KEY DRIVERS OF THE CRISIS

• Recurring natural disasters such as droughts, floods, combined with volatility of markets, pushed many households and communities into chronic vulnerability.

• Conflict in northern Nigeria and CAR continue to displace refugees to Cameroon and causes internal displacements.

• Poor coverage of sanitation and access to clean water remain the main causes of malnutrition and water-borne diseases.

La FAO appuie différents projets pour renforcer la résilience des plus vulnérables

N’Djaména, 16 décembre 2015-La gestion durable de l’agriculture et de l’élevage est un enjeu capital au Tchad, notamment dans la zone du Sud, où la FAO met en œuvre plusieurs projets d’importance. Depuis quelques années les mouvements de populations, notamment l’afflux massif des réfugiés et des retournés de la République centrafricaine (RCA) ont accru les besoins des populations situées dans les régions d’accueil. Dans le cadre de ses activités pour renforcer la résilience des populations, la FAO appuie les bénéficiaires à travers différents projets de distribution des intrants et petit outillage agricole, d’aliments du bétail, de reconstitution du cheptel (petits ruminants), de la vaccination du bétail et de renforcement des capacités entrepreneuriales.

Prévenir les catastrophes

La FAO mise beaucoup sur le Système d’Information sur la Sécurité Alimentaire et d’Alerte Précoce (SISAAP) qui a su mettre en place un réseau sur le territoire pour faciliter la remonté rapide d’informations sur la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle afin d’orienter les prises de décisions et solliciter des interventions qui répondent aux besoins des populations.

« Nous collectons les données terrain sur la sécurité alimentaire et nous produisons mensuellement un rapport que nous envoyons au Comité d’Action pour la Sécurité Alimentaire et la Gestion des Crises alimentaires (CASAGC) et aux partenaires centraux pour le traitement» a affirmé Djoubdourna MADIBO, point focal SISAAP du Logone Occidental.

Améliorer la résilience dans les camps de réfugiés

La situation dans les camps de réfugiés est précaire, de nombreuses personnes se retrouvent sans activités génératrices de revenus. Les populations déplacées qui vivent dans les camps de Maigama et de Belom sont constituées en majorité d’éleveurs ayant fui la RCA. Elles ont reçu des vaccins et 42,21 tonnes d’aliment bétail, au total 1250 ménages ont bénéficié de cet appui de la FAO. Néanmoins, les besoins demeurent importants. Notons que l’élevage constitue un pilier essentiel à l’économie tchadienne puisqu'il s'agit de la première ressource d'exportation du pays hors pétrole, il contribue à hauteur de 15% au PIB national. L’élevage mobile, fondé sur le nomadisme et la transhumance, compte pour 90% du secteur. Ces pratiques ancestrales qui permettent l’adaptation à un contexte environnemental difficile (pluies irrégulières, sécheresses, dégradation des sols, etc.…) sont confrontées à une accélération de l’agriculture extensive et l’élevage sédentaire et par une mauvaise répartition des points d’eau sur l’ensemble du territoire.

Plus de 15 milles ménages ont été accompagnés techniquement pour produire des céréales à hauteur de 250 millions de FCFA, à travers un projet d’appui d’urgence. Environ 300 tonnes de semences de maïs, de riz et de sorgho leur ont été distribués. Par ailleurs, environ 4000 ménages ont reçu des semences à cycle court, à hauteur de 265 millions de FCFA, financées par l’Union Européenne. Dans les régions du Mandoul et du Mayo-kebbi -Est, les bénéficiaires de cet appui peuvent ainsi, entreprendre des activités de maraîchages pour la consommation et la vente.

Renforcer les capacités des populations

Sur le terrain, depuis 2014, la FAO à travers le projet sous-régional « Renforcement de la contribution des Produits Forestiers Non Ligneux à la sécurité alimentaire en Afrique centrale » financé par la Banque Africaine de Développement à travers le Fonds pour les Forêts du Bassin du Congo (FFBC), participe activement au renforcement des capacités des producteurs et transformateurs de produits forestiers non ligneux (PFNL) dans les sites pilotes du Mayo Kebbi Est (Chef-lieu Bongor) et du Mandoul Oriental (Chef-lieu Koumra). Les objectifs globaux du Projet sont de: i) Contribuer à l’amélioration des conditions de vie et la sécurité alimentaire des ménages dépendants des forêts, et notamment des groupes les plus vulnérables ; ii) Contribuer à la conservation et à la gestion durable des PFNL en Afrique centrale et plus spécifiquement au Burundi, en Guinée Equatoriale, au Rwanda, à Sao Tomé et Principe et au Tchad. Parmi les activités de ce projet, figurent celles où les bénéficiaires sont initiés à la gestion entrepreneuriale, et aux techniques modernes de valorisation des PFNL.

Ladoum Ngarmbatindo fait partie des femmes bénéficiaires de ce projet. « La FAO nous a donné une formation sur les PFNL, qui nous a beaucoup aidé à tracer une ligne sur comment se prendre en charge quand nous avons un petit revenu entre nos mains. Lorsque nous formons un groupe, nous ne devons pas rester les bras croisés mais organiser des cotisations et des collectes de PFNL pour la vente pour développer notre groupe » a- t-elle affirmé.

« La FAO nous a appuyé sur comment faire nos plans de développement d’entreprise (PDE). Avant nous travaillions de façon individuelle, mais maintenant nous savons comment développer les PDE au sein de nos groupements et de nos associations » a expliqué Nadjiyam Maguebaye Elisabeth, productrice de PFNL.

Dans des régions aux conditions climatiques parfois rudes, le renforcement des capacités entrepreneuriales des populations pérennise les efforts de résilience des populations. En effet, Le karité (Vitellaria paradoxa), le Moringa (Moringa oleifera), le neem (Azadirachta indica), le miel, le savonnier (Balanites aegyptiaca) et le tamarin (Tamarindus indica) font partie des PFNL valorisés par les bénéficiaires de ce projet. Plusieurs groupements de femmes à l’instar d’Association pour la Promotion de la Filière Karité dans le Mandoul (APROFIKAM) et d’Organisation des Groupements Féminins pour le Développement au Tchad (OGFDT) valorisent leur production en réalisant du beurre de karité, du savon, de l’huile et des confitures. Ainsi, le soutien de la FAO leur a permis de renforcer leurs capacités associatives, de production et de transformation de produits agricoles et forestiers. De plus, les revenus issus de la vente de leur production leur permettent d’améliorer leurs conditions de vie et de subvenir aux besoins de leurs foyers.

A terme, elles seront en mesure de valoriser leur production et accroître durablement leurs revenus.

Des progrès encourageants

Plusieurs signes témoignent du bon travail effectué par les personnes appuyées. Pour illustration, l’apiculture fait partie des secteurs à fort potentiel pouvant procurer un revenu considérable aux populations. Les gains sont considérables, à l’exemple du Groupement des arboriculteurs et éleveurs (GAEL) de Koumra, qui enregistre des résultats satisfaisants en matière de valorisation du miel. « Nous avons reçu 4 990 000 CFA qui nous a vraiment lancé dans l’apiculture. Nous avons commencé l’apiculture avec 36 ruches modernes, mais avec l’appui de la FAO ce nombre a augmenté. Auparavant nous produisions 2 tonnes de miel et avec cet appui notre production a augmenté à 12 tonnes » a expliqué Yamidjimte Ndingadal Roi, président du groupement.

December 2015 – Trends

- Deteriorated situations

Afghanistan, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Niger

- Improved situations

January 2016 – Watchlist

- Conflict risk alerts

Burundi

- Conflict resolution opportunities

Libya

USAID NIGER
Agriculture and Food Security Goals

• Increased representation of women in food and nutrition issues in the community

• Developed nutrition-sensitive practices

• Increased agricultural production and productivity

• Ensured appropriate natural resource management, including land tenure

Niger experiences low and variable rainfalls, land degradation, deforestation and desertification. The vast majority of Nigerians depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, and frequent droughts in the region often damage crop yields, leading to food shortages in the country. Chronic food insecurity and a high prevalence of infectious diseases have led Niger to record some of the highest malnutrition and mortality rates in the world. According to United Nations estimates, nearly 3.4 million Nigeriens are chronically food insecure. More than 40 percent of children under 5 years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition and acute malnutrition rates regularly exceed the World Health Organization’s threshold of serious concern of ten percent.

AGRICULTURE

USAID is supporting Niger’s agriculture sector with resources focused on improving the agricultural livelihoods of the most vulnerable populations. Under the Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) initiative and other regional programming, USAID activities focus on improving access to credit, diversifying economic opportunities, and improving natural resource and soil management to foster better agricultural and animal production with the use of legally recognized land use plans. In addition, USAID is working to improve the competitiveness and inclusiveness of three pro-poor value chains: cowpea, small ruminants, and poultry, while strengthening the organizational capacities of farmer groups.

FOOD SECURITY

USAID is reducing food insecurity through a combination of emergency humanitarian and development assistance. Food for Peace (FFP) and the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) humanitarian initiatives, in collaboration with other development activities under the RISE initiative, comprise the key elements of the food security program in Niger. RISE uses a multi-sectoral approach to address the diverse and structural causes of chronic vulnerability by increasing sustainable livelihoods and improving health and nutrition. The RISE initiative aims to reduce food insecurity and malnutrition in rural households through activities focused on health, nutrition, water and sanitation.

The vast majority of Nigeriens rely on subsistence agriculture and the region’s frequent droughts lead to poor harvests and regular food shortages. Chronic food insecurity and infectious disease have resulted in some of the highest rates of malnutrition and mortality in the world. As of January 2015, United Nations estimates placed Niger’s food-insecure population at nearly 3.4 million people. Over 40 percent of Nigerien children under 5 years old are chronically malnourished and the country’s 14.8 percent rate of global acute malnutrition exceeds the World Health Organization’s threshold of serious concern of 10 percent.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

USAID’s resilience programming in Niger seeks to address the underlying causes of vulnerability and risk, which lead to a cycle of humanitarian crisis and response whenever climatic or other shocks occur. USAID’s Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) initiative aims to end this vicious cycle and help the Sahel’s vulnerable populations stay firmly on the path to development. USAID’s Office of Food for Peace and Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance programming targets the most vulnerable with life-saving interventions, which include activities such as direct food provision through the World Food Program as well as cash transfers, temporary employment opportunities, improved access to seeds and training in more effective livestock and agricultural practices.

At the same time, USAID’s development programs support Niger’s longer-term food security and agriculture development objectives, addressing the root causes of persistent vulnerability. These multiyear, multi-sectoral programs increase sustainable economic well-being through increased agricultural productivity, income diversification and increased access to markets and financial services. RISE also seeks to improve health and nutrition and strengthen institutions and governance critical to resilience in areas such as natural resource management and mitigation of resource-related conflict. RISE activities are implemented through an approach aiming to expand institutional, household, and individual capacity to adapt to and recover from stresses; and improve nutrition, health and well-being of vulnerable populations. Finally, the Sahel Resilience Learning project helps bring all of these efforts together by evaluating the impact of RISE projects; promoting collaboration across government, donors and programs; and facilitating learning in order to better guide resilience interventions in the Sahel, while developing appropriate adaptive capacities of communities and partners.

Resilience Goals

• Reduced malnutrition in targeted areas

• Reduced vulnerability and need for humanitarian assistance

• Reduced food insecurity through increased food and water availability and improved livelihoods

• Improved productivity in agriculture sector and livestock industries

• Increased representation of women in food and nutrition activities at community level

Following Niger’s return to democratic rule in 2010, the Government of Niger committed to fighting corruption, increasing transparency, and ensuring that proper management of the country’s natural resources benefits all Nigeriens.

Niger’s National Assembly plays a key role in advancing reforms needed to strengthen governance and consolidate recent democratic gains vital to furthering the country’s development. The potential revenue from extractive industries in Niger is of great importance to the economic growth of the country, and as a result, the efficient and transparent management of these industries plays a key role in Niger’s future. At the local level, the decentralization process is still evolving and there is a need for citizens to become more involved in municipal councils and school governance structures. Finally, the 2016 elections provide an excellent opportunity for the country to reaffirm its support for a peaceful electoral process and subsequent democratic transition.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

USAID supports the Government of Niger’s efforts to improve its ability to respond directly to citizen concerns for inclusion and improved services. USAID works in coordination with civil society, communities and local governments to increase the local government’s visibility and effectiveness as a service provider to its citizens. In addition, USAID programming is strengthening the National Assembly’s ability to draft, review and oversee the implementation of laws and regulations governing public policy focused on extractive industries. These programs train members in improved practices, increase communication and collaboration between the National Assembly and civil society organizations, and ensure that representation of women and protection of women’s rights becomes the norm.

USAID supports a secure and inclusive election process in Niger through programs that conduct research on key citizen priorities; monitor, analyze and mitigate election violence; and work to improve government and citizen responsiveness to public needs in order to increase citizen confidence in the state.

As part of its regional resilience program, USAID is assisting local governments to build and improve their disaster risk reduction and natural resource management capacities. USAID programming also helps the Government of Niger create economic opportunities and promote increased civic and political participation for Nigerien youth to help undermine extremist messages and encourage stability in Niger and the region. Finally, USAID supports youth and women entrepreneurs who provide beneficial services to their communities through innovative ideas and solutions.

Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Goals

• Strengthened effectiveness of the National Assembly

• Implementation of international protective norms for women and girls

• Strengthened local conventions in natural resource management and disaster risk reduction

• Increased civic participation, specifically of youth, in community governance

• Ensured a more secure and inclusive election process

• Increased economic opportunities for youth and women

Niger consistently ranks at or near the bottom of the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Index. Chronic food insecurity and infectious disease have resulted in some of the highest rates of malnutrition and mortality in the world. Over forty percent of children under five are chronically malnourished and the rates of acute malnutrition are well beyond the threshold for public health emergencies. In addition, Niger has the highest fertility rate in the world. Left unchecked, Niger’s rapid population growth will further undermine health service delivery and weaken the resilience of the most vulnerable populations. To address policy and advocacy needs at the regional, national, and sub-national levels, USAID programs focus on developing the capacity of government, civil society and other partners to improve maternal and child health, family planning and nutrition.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

ENHANCING RESILIENCE AND NUTRITION

USAID’s Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) initiative includes efforts to improve the health and nutrition status of women and children under 5 years old, in order to reduce chronic vulnerability of populations to recurrent crises. RISE encompasses a broad range of humanitarian and development programs, including long-term development projects implemented by USAID’s Office of Food for Peace that are focused on food security and nutrition. RISE’s multi-sector approach includes nutrition-sensitive programs that increase the availability of and access to nutritious food and potable water. USAID works to transform the behaviors of vulnerable populations related to water and sanitation, nutrition and health-care seeking practices. USAID builds the capacity of the local health system to manage acute malnutrition and to prevent and treat childhood illnesses related to malnutrition. USAID also helped the Government of Niger pass legislation and monitor compliance for the mandatory fortification of cooking oil and flour.

FAMILY PLANNING AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

USAID programs are increasing access to and use of quality family planning services in select urban and peri-urban areas of Niger by strengthening the capacity of health centers and family planning service providers, increasing access to longterm contraceptive methods and educating university youth on sexual and reproductive health. USAID also supports the Nigerien Ministry of Public Health to manage key family planning commodities. Through its resilience programs, USAID promotes Safe Space clubs, where young women can learn about nutrition and sexual and reproductive health with and from their peers. Lastly, USAID programs work to treat and prevent obstetric fistula, a debilitating condition that often leaves women ostracized by their communities.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

USAID is supporting Nigerien pharmaceutical management systems to improve HIV commodity security, including an HIV commodity web-based early warning system dashboard as part a regional initiative targeting six countries in West and Central Africa. USAID has also placed a technical advisor with the National Malaria Control Program to support its supply chain management functions.

Health Goals

• Increased access to and availability of health and nutrition services

• Improved health and nutrition practices

• Increased access to and utilization of family planning and reproductive health services

• Strengthened capacity of health centers

Niger’s population is 70% illiterate and only 44% of female primary school students reach 6th grade. To address this gap in education, the Government of Niger is implementing an ambitious national education program to increase educational access, quality and retention. USAID is contributing to these objectives together with support of the Millennium Challenge Corporation with programming that fosters a reading culture and early grade reading in local languages; an improved school environment, especially for girls; increased parental engagement; and strengthened community linkages with education administration. Additional support for impact evaluation of these activities aims to help the Ministry of Education make data-based policy and program decisions. In 2013, the U.S. signed on to the partnership framework in support of the Government of Niger’s 10 year national education and training sector.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

USAID is enhancing the educational opportunities available to Nigeriens by pursuing dual objectives: to increase access to quality education in schools through an improved physical and social environment; and to increase early grade reading achievement by promoting a culture of reading.

By improving and increasing community participation in education, in part through support to parents’ education, USAID hopes to address some of the root causes of the high absenteeism levels that plague the education system in Niger, address the gender disparity therein, and promote social cohesion.

Current overall primary school enrollment rates in Niger show an 18 gender gap between boys and girls. This gender gap contributes to other problems hampering Niger’s development, such as poverty and some of the fastest population growth rates in the world. Increasing enrollment, retention, and learning – particularly in the fundamental skill of reading, a critical building block for all future learning – serves to uphold the right to education while helping Niger promote community and national development.

Education Goals

• Increased access to quality education in schools, especially for girls

• Increased student reading achievement

• Improved physical and social environment for students

• Increased community participation in education

Situation Générale en décembre 2015 Prévision jusqu'à’mi-février 2016

Une résurgence de Criquet pèlerin s’est poursuivie dans l’ouest de la Mauritanie et s’est étendue plus au nord dans la partie septentrionale de ce pays et le Sahara occidental où des larves et des ailés ont formé de petits groupes en décembre. Des opérations de lutte terrestre ont été réalisées dans ces zones. Avec le maintien de conditions écologiques favorables, la reproduction va probablement continuer pendant la période de prévision, ce qui pourra entraîner une nouvelle augmentation des effectifs acridiens et la formation de groupes de larves et d’ailés. Une reproduction à petite échelle a eu lieu dans le nord du Mali et du Niger où quelques petits groupes pourront se former en janvier. Seuls des criquets en faibles effectifs étaient présents dans des parties des aires de reproduction hivernale le long des deux rives de la mer Rouge au Soudan, en Arabie saoudite et au Yémen. Pendant la période de prévision, une reproduction à petite échelle aura lieu dans ces zones ainsi qu’en Érythrée et dans le nord de la Somalie mais on ne s’attend à aucun développement signifi catif. La situation est restée calme en Asie du sud-ouest.

KADUNA, 5 January 2016 (IRIN) - The temperature is dropping across northern Nigeria as the seasonal Harmattan winds blow in a haze of dust from the Sahara, blotting out the sun for days on end. It’s miserable at the best of times, worse still if you’ve been made homeless by Boko Haram violence and don’t have decent shelter.

Read the Full Story

Zimbabwe: A poor 2014/2015 harvest coupled with delayed onset of rains this cropping season have left 1.5 million people facing food insecurity from January through March 2016. Government maize stocks are dangerously low and humanitarian food assistance plans underfunded. Over 850,000 people urgently require assistance.

Chad: In Kanem, Bahr el Gazal and Lac regions, 14,000 people face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 440,000 people face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) food security outcomes, and the situation is likely to worsen through the April–October lean season. Rainfall deficits across the Sahelian zone and insecurity in Lac region are key drivers of the food security crisis.

Yemen: The ceasefire that began on 15 December but was persistently breached has officially ended, and heavy fighting has been reported in Aden city. In Taizz, the largest hospital has closed due to lack of supplies. Reports of gender-based violence have increased by 70% since the conflict escalated in March.

Updated: 05/01/2016. Next update: 12/01/2016.

See the Crisis Overview 2015: Humanitarian Trends and Risks 2016, ACAPS' overview of long-term trends in humanitarian needs for major crises, and scenarios outlining their potential evolution in 2016.

Global Emergency Overview Web Interface

Niamey, Niger | AFP | mardi 05/01/2016 - 15:36 GMT

Le Niger "est en train de gagner la guerre" contre le groupe islamiste nigérian Boko Haram, qui mène depuis février 2015 des raids meurtriers dans la zone frontalière du sud-est du pays, a estimé mardi le chef des armées nigériennes, le général Seïni Garba.

"Nous pensons que nous sommes en train de gagner la guerre, même si le groupe terroriste conserve toujours des capacités de nuisances", a affirmé à la radio d'Etat le général Garba, en marge d'une cérémonie de voeux de nouvel An au président Mahamadou Issoufou.

"Nous avons fait beaucoup d'efforts, nous avons eu beaucoup de résultats en ce qui concerne la lutte contre Boko Haram", a-t-il souligné, en souhaitant "plus de succès en 2016".

Le général Garba n'a toutefois pas précisé la nature des "résultats" obtenus contre les insurgés nigérians.

Sur le terrain, "les affrontements directs" entre l'armée et Boko Haram "ont quasiment cessé", a indiqué à l'AFP une source humanitaire.

L'armée "qui se sert aussi de moyens aériens" a entrepris "un maillage important autour des principales villes, ce qui réduit les possibilités d'infiltration", a expliqué cette source.

"Boko Haram n'a plus son agressivité d'avant (...) on a l'impression qu'ils n'attaquent que pour se ravitailler en nourriture", avait confié en novembre à l'AFP un habitant de Diffa (sud-est).

"Avant, ils attaquaient de jour comme de nuit" mais les islamistes visent désormais "surtout des localités très proches de la rivière" Komadougou Yobé, "une zone difficilement contrôlable", observait cet habitant.

"Le problème le plus important" reste "le contrôle de la zone frontière côté Nigeria", avait expliqué en octobre le ministre nigérien de l'Intérieur, Hassoumi Massaoudou.

Les attaques les plus meurtrières sont concentrées le long de la Komadougou Yobé, frontière naturelle entre le Niger et le Nigeria qui abrite une multitude de villages, selon l'ONU.

Entre le 6 février et le 18 décembre 2015, l'ONU a répertorié 74 attaques de Boko Haram ou affrontements impliquant ses combattants et l'armée nigérienne dans la zone.

Mais l'armée nigérienne peine à contenir ces incursions qui font surtout des victimes civiles.

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© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Niamey, Niger | AFP | Tuesday 1/5/2016 - 15:58 GMT

Niger is "in the process of winning the war" against Boko Haram jihadists who have staged attacks from neighbouring Nigeria since February last year, the army chief, General Seini Garba, said Tuesday.

Boko Haram, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in March, has stepped up attacks on areas of Niger, Chad and Cameroon that border Nigeria while also continuing a devastating campaign of suicide and shooting attacks on home soil.

The group's six-year campaign for a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria has killed at least 17,000 people and made more than 2.6 million others homeless.

"We feel we are in the process of winning the war even though the terrorist group still has the capacity to harm," state radio quoted Garba as saying.

"We have made tremendous efforts and we have had great results in the fight against Boko Haram," Garba said, adding that he wanted "more success in 2016."

Garba however did not expand on the results obtained in the Boko Haram fightback, but a humanitarian source said direct clashes between the group and Niger soldiers had "almost ceased."

The military was using planes and had established a network around major cities and towns, making infiltration difficult, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In November, a resident of the flashpoint border region of Diffa said the group appeared to have "lost its aggressiveness, giving one the impression that they were staging raids merely to stock up on food.

"Before they used to attack day and night," the source added.

Niger's Interior Minister Hassoumi Massaoudou had said in October that the main problem for the army was securing the border with Nigeria, where according to the UN, there were 74 Boko Haram attacks between February 6 and December 18 last year.

The Niger army has struggled to stop these raids.

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© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

An international Caritas team in Diffa in Niger says people fleeing Boko Haram fighters are facing a “tragedy”. Tens of thousands of people are living under trees or out in the open after fleeing their towns and villages in the wake of the fundamentalist insurgent’s advances.

Those who have fled have little protection from the harsh climate and little access to food.

Attacks in Nigeria and cross border raids into Niger have forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes since 2014. More than one-third of Diffa’s population, estimated at 600,000, has been internally displaced by the conflict. Some 151 schools have shut down in the region.

A Caritas team visited the Diffa region in late December to see emergency relief programmes helping 2000 families, both those hosting the refugees and the refugee and IDP families themselves.

They also took part in an aid distribution for the refugees. Caritas has been providing cash for food and hygiene kits, mosquito nets and water conservation equipment to 15,000 people since launching an emergency appeal in June

Staff found people living harsh conditions, surviving only on international aid. Harmattan, the cold wind, is currently blowing across West Africa making life even worse.

Caritas staff said that many of the makeshift settlements were only weeks old. Over 30,000 people have fled in the last two months.

KatiellouKaitella is the head of one town called Mainé Soroa. He said, “I thank Caritas for the help it brings to the people. Its support brings great relief. But one can still see the dehumanising situation in which people live. I’ve a very heavy heart to see that thousands of people are living out in the open, under trees in the cold.”

Caritas staff say that people have fled their homes without taking anything. They will lose their harvests too.

Raymond Yoro, Executive Secretary of CADEV – Niger said, “The situation of permanent terror and harassment has led them to flee and end up in a painful situation, especially for women and children who are sleeping outdoors in the cold.

“Given this situation, there is an urgent need for international help.

“The cold dry Harmattan wind is causing great suffering to women, children and the elderly. It is urgent to build more shelters, provide blankets and other aid. Caritas in Niger needs international support to help to the victims of Boko Haram.”

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charles Flanagan TD, and the Minister for Development, Trade Promotion and North South Co-operation, Seán Sherlock TD, have announced that Ireland is providing €11.75 million in humanitarian assistance through the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund to strengthen the UN’s response to the unprecedented level of humanitarian crisis worldwide. This will bring the total amount of humanitarian assistance provided by Ireland through the Government’s aid programme to €100 million in 2015.

Minister Flanagan stated:

“Throughout 2015, the world has faced an unprecedented series of humanitarian crises. There are now 60 million people displaced from their homes as a result of conflict and violence. Half of them are children. This is more than at any time since the Second World War.

“I am proud that, through our aid programme and the work of our NGOs, Ireland is recognised internationally for its consistent humanitarian assistance for refugees and people in crisis, even at difficult times at home. This is an essential element of our foreign policy.

“We have seen the human cost in the migration crisis in Europe this year. The brutal conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and South Sudan continue to affect staggering numbers of people and put extraordinary strain on the international humanitarian system. Millions of people across Africa are hungry and malnourished.

“Ireland’s humanitarian response throughout 2015 focused on the most severe crises, providing €100 million through our UN, Red Cross and NGO partners on the ground. This has included humanitarian need in crises which have not been in the headlines, including in Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and across the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.”

Minister for Development, Trade Promotion and North South Co-operation Seán Sherlock added:

“Irish Aid is working hard to address the root causes of crises in countries across the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. This year we continued to respond to the Syrian crisis, providing €13 million in assistance through the UN, Red Cross and NGO partners, both in Syria and neighbouring countries. The war in Syria since 2011 has resulted in the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. It has had an appalling impact on people in Syria and on Syria’s immediate neighbours, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, which host more than 4.2 million registered refugees, more than half of them children. I saw the impact for myself when I visited Jordan in October. Ireland’s support to the Syrian people since 2012 has been over €42 million, our largest response to a single humanitarian crisis in recent years.”

In 2015, €22 million in humanitarian assistance was directed to countries in crises in the Horn of Africa including South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Under Ireland’s Rapid Response Initiative, Irish Aid deployed 305 tonnes of our stockpiled emergency relief supplies in 2015, to a total value of €2.7 million.

32 members of Ireland’s Rapid Response Corps were also deployed into crises to work with our UN humanitarian partners in countries including South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Guinea, Malawi, Tanzania, Jordan, Nepal and Macedonia. Rapid responders deploy at short notice to fill critical gaps in humanitarian and emergency response operations, in some of the most challenging and difficult environments.

In addition to Ireland’s funding to the UN and the Red Cross, Irish Aid provided some €24 million to Non-Governmental Organisations for their work in protracted crises such as in South Sudan, Somalia, DRC, Niger and Afghanistan and in response to sudden onset emergencies such as the Nepal earthquake.

Notes to the Editor:

• Irish Aid is the Government’s overseas assistance programme. It is managed by the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. For further information see www.irishaid.ie

• Ireland’s Humanitarian Assistance Policy sets out the goal of Ireland’s new Humanitarian Assistance Policy outlines how Irish Aid saves and protects lives, alleviates suffering and maintains human dignity before, during and in the aftermath of humanitarian crises. For further information read the new Humanitarian Assistance Policy

• Through Irish Aid, and in addition to funding for the long term development programme, Ireland provided a total of €100 million in emergency humanitarian assistance in 2015.

• The announcement of €11.75 million for the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) marks the tenth anniversary of this vital UN Fund which was established to enable the quickest and most effective possible response to humanitarian emergencies worldwide.

• Since 2006, Ireland has been one of the top ten donors to the UN Fund, underlining Ireland’s strong commitment to the role of the UN in undertaking life-saving humanitarian actions in response to crisis.

• So far in 2015, the CERF has allocated $341 million for the relief of suffering in humanitarian crises worldwide.

• The Rapid Response Corps is a standby roster of highly skilled and experienced professionals available to deploy at short notice to humanitarian emergencies anywhere in the world. When deployed, roster members fill specific skills gaps identified by four Irish Aid standby partner organisations: the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); the World Food Programme (WFP); the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

• Irish Aid works in partnership with a wide range of civil society organisations in Ireland and abroad to undertake long-term overseas development, development education and the delivery of emergency assistance and recovery. The aim of these partnerships is to contribute to the reduction of poverty in the developing world.

ENDS​​​​

Press Office

25December 2015

Avoiding past mistakes in the fight against Boko Haram

New DIIS Report on Boko Haram in the Sahel region

It is estimated that Boko Haram has killed more than twenty thousand people since 2009, making it the world’s deadliest terror organisation that threatens to destabilise not only Nigeria, but the entire region of the Sahel.

Since the inauguration of a regional multi-national joint task force heavily supported by western international security actors, attacks in the affected neighbouring countries has increased remarkably. This suggests that more international and regional military responses might in fact fuel more attacks by Boko Haram.

Rather than rephrasing decontextualised discourses of trans-Saharan terrorism, this new DIIS report by Signe Cold-Ravnkilde and Sine Plambech suggests that international support to the fight against Boko Haram should be based on a careful understanding of the complex local and regional dynamics of conflict. The report provides an overview of the situation and the historic development as well as suggesting a number of policy recommendations.

• There is a dire need to ensure that the current military operations do not repeat the mistakes of the Nigerian security forces in 2013: human rights violation and economic sanctions that may transform a jihadist uprising into a people’s revolt.

• Gender norms and how men and women are affected by and take part in the insurgency both as combatants and protesters against Boko Haram should be taking into account in policy makers’ response to the insurgency.

• Insecurity in Nigeria and the affected neighbouring countries requires a comprehensive approach including socio-economic perspectives on contending local incitements to engage in illicit economic and terrorist activities.

Le lancement officiel de la 4ième Quinzaine pour la promotion de la santé maternelle et infantile

Le lancement officiel de la 4ième Quinzaine pour la promotion de la santé maternelle et infantile s'est tenu le 15 Décembre 2015 au Centre de santé de Madjorio dans le 1er Arrondissement et placé sous le thème : Ensemble continuons la lutte contre les quatre (4) trop. Les grossesses Trop tôt, Trop tard, Trop nombreuses et Trop rapprochées. La cérémonie a vu la participation du Ministère de la Santé Publique, du gouvernorat de N'Djamena, du Maire du 1er Arrondissement, des leaders traditionnels et religieux, des représentants des organisations internationales et des ONG, de l'UNFPA et de la population du premier arrondissement en particulier de nombreuses femmes et jeunes.

La cérémonie a commencé par un sketch sur l'importance de la planification familiale et ses avantages pour la famille, la communauté et le pays tout entier.

Quatre (04) allocutions ont ponctué cette cérémonie de lancement : L'allocution du maire de la commune du premier arrondissement de N'Djamena qui a exprimé la satisfaction de ses populations du lancement en leur sein de cette quinzaine. Celle de l'Agence Française de Développement qui a insisté sur la synergie conjointe des partenaires techniques et financiers en général et entre l'AFD et l'UNFPA en particulier pour le soutien au gouvernement dans la quête permanente d'amélioration des indicateurs de santé maternelle et infantile. L'allocution de l'UNFPA par le Dr Nijiki Rostand, Spécialiste Technique en Santé de la Reproduction à l'UNFPA. Dans son allocution, il a spécifié clairement que la situation à laquelle le Tchad fait face en matière de mortalité maternelle, néonatale et infantile est certes difficile, mais l'engagement et le leadership des hautes autorités du pays avec l'appui des Partenaires Techniques et Financiers, sont un motif d'espoir que la bataille peut être gagnée si les efforts engagés depuis quelques années sont maintenus et amplifiés.

Pour stopper les « quatre trop », poursuit-il, la planification familiale joue un rôle central. Notre devoir à tous est d'œuvre non seulement à mettre à la disposition des populations des informations sur la planification familiale, mais aussi des services adaptées et de qualité dans toutes les formations sanitaires ainsi que d'apporter des réponses aux différentes barrières socio-culturelles qui freinent l'accès des individus et des couples à la planification familiale. Enfin, l'UNFPA dont l'ambition est de réaliser un monde où chaque grossesse est désirée, chaque accouchement sans danger et le potentiel de chaque jeune accompli, accompagne le gouvernement du Tchad dans tous ses efforts d'amélioration de l'offre et de la demande en matière de planification familiale.

L'allocution du Secrétaire Général du Ministère de la Santé Publique, représentant le Ministre qui a noté une amélioration des indicateurs de la santé maternelle et infantile qui reste insuffisante et a exhorté les partenaires à renforcer leur appui au gouvernement qui est résolu à faire en sorte que les populations soient suffisamment informées et utilisent les services de santé maternelle et infantile de qualité qui leurs sont offerts. Il a enfin procédé au lancement de la quatrième quinzaine de promotion de la santé maternelle et infantile au Tchad.