ensure an ef cient, cost-effective response that gives people dignity and choice.

Faced with ever-growing needs, we rely on the interna- tional community, Governments and the public to give their support and resources — nancially and in kind — to allow us to continue humanitarian action. Our shared aims are to end suffering, meet the immediate needs of crisis-affected people, keep them safe from harm and enable them to live in dignity.

WFP Response

Under a Mali protracted relief and recovery operation, WFP provides immediate food assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and returnees to save lives, promote stability and contribute to achieving the Zero Hunger Challenge. The regional emergency operation addresses the life-saving needs of Malian refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger, who fled the conflict in northern Mali since early 2012. In October, WFP assisted 417,000 beneficiaries in Mali and 128,000 Malian refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger.

Mali - Final results from the National Survey on Food and Nutrition Security (ENSAN) show a general improvement on the previous year, with an increase from 25 percent food secure households in September 2014 to 40 percent in September 2015. However, in the north one household in three remains food insecure. Results from the Cadre Harmonisé (CH) held in November 2015 confirmed the above, projecting the food insecure population at 2.4 million people for 2016, of which 315,000 are considered severely food insecure.

• Following the evaluation of WFP’s NGO partner performance WFP has made an open call for proposals for Field Level Agreements to implement activities in 2016.

• WFP assisted 417,000 food insecure Malians during the month of October. WFP was also able to resume its school meals programme, reaching over 127,000 students with daily school meals. WFP also continued its assistance to 100,000 of the most vulnerable people targeted for lean season support.

Burkina Faso

• In October WFP reached over 31,000 Malian refugees, achieving 96 percent of planned beneficiaries.

• November general food distribution (GFD) to refugees in Goudebou and Mentao camps, and to urban refugees in Bobo-Dioulasso, was postponed to early December due to a lack of funding which delayed food procurement. This delay in distributions will likely affect their nutritional and food security and may force them to adopt negative coping strategies over the next few months. WFP therefore continues to require strong and flexible resourcing support from donors, in a timely and predictable manner.

• A joint mission between WFP, UNHCR and the Government of Mauritania, took place between 8 and 14 November in Bobo-Dioulasso to identify priorities and appropriate modalities of assistance for urban refugees. Data analysis is ongoing.

Mauritania

• In October, WFP reached 98 percent of all intended beneficiaries, including some 7,000 children below the age of five and over 1,000 pregnant and nursing women, who received nutritional supplements for the prevention of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). WFP also reached over 3,000 children attending schools in the camp with daily hot meals.

• Following the September 2015 WFP/UNHCR Joint Assessment Mission (JAM), the completion of a cash feasibility study, and a household vulnerability assessment, WFP and other humanitarian actors met on 5 November to develop a 2016 response strategy. Recommendations include the introduction of cash-based transfers as a food assistance modality from April, and a vulnerability assessment of families in Mberra camp in July, to allow for more focused targeting and tailored assistance.

Niger

• WFP reached 47,000 Malian refugees in Niger during the month of October, reaching 95 percent of intended beneficiaries for the month.

• A WFP/UNHCR JAM was carried out in Tabareybarey and Mangaize camps (28-30 October) and the Intikane refugee hosting site (3-5 November), to assess the food and nutrition status of refugees, and to analyze the effectiveness of operations. Data analysis is ongoing and results will be released shortly.

Snapshot 2-8 December 2015

Jordan: 11,400 Syrian asylum seekers are currently stranded at the border with Jordan, after a recent surge in violence has driven new displacement, doubling the number at the border since October. They face urgent humanitarian and protection needs. The Jordanian Government has increasingly restricted movement across the border since 2013.

Sudan: In East Jebel Marra 4,700 people – mostly women and children - have been displaced after militia groups attacked a number of villages. Most people fled towards the town of Tabit and are in need of shelter, food, medicine and blankets. In Central Darfur’s Um Dukhun locality, 24,000 returnees have arrived from Chad since June, after the Chadian government demanded that refugees either move into camps or return to Sudan.

Chad: On 5 December, a triple suicide attack hit a market on the Lake Chad island of Loulou Fou, killing up to 30 people and wounding as many as 200. Communities around the Lake have faced growing insecurity as the frequency and intensity of Boko Haram’s attacks on civilians has increased. At least 53,000 have been internally displaced since July. Military operations and the declaration of a state of emergency on 9 November have failed to arrest the ongoing violence.

Go to www.geo.acaps.org for analysis of more than 40 humanitarian crises.

Updated: 08/12/2015 Next Update: 15/12/2015

Global Emergency Overview Web Interface

By Kieran Guilbert

DAKAR, Dec 8 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A series of suicide bombings in Lake Chad in recent months, blamed on Boko Haram militants, has hindered healthcare and aid delivery and left tens of thousands of displaced people living in fear of further violence, aid agencies said on Tuesday.

Four female suicide bombers attacked Koulfoua island on Saturday, killing at least 15 people and injuring 130, the latest in a wave of bombings that prompted Chad last month to declare a state of emergency in the Lake Chad region.

read the full story

Rencontre de membres de gouvernements ou d’autorités

L’ONG OXFAM et ses partenaires procèderont au lancement du programme « Partenariats pour l’exercice d’une gouvernances appropriée » dans la région de Mopti. Financé par la Suisse, il permettra de renforcer la société civile dans son rôle de contrepouvoir et la gouvernance au sein de la région.  

Après le lancement national du programme « Partenariats pour l’exercice d’une gouvernance appropriée » à Bamako, la Direction du développement et de la coopération (DDC) et l’ONG OXFAM procèderont au démarrage des activités dudit programme à Mopti. L’événement se tiendra ce mardi 8 décembre 2015. Il marquera ainsi le début de collaboration entre les collectivités territoriales de la région et la société civile. Outre le caractère officiel de la cérémonie, se tiendra une rencontre lors de laquelle les organisations de la société civile interpelleront le maire de la commune urbaine au sujet de la planification du développement local. En organisant ce débat, les partenaires du programme entendent d’ores et déjà susciter chez les élus et les communautés une  responsabilité partagée dans la gestion et le suivi des affaires de la cité.

D’une durée de quatre ans, le programme contribuera au renforcement des capacités des organisations de la société civile et des radios communautaires. Ces organisations seront alors à même d’interpeller les élus, de mener des activités de plaidoyer et d’assurer le contrôle citoyen sur la gestion des affaires publiques locales. De cette manière, le programme favorisera  la mise en œuvre de la régionalisation et de la décentralisation au Mali. L’appui de la DDC est particulièrement pertinent au vu du contexte actuel du pays qui sort d’une profonde crise politique et institutionnelle. En soutenant le Mali, la Suisse entend l’aider à améliorer la gouvernance locale et renforcer les Conseils régionaux de Mopti et de Sikasso dans leur rôle de coordinateurs des actions en faveur du développement économique régional. Pour rappel, le montant de l’appui global au programme s’élève à 5, 5 milliards de FCFA (CHF 8 millions).

Pour d'amples informations, veuillez consulter cet article.

Lieu: Au Gouvernorat de la région de Mopti

SC/12147

7571st Meeting (AM)
Security Council Meetings Coverage

Noting the progress made towards implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS), the Security Council today encouraged further progress, including through support for the Group of Five for the Sahel (G5 Sahel — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) in its efforts to address the security and political challenges to the region’s stability and development.

Issuing presidential statement S/PRST/2015/24 addressing “Peace and security in Africa” and read out by Samantha Power (United States), Council President for December, the 15-member organ also encouraged greater cooperation among all stakeholders, including the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in tackling threats to peace, security and development in the Sahel as well as their root causes.

Gravely concerned that Libya remained a safe haven for terrorist groups operating in the region, the Council also expressed deep concern at the threat posed by the widespread availability of unsecured arms and ammunition, and their proliferation. It urged Member States in the Sahel, West Africa and the Maghreb to coordinate their efforts so as to prevent the serious threat posed to international and regional security by terrorist groups crossing borders and seeking safe havens in the Sahel.

The Council commended the African Union, ECOWAS and member States of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, as well as Benin’s courageous contribution to peace and stability in the region. In particular, it paid tribute to the engagement of their soldiers in Mali and in the fight against Boko Haram, noting that the creation of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) had led to steady progress in the fight against that group.

Calling upon Member States in the Sahel region to engage the youth in productive activities in order to reverse the tide of radicalization and recruitment into terrorist groups, the Council also called upon the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sahel to support, as a matter of priority, efforts focused on creating opportunities for youth and women. It further emphasized the need to step up the coordination of efforts to strengthen an effective multidimensional response to challenges posed by the smuggling of migrants as well as human trafficking.

Recognizing the strong nexus linking peace, security, good governance and development, the Council encouraged regional and international financial organizations to provide a substantial financial assistance package to help Sahel countries boost economic growth and reduce poverty. The Council welcomed in that regard plans by the United Nations to establish a Multi-Partner Trust Fund for the Sahel.

It took note of the adoption of the Declaration of the G5 Sahel countries on the Fight against Radicalization and Violent Extremism in the Sahel, and requested the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Task Force, the Counter Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre to support efforts by Sahel countries to counter terrorism and address conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism.

The Council welcomed efforts by the African Union and ECOWAS, including through the G5 Sahel and the Nouakchott process on the enhancement of security cooperation and the operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture in the Sahel and Sahara regions. It also took note of the G5 Sahel countries’ establishment of a framework to strengthen regional security cooperation and conduct cross-border joint military operations, including with the support of French forces.

According to the statement, the Council strongly encouraged another high-level visit to the Sahel, as soon as possible, by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, President of the World Bank Group, President of the African Development Bank, and the European Union Development Commissioner, in order to strengthen the international community’s focus and commitment in the region.

Looking forward to considering the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s strategic review of the Office of the Special Envoy in December 2015, the Council noted the need to more fully and directly anchor implementation of the UNISS in the region, including in the five priority countries — Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger — and to maximize synergies with the relevant entities of the United Nations system.

The meeting began at 10:06 a.m. and ended at 10:20 a.m.

Presidential Statement

The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2015/24 reads as follows:

“The Security Council takes note of the report (S/2015/866) of the Secretary-General on the progress toward the implementation of the United Nations Integrated Strategy for the Sahel (UNISS) and welcomes the briefing on 25 November 2015 by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General (SESG) for the Sahel, Ms. Hiroute Guebre Sellassie. The Security Council encourages further progress by the United Nations system and its partners toward the implementation of the UNISS, including through support to the Group of 5 for the Sahel (G5 Sahel) in order to assist in addressing the security and political challenges to the stability and development of the Sahel region. The Security Council reaffirms its continued commitment to address all these challenges, which are interrelated with humanitarian and development issues as well as the adverse effects of climate and ecological changes. The Security Council reiterates the importance of national and regional ownership of the UNISS, and commends the growing leadership role assumed by the countries of the region. It welcomes in this regard, the establishment of the G5 Sahel, which aims to enhance ownership of the initiatives focused on addressing the threats to peace, security and development in the Sahel.

“The Security Council encourages the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sahel (OSES) to continue to work closely with the G5 Sahel countries as well as other countries of the region, regional and international actors including the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to tackle the threats to peace, security and development in the Sahel as well as their root causes. The Security Council encourages greater cooperation among all stakeholders including the AU and ECOWAS, calls on them to collaborate with the OSES, and the Secretariat of the G5 Sahel as well as the G5 Sahel countries, and reiterates its call for the rapid and effective implementation of the UNISS.

“The Security Council is gravely concerned that Libya remains a safe haven for terrorist groups operating in the Sahel region, and expresses deep concern at the threat posed by the widespread availability of unsecured arms and ammunition and their proliferation, which undermines stability in Libya and the Sahel region, including through transfer to terrorist and violent extremist groups. In this regard, the Security Council calls on the international community to provide support to Libya and its neighbors in the Sahel, including by providing them with the necessary security and capacity building assistance in the struggle against Al-Qaida linked terrorist groups and individuals. The Security Council calls on all Libyan stakeholders to endorse and sign the Political Agreement and work swiftly towards the formation of a Government of National Accord.

“The Security Council urges Member States of the Sahel, West Africa and the Maghreb, to coordinate their efforts to prevent the serious threat posed to international and regional security by terrorist groups crossing borders and seeking safe havens in the Sahel region, to enhance cooperation and coordination in order to develop holistic, inclusive and effective strategies to combat in a comprehensive and integrated manner the activities of terrorist groups, and to prevent the expansion of those groups as well as to limit the proliferation of all arms and transnational organized crime. The Security Council welcomes the efforts of the AU and ECOWAS as well as of Member States of the Sahel to strengthen border security and regional cooperation, including through the G5 Sahel and the Nouakchott process on the enhancement of the security cooperation and the operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) in the Sahel and Sahara region, the most inclusive security cooperation mechanism in the region. It takes note of the establishment by the G5 Sahel countries of a framework to strengthen regional security cooperation as well as to conduct cross-border joint military operations, including with the support of the French Forces.

“The Security Council reaffirms that Member States must ensure that any measures taken to counter terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law. The Security Council recalls that those responsible for abuses and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable and brought to justice.

“The Security Council calls for funding for humanitarian programmes in the Sahel region which continue to be underfunded, hampering timely responses to humanitarian needs. The Security Council expresses its concern at the scale of the growing humanitarian crisis caused by the activities of the Boko Haram terrorist group, which has displaced over 2.5 million people including an estimated 1.4 million children and 200,000 refugees in Cameroon, Chad and Niger. It commends the support provided to the refugees by these Governments, including with the assistance of humanitarian actors and relevant United Nations entities, and calls on the international community to provide its support.

“The Security Council commends the AU, ECOWAS and the Lake Chad Basin Commission Member States’ as well as Benin’s courageous and active contribution to peace and stability in the Sahel region and in particular, pays tribute to the engagement of their soldiers in Mali and in the fight against Boko Haram. The Security Council notes that the creation of the Multinational Joint Task force (MNJTF) has led to steady progress in the fight against Boko Haram. The Security Council reiterates its call upon the international community and donors to support the MNJTF. The Security Council reiterates its call on Member States to contribute generously to the African Union Trust Fund and requests the Secretary-General to continue to advocate strongly with the international community and donors in support of this effort. It calls on the African Union to establish its Trust Fund without further delay.

“The Security Council recalls the importance of coordinating the effective implementation of Sahel initiatives and strategies, and commends in this regard Mali for its chairmanship of the Ministerial Coordination Platform over the last two years. It encourages Chad, as the new chair to intensify efforts to improve coordination between partners, including through the regular sharing of information and the strengthening of operational cooperation between partners.

“The Security Council calls on the international community and donors to fulfill all their pledges made towards boosting economic growth, eradicating poverty and supporting governance reforms, through projects that would support peace and security efforts in the Sahel region and calls on all relevant entities of the United Nations system to focus on identifying and funding such projects, as a matter of priority, in consultation with the OSES and the Member States of the Sahel including the G5 Sahel Member States and relevant regional organizations.

“The Security Council calls upon the Member States of the Sahel region, with the support of the international community, to initiate programmes aimed at creating opportunities that would engage the youth in productive activities to reverse the tide of radicalization and recruitment into terrorist groups. It also calls on the OSES to support as a matter of priority, efforts focused at creating opportunities for youth and women. The Security Council expresses strong support to the States in the region affected by the smuggling of migrants and human trafficking, emphasizes the need to step up coordination of efforts in order to strengthen an effective multidimensional response to these common challenges, and stresses that addressing both smuggling of migrants and human trafficking requires a coordinated, multidimensional approach with States of origin, of transit, and of destination.

“The Security Council takes note of the organization of the Sahel Women’s Forum in N’Djamena, Chad, on 22 and 23 July 2015 to strengthen the role of women in the Sahel region and encourages the Member States of the region to enhance the active participation of women in decision-making. The Security Council also takes note of the organization in N’Djamena, Chad, on 19 and 20 November 2015, of a G5 Sahel and partners Ministerial meeting and an ordinary Summit of the G5 Sahel respectively.

“Recognizing the strong nexus between peace, security, good governance and development, the Security Council encourages regional and international financial organizations to provide a substantial financial assistance package to countries of the region to boost economic growth and reduce poverty. The Security Council welcomes plans by the United Nations to establish a Multi-Partner Trust Fund for the Sahel (S-MPTF), in order to pool contributions including from donor countries and the private sector, to support the region’s efforts. The Security Council notes the active resource mobilization efforts of the SESG to continue to engage with potential donor countries and organizations to accelerate the implementation of selected regional projects in consultation with the Member States of the Sahel region including the G5 Sahel Member States and relevant regional organizations.

“The Security Council takes note of the adoption of a Declaration of the G5 Sahel countries on the Fight against Radicalization and Violent Extremism in the Sahel. The Security Council requests the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and its member entities, including the Counter Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate as well as the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre, to support Sahel countries efforts to counter terrorism and address conditions conducive to the spread of violent extremism which can be conducive to terrorism. It calls on the CTITF to explore expanding its I-ACT Initiative to all the countries of the G5 Sahel. The Security Council recalls that the 1540 Committee as its subsidiary body remains committed to supporting States, including the Sahel States, that require assistance in their efforts to comply with the obligations contained in resolution 1540 (2004). The Security Council calls on the United Nations to accelerate action to also support the G5 Sahel in the implementation of the African Union’s “Silencing the guns” flagship project, consistent with its presidential statement of 16 December 2014 (S/PRST/2014/27).

“The Security Council strongly encourages another high-level visit to the Sahel region as soon as possible by the United Nations Secretary-General, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the President of the World Bank Group, the President of the African Development Bank and the European Union Development Commissioner, to assess the implementation of the vision set out during the November 2013 visit, and to strengthen the focus and commitment of the international community in the region.

“The Security Council notes with satisfaction the series of consultations between the United Nations, the G5 Sahel and its Permanent Secretariat, which helped promote convergence between the UNISS and the Priority Investment Programme (PIP) of the G5 Sahel, and led to a roadmap for consolidating cooperation between the two entities. The Security Council calls on the OSES to continue to coordinate with the national focal points appointed by the G5 Sahel, and calls on the United Nations Secretariat to hold at least one meeting per quarter with the Permanent Representatives of the G5 Member States in New York, to share information and follow up on the implementation of the UNISS. The Security Council encourages the SESG to continue to meet with the officials of the G5 Member States to discuss developments in the region, activities of the OSES, and progress toward the implementation of the UNISS as well as the priorities of the G5 Member States.

“The Security Council looks forward to considering the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s strategic review of the OSES to be conducted in December 2015, and requests the inclusion of recommendations on the location of the OSES, in consultation with the Member States of the Sahel region including the G5 Sahel Member States and regional and international actors, bearing in mind theneed to more fully and directly anchor the implementation of the UNISS in the region including the five priority countries, namely Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger as well as to maximize synergies with the relevant entities of the United Nations system.

“The Security Council requests the Secretary-General to inform it of the progress toward the implementation of the UNISS through oral briefings as needed, as well as through a report and a briefing no later than 31 October 2016. The Security Council also requests the Secretary-General to include in his report, detailed information on the financial contributions towards boosting economic growth and eradicating poverty, through projects that would support peace and security efforts in the Sahel region, noted in paragraph 26 of his report of 24 July 2014 (A/69/162-S/2014/542) and recommendations for strengthening Sahel Member States’ capabilities to prevent drivers of violent extremism which can be conducive to terrorism. The Security Council encourages the SESG to pursue her efforts and good offices in order to enhance regional and interregional cooperation and strengthen coordinated international assistance to the countries of the Sahel region in close coordination with the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General for West and Central Africa. In this regard, the Security Council welcomes updates on the overall situation in the Sahel region in the Secretary-General’s regular reports on the situations in West and Central Africa.”

For information media. Not an official record.

CS/12148

7572e séance – matin

Le regain de violences en République centrafricaine, à l’origine de vagues de personnes déplacées et de violations des droits de l’homme, est l’un des faits les plus marquants des six derniers mois en Afrique centrale, une région déjà confrontée à des tensions politiques, a déclaré le Représentant spécial du Secrétaire général pour cette sous-région, M. Abdoulaye Bathily.

Venu présenter ce matin, devant le Conseil de sécurité, le dernier rapport en date du Secrétaire général sur les activités semestrielles du Bureau régional des Nations Unies pour l’Afrique centrale (BRENUAC) qu’il dirige, M. Bathily a expliqué que l’aggravation des violences interconfessionnelles en République centrafricaine a affaibli le processus de réconciliation nationale et favorisé la prolifération des armes de petit calibre et la criminalité qui y est liée.

« Dans ce contexte, la visite du pape François en République centrafricaine, les 29 et 30 novembre derniers, s’est avérée opportune », s’est félicité M. Bathily, en confiant que le message du Souverain pontife et ses prières –adressées dans des églises et des mosquées– avaient été accueillis par les habitants comme des « symboles d’espoir ».

Pour le Représentant spécial, il est plus que jamais « crucial » d’accélérer la mise en œuvre des recommandations du Forum de Bangui sur la réconciliation nationale centrafricaine, notamment en ce qui concerne la réforme du secteur de la sécurité et des programmes de désarmement, de démobilisation et de réinsertion.

Il est tout aussi important que les élections présidentielles et législatives se déroulent de manière pacifique pour achever la transition, a poursuivi le Représentant spécial, en annonçant au Conseil son intention d’user de ses bons offices pour aider les parties prenantes de différents pays de la sous-région à résoudre par des voies pacifiques leurs différends. Plusieurs échéances électorales sont prévues au cours des mois à venir, a-t-il rappelé.

Considérant Boko Haram comme « une menace très grave à la paix, à la sécurité et à la stabilité dans la région », le Représentant spécial a ensuite précisé qu’au cours de la période à l’examen, le groupe armé avait été responsable de tueries et autres attaques contre des civils et des militaires, en particulier au Cameroun et au Tchad.

La proximité d’autres conflits dans la région, combinés à des risques de radicalisation et à la pauvreté chronique de populations déjà marginalisées, demeure une préoccupation majeure, a poursuivi M. Bathily. L’afflux de réfugiés dans la région du Bassin du Lac Tchad pèse lourdement sur les capacités des gouvernements concernés à prêter assistance à ces nouveaux arrivants, alors qu’un nombre important de personnes déplacées et de rapatriés ont déjà besoin d’une aide urgente.

Si Boko Haram a été affaibli par l’intensification de la campagne militaire lancée par les pays concernés, le groupe a toutefois commencé de s’en prendre à des cibles « plus faciles ». Quant aux efforts en cours pour opérationnaliser la Force multinationale mixte (FMM), ils soulignent l’engagement de la Commission du bassin du Lac Tchad et du Bénin en vue de coordonner leur action commune contre Boko Haram, s’est félicité M. Bathily.

« Nous espérons sincèrement que le sommet conjoint des chefs d’État et de gouvernement d’Afrique centrale et de l’Ouest, dont l’objectif est d’explorer des moyens concrets de lutte contre les causes profondes du terrorisme et de la radicalisation, sera organisé dans les meilleurs délais », a souhaité le Chef du BRENUAC.

Le 26 novembre dernier, a-t-il précisé, le Secrétaire général de l’ONU avait salué l’adoption, par le Comité consultatif permanent des Nations Unies chargé des questions de sécurité en Afrique centrale (UNSAC), d’une « stratégie régionale intégrée de lutte contre le terrorisme et la prolifération des armes légères et de petit calibre » en Afrique centrale, qui est assortie d’un plan d’action.

Convaincu que la solidarité des partenaires internationaux avec les États de la sous-région est cruciale, le Représentant spécial a estimé que le soutien à la Force multinationale mixte devrait trouver sa place dans le cadre d’une approche « holistique » faisant la part belle à des programmes de relèvement et de développement.

Si les meurtres et attaques perpétrés par l’Armée de résistance du Seigneur (LRA) ont décliné au cours de la période à l’examen, la menace posée par ce groupe armé ne doit en aucun cas être « sous-estimée », a ensuite mis en garde le Représentant spécial. La LRA s’est « adaptée » à « notre réponse collective vigoureuse » en faisant profil bas, en gagnant du temps et en profitant des lacunes existant en matière de coordination, a-t-il dit.

Le groupe armé compte ainsi sur l’« usure » et les « priorités concurrentes » pour faire obstacle à ceux qui sont déterminés à le neutraliser. « Nous ne devons pas tomber dans ce piège », a ajouté le Représentant spécial. Le BRENUAC, a-t-il assuré le Conseil de sécurité, continuera à mettre en œuvre la stratégie régionale des Nations Unies contre la LRA.

En septembre dernier, en étroite coopération avec l’Union africaine (UA), le Bureau avait convoqué la réunion de coordination biannuelle des points focaux de la LRA à Entebbe, en Ouganda. Le mois dernier, l’Envoyé spécial de l’Union africaine pour la question de la LRA, le général Jackson Tuwei, s’était rendu en République démocratique du Congo pour y dynamiser les efforts de lutte et y renforcer la coordination, y compris transfrontalière, notamment avec la Mission de l’ONU pour la stabilisation en RDC (MONUSCO).

S’exprimant par visioconférence depuis Nairobi, M. Tuwei a confirmé la gravité de la menace posée par la LRA pour les civils de certaines zones du Soudan du Sud, de l’est de la République centrafricaine et du nord-ouest de la RDC. Estimant à 230 le nombre d’individus lourdement armés qui sont aux ordres de Joseph Kony, le général Tuwei a expliqué que le groupe armé dispose de sanctuaires centrafricains et tire ses revenus de la contrebande de l’ivoire et du pillage de mines aurifères.

« Tant que Joseph Kony sera leur leader, la LRA continuera de se livrer à des activités criminelles et à profiter de lacunes sur le plan sécuritaire », a-t-il prévenu. Dans ce contexte, l’Union africaine n’a pas assez de troupes pour surveiller de vastes portions de territoires, a-t-il regretté. Des groupes comme les Janjaouites et les rebelles Séléka posent un défi supplémentaire en coopérant avec la LRA. C’est pourquoi, il a lancé un appel aux partenaires internationaux pour qu’ils renforcent leur appui financier et politique à la Force régionale de l’Union africaine.

Enfin, le Représentant spécial a mis l’accent sur l’augmentation du nombre d’actes de piraterie commis dans le golfe de Guinée, en particulier le long de la péninsule de Bakassi. Outre les vols, des viols ont également été commis, ce qu’il a qualifié de « phénomène nouveau et inquiétant ». Malheureusement, a fait observer M. Bathily, peu de progrès ont été accomplis dans la mise en œuvre des décisions du Sommet de Yaoundé de 2013, au cours duquel le Centre de coordination interrégional sur la sécurité maritime dans le golfe de Guinée avait été opérationnalisé.

« J’encourage l’Union africaine à tenir, dès que possible, le Sommet extraordinaire des chefs d’État et de gouvernement sur la sécurité maritime et le développement de l’Afrique, initialement prévu à Lomé en novembre », a conclu le Représentant spécial.

À l’intention des organes d’information • Document non officiel.

Aperçu des besoins

En 2016, on estime que l’insécurité alimentaire affectera 23.5 millions de personnes dans tout le Sahel. Parmi elles, au moins 6 millions de personnes seront confrontées à une insécurité alimentaire sévère et auront besoin d’une assistance vitale d’urgence (Phase 3 et au-delà du Cadre Harmonisé). Malgré de meilleures récoltes cette année, la persistance de niveaux élevés d’insécurité alimentaire est essentiellement due à la croissance rapide des besoins causés par le conflit dans le Bassin du Lac Tchad où plus de 4,45 millions de personnes font face à une insécurité alimentaire sévère.

Les perspectives de production agropastorale sont globalement satisfaisantes après une saison des pluies 2015 qui a commencé tardivement mais a apporté des pluies suffisantes et bien réparties un peu partout dans la région. Le niveau d’insécurité alimentaire a significativement diminué au Sénégal et en Gambie.
Cependant, les projections positives de récolte ne peuvent compenser que partiellement les niveaux d’insécurité alimentaire chronique, et la Mauritanie, le Mali, le Niger et le Tchad enregistreront des niveaux d’insécurité alimentaire similaires à ceux de l’année dernière. De même, le nombre de ménages qui dépendent des marchés plutôt que la production continue d’augmenter.

La malnutrition reste élevée avec 7,2 millions d’enfants âgés de moins de cinq ans et de femmes enceintes et allaitantes ayant besoin d’assistance en 2016. Près d’un enfant sur cinq dans le Sahel meurt avant son cinquième anniversaire et un tiers de ces décès est associé à la malnutrition. On estime à 5,9 millions, le nombre d’enfants âgés de moins de cinq ans qui devrait souffrir de malnutrition aiguë globale en 2016, dont 1,9 million aura besoin d’un traitement pour malnutrition aiguë sévère. Le Mali, le Niger et le Tchad abritent 70 pour cent de tous les enfants malnutris souffrant de malnutrition aiguë sévère dans la région. Plus de 1,3 million de mères enceintes et allaitantes ont besoin d’une assistance nutritionnelle pour pouvoir rester en bonne santé et mieux protéger leurs enfants de la malnutrition sévère et des maladies.
Ces dernières années, l’impact des vulnérabilités chroniques et des crises récurrentes sur les communautés du Sahel a été lourdement aggravé par le poids des conflits et de la violence dans toute la région. Depuis janvier 2014, le nombre de personnes déplacées a triplé.
Plus de 4,5 millions de personnes ont été arrachées à leur foyer et leurs moyens de subsistance, et ont souvent été accueillies dans des communautés déjà très vulnérables elles-mêmes. A elle seule, la crise du Bassin du Lac Tchad est responsable de plus de la moitié des personnes déplacées dans la région. La situation au Mali continue d’être préoccupante avec une insécurité persistante et quelque 200 000 Maliens toujours déplacés. En outre, l’anarchie en Libye, la détérioration de la situation au Darfour et la reprise de la guerre civile en République Centrafricaine ont eu un profond impact sur les pays du Sahel et continuent d’aggraver leurs difficultés chroniques. Le Cameroun et le Tchad accueillent plus de 300 000 réfugiés chacun, dont la plupart sont hébergés dans des zones déjà extrêmement vulnérables.

Les risques d’épidémies continuent de menacer des communautés dans toute la région. Les systèmes de santé sont faibles et des millions d’individus n’ont pas accès à des services d’approvisionnement en eau et d’assainissement adéquats. Les épidémies de choléra sont notablement moins graves depuis 2014 mais les récentes flambées dans les camps de personnes déplacées au Nigéria sont préoccupantes. De risques sérieux de méningite, de fièvre de Lassa et de fièvre jaune persistent. Bien que la pire épidémie de maladie à virus Ebola jamais connue qui a ravagé l’Afrique de l’Ouest n’ait causé qu’un nombre limité de cas dans les pays du Sahel, le renforcement des systèmes de santé, la surveillance et la prévention restent cruciaux pour endiguer la maladie à virus Ebola et d’autres maladies épidémiques. La grippe aviaire menace également les moyens de subsistance dans la région, en particulier au Burkina Faso et dans certaines parties du Nigéria.

La nature récurrente de l’insécurité alimentaire, de la malnutrition et de la pauvreté dans le Sahel requiert un effort concerté pour assister les plus vulnérables, écarter les situations de faim et de malnutrition sévère et s’assurer que les communautés aient les moyens de récupérer des chocs à venir par elles-mêmes. Parallèlement et aujourd’hui plus que jamais, la communauté humanitaire a la responsabilité de protéger et d’assister les personnes déplacées par des conflits et les communautés qui les accueillent.