Geneva, 17 March, 2016

1. Brief description of the emergency and impact

Chad ranks 185 out of 188 on the Human Development Index and takes the 6 th position on the Fragile State Index. In this precarious context, Chad hosts millions of vulnerable people, displaced by violence and conflict in neighbouring countries. Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria, Northern Cameroon and within Chad now exacerbate the challenges of humanitarian response.

In addition to floods, droughts and pests, negatively influence agricultural activities, displacement has caused food insecurity and threatened the livelihoods of over 3.4 million people – refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Chadian host communities living nearby the refugee camps. OCHA’s Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016 indicates that 3.9 million people in Chad are directly affected by the four major crises in Chad and the surrounding countries. Chad currently hosts more than 505,370 refugees (377,480 Sudanese, 100,000 CAR and 27,890 from other countries).

2. Why is an ACT response needed?

Chad is a forgotten crisis that holds potential risks for further deterioration and spill-over from its surrounding countries. The dire situation of refugees and host communities is intensified by limited international attention and support. The ACT Alliance wishes to sustain its commitment to refugees and host communities in the East and South of Chad as they remain in need of humanitarian and long-term support.

The ACT Alliance members in Chad sees the urgency to provide immediate life-saving assistance, but it also aims to continue building resilient communities that are more self-reliant to meet their livelihoods as well as psychosocial needs. A precondition for sustainable solutions to long-term displacement in Chad is to support peaceful coexistence between long-term displaced populations and their host communities and sustainable use of natural resources (livelihood development). This will reduce tensions and provide mutual benefit for national development, peace and stability in the region.

The ACT Alliance does not expect a large return of refugees from Chad to Sudan or CAR. Darfur, Sudan remains a complex crisis and CAR continues to experience insecurity and violence following elections in 2015. Sustainable solutions to long-term displacement in these protracted crises are needed.

3. National and international response

The humanitarian response in Chad is carried out by 54 organizations, including 9 UN agencies, 40 International Non-Governmental Organizations and 14 National Non-Governmental Organizations within 7 clusters.

Several organizations (including ACT Alliance member, LWF) were involved in developing the Humanitarian Response Plans4 under OCHA coordination. A partnership agreement was signed in January 2016 between UNHCR and LWF/ACT for the implementation of two projects in five sectors livelihood, environment/energy, shelter/infrastructure, food distribution and vocational training.

4. ACT Alliance response

Since 2007, ACT has continued to respond to the humanitarian needs in Chad through annual appeals.
The implementation The LWF/ACT intervention in 2016 will continue to provide support in the same areas as under appeals TCD141 and TCD 151 however, the upcoming appeal will focus on the new strategy of strengthening livelihood opportunities for long-term displaced populations and replicating this model in host villages.

5. Planned activities

The ACT appeal will focus on increased resilience, self-reliance and food security through restoration of livelihoods; increased peaceful coexistence between host communities and refugees; and providing psychological first-aid as well as ensuring host community’s preparedness in conflict transformation in an insecure regional and national context. It will focus on supporting Sudanese refugees in Eastern Chad, CAR refugees in Southern Chad, and the surrounding host communities.
The ACT Alliance members in Chad( LWF and DKH) require a total of US$ 500,000.00 to meet the needs of 6,631 Sudanese refugees and 8,457 host communities, Eastern Chad and additional 4,202 CAR refugees and 6,178 host communities in Southern Chad.

6. Constraints

Regional and political insecurity risks of unrest and violence in Nigeria, CAR and Sudan resulting in influx of new refugees to Chad. Low return of refugees in Chad to neighbouring countries increases pressure on use of host communities’ natural resources. Insecurity in Chad, terrorist attacks and increased security threats, specifically in Ndjamena and West Chad, and planned Presidential elections in April 2016 (risk of political unrest). CAR and Nigeria borders with Chad are still closed and limits access to services for the affected population.

Forum/Member Contact information: Lutheran World Federation and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe LWF Representative – Mr. Adamou Koumanda, rep.tcd@lwfdws.org Tel +235 66 90 00 95

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to the Head of Finance and Administration,
Line Hempel (Line.Hempel@actalliance.org)

For further information please contact: ACT Regional Programme Officer, Arnold Ambundo (Arnold.Ambundo@actalliance.org)

By Mbom Sixtus-Yaounde

YAOUNDE, Cameroon, Mar 18 2016 (IPS) - “They have reduced the quantity of food they used to give us and we still do not know why. But we are managing. We are refugees and we have no choice. All they give us is rice and some soya beans,” John Guige, a Nigerian resident and primary school teacher in the Minawao refugee camp in Cameroon’s Far North region, told IPS.

John Bouba who fled the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria and resides in the Minawao Camp, stated that when they receive rice from the camp, “we sell half of it in the local market. We use the money to buy corn which we mix with some of the rice and grind it. After the third week, we eat rice till the next monthly rations of food are shared”. Bouba says it appears there is a shortage of food in the camp.

“We don’t know why but we are grateful to the people providing the food we eat. We cannot compare it to what we used to eat while at home in Nigeria. We worked and earned it. Here we are obliged to sit and wait on people of goodwill to support us”, he says.

The drop in food supply in the camp is part of a region-wide problem in Cameroon’s Far North being exacerbated by insecurity. Felix B.F. Gomez, country director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) for Cameroon, told IPS in an interview that the food insecurity situation sharply deteriorated in 2015 alongside the intensifying violence.

“The number of people facing food insecurity has more than doubled since June 2015; some 1.4 million individuals are now estimated to be food insecure which represents over one-third of the region’s population. Some 200,000 people are facing severe food insecurity, which is an increase by 300 per cent since June 2015” he said.

The Far North region has faced Boko Haram attacks since 2013. Earlier in January this year, the country’s minister of communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, disclosed that the Nigeria-based Islamic terror group killed more than 1,200 people. Minister Tchiroma also told a news conference in Yaounde in mid-February that Cameroon’s armed forces carried out a raid in a Nigerian border village, Goshi, during which they killed 126 insurgents and freed one hundred people held captive by the group.

The Logone and Chari division is one of the administrative areas along Cameroon’s border with Nigeria that have suffered repeated Boko Haram attacks. A November 2015 government assessment revealed a cereal deficit of about 50,000 metric tons compared to population needs in the division.

The division is one of three in Cameroon’s Far North region which hosted a total of 75,000 Nigerian refugees and 82,000, as per a report presented June 2015 in Yaounde by Enow Abrams Egbe, inspector at the ministry of territorial administration and decentralisation.

The other two are Mayo-Sava and Mayo Tsanaga. The assessment put the total food deficit in the entire region at 132,000 tons. The Mayo- Tsanaga division hosts the Minawao camp which according to the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, provided shelter for 7,000 refugees from Nigeria when it was opened in July 2013. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says the camp in which water, food and shelter remains among main concerns, housed over 48,601 refugees last October.

According to Gomez, “the number of admissions into nutrition programmes continues to increase following deterioration of the food security and nutrition situation in districts affected by the Boko Haram crisis. The situation is becoming more serious as insecurity and access restrictions often hamper regular supply to remote areas and several health facilities have been closed down due to insecurity.”

The UN official told IPS the prevalence of moderate acute malnutrition increased from 7 per cent in 2014 to 11.7 per cent in 2015, and severe acute malnutrition rates are now exceeding the 2 per cent emergency threshold in the entire conflict-stricken region. “In 2016, we expect that over 150,000 children under five and more than 30,000 mothers are in need of emergency nutrition assistance. This situation could continue to deteriorate if an adequate response is not provided due to insecurity, poor harvests and increased pressures caused by population displacement.” Gomez said.

While WFP and humanitarian partners are said to have triggered improvements in malnutrition rates in the Minawao refugee camp, decreasing the global acute malnutrition rates from over emergency thresholds in early 2015 (around 19 per cent) to less than 7 per cent in December 2015, Gomez stressed that, “the nutrition situation remains critical outside the camp as well as in the entire region and further efforts are needed”.

There could be hope for victims of food insecurity in the Far North region as the government of Cameroon and partners launched a National Humanitarian Response Plan for 2016 on January 25, in Yaounde. Rene Emmanuel Sadi, Cameroon’s interior minister who launched the plan said it requires US$282 million to provide protection and assistance to 325,000 refugees and internally displaced persons in Cameroon. Tony Lanzer, UN sub-secretary general and regional humanitarian coordinator for Sahel, holds that the principal objective of the plan is to fight poverty and re-establish security in conflict zones.

Najat Rochidi, UN humanitarian coordinator for Cameroon, said the Response Plan, launched alongside a regional plan for Nigeria and the Central African Republic, would also handle issues of food insecurity and malnutrition. “The food security sector needs $85.3 million for its response in 2016. WFP alone requires nearly US$40 million to implement assistance in the Far North in 2016, and so far only 51 per cent of these requirements have been met”, said Gomez.

(End)

Résumé

La région de Diffa dépend structurellement des marchés du Nigeria pour son approvisionnement en céréales, la vente des cultures de rente, la vente du bétail et la migration économique.

En effet, depuis le développement des conflits boko haram aux frontières nigériennes, les marchés agricoles de la région de Diffa ont subi des profondes mutations dans leur organisation, leur fonctionnement et leur performance. Désormais tous les flux des céréales en provenance du Nigeria passent par l’axe (Geidem-Gashuwa-Mainé Soroa), alors que dans le passé, ils se faisaient suivant d’autres circuits commerçants. Toutefois, d’après les acteurs interviewés en décembre 2015, les détours occasionnés par la nouvelle organisation de la chaine d’approvisionnement, n’ont pas pour l’instant eu des grandes répercussions sur les charges de transfert, mais plutôt sur la durée du transport de la source d’approvisionnement (marchés du nord-Nigéria) à la destination finale (marchés locaux de la région de Diffa).

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The ongoing conflict in the North-East continues to displace people across this region, and into neighboring countries. According to round VIII of the Displacement Tracking Matrix, 2.2 million people are internally displaced (IDPs) across Nigeria. 81% of IDPs are in Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe states, with the vast majority staying in host communities. The Nigerian government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and UN agencies are struggling to meet the needs of the IDPs. Furthermore, large numbers of IDPs are in areas that are not accessible to humanitarian partners, and face a deteriorating situation going into the lean season. According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé, 2.5 million people are in urgent need of food assistance, with a further 4.4 million under stress in Adamawa (0.9 million), Borno (4.1 million) and Yobe (2.0 million). To meet these growing needs, there is a need for additional funding in order to achieve the targets outlined in the Humanitarian Response Plan

Ya Moussa (Dindéfélo), 15 mars (APS) - L’image est symbolique à plus d’un titre : une petite fille qui offre un pot d’eau au directeur général du Programme d’urgence de développement communautaire (PUDC). Un instant qui marque une nouvelle ère pour les habitants du village de Ya Moussa, situé la commune de Dindéfélo (est).

Le geste de la fille fait ressurgir aussi le souvenir du problème d’accès à l’eau dans ce village de quelque 300 habitants. Cinq mois auparavant, l’image de la même fille partie chercher de l’eau dans des conditions difficiles avait marqué l’équipe du PUDC.

Dans cette localité nichée au milieu de la végétation et au pied des montagnes, le ravitaillement en eau est un parcours du combattant. Il faut creuser dans les endroits où la nappe phréatique affleure rapidement et recueillir une eau boueuse et impropre à la consommation.

Pour rallier Ya Moussa, à partir de Kédougou, soit 25 kilomètres environ, il faut emprunter une piste en latérite avant d’atteindre les cases aux toits en paille.

Rares sont les voitures qui peuvent s’y aventurer. Le vélo et la moto sont les principaux moyens de transport. Pendant l’hivernage, l’accès devient encore plus difficile.

Ici, il n’y a pas d’école. Pour étudier, les enfants vont à pied à Ségou, un village situé à quatre km, ou à Afia Thiabi Carré, à 1,5 Km. Lorsqu’on tombe malade, il faut aller à Dindéfélo pour se faire soigner.

Les habitants de Ya Moussa vivent de la culture du mil, de l’arachide et du coton. Ils pratiquent aussi l’élevage et l’orpaillage, une activité connue ici sous le nom de "dioura" et très répandue dans cette zone aurifère. Mais depuis sa création en 1977, Ya Moussa était confronté à un problème crucial : celui de l’accès à l’eau potable.

Le problème était tellement sérieux qu’il menaçait l’existence du village. "L’existence du village commençait à se poser sérieusement. Des habitants l’ont quitté", témoigne Mamadou Ba.

"Les femmes ont beaucoup souffert. Il fallait se lever très tôt et aller creuser le sol, afin de recueillir une maigre quantité d’eau. Quelle eau ! C’était très difficile", se souvient une déléguée de femmes du village, Fatou Traoré.

La consommation de cette eau boueuse a eu des conséquences sur la santé des populations. Au poste de Dindéfélo, les habitants de Ya Moussa viennent régulièrement se faire soigner de maladies diarrhéiques. Cela emmène le responsable de l’établissement de santé à profiter de la visite d’une équipe du PUDC pour attirer son attention sur l’enjeu de l’accès à l’eau à Ya Moussa.

Les études préalables à la réalisation d’un forage sont faites et la conduite des travaux confiée au Génie militaire. Résultat : pour la première fois, depuis sa fondation en 1977, le village boit de l’eau potable, grâce au forage construit dans le cadre de l’exécution du PUDC. D’un coût de 20 millions de francs CFA, l’ouvrage réceptionné lundi en présence du maire de Dindéfélo et du directeur général du PUDC, Cheikh Diop, a été réalisé en cinq mois.

Fonctionnant à l’énergie solaire, ce forage d’une capacité de 3,5 mètres cubes par heure est équipé d’un réservoir d’une capacité de cinq mille litres. Pourtant, le village n’était pas inscrit dans le programme initial.

Pour le maire de Dindéfélo, Kikala Diallo, qui salue cette réalisation, le PUDC est un "programme de justice sociale", qui met les Sénégalais "sur un pied d’égalité". Une façon pour lui de dire que le développement ne concerne pas seulement les villes.

Avec ce forage, les habitants de Ya Moussa s’approvisionnent désormais en eau aussi potable que celle consommée dans les quartiers de Dakar, se réjouit le directeur général du PUDC. "L’eau est un droit (…) Ces populations souffraient d’un manque d’infrastructures. Ce forage rétablit une justice sociale.

Il renforce le sentiment d’appartenance des bénéficiaires à la nation sénégalaise", ajoute M. Diop, évoquant déjà la possibilité pour les femmes de pratiquer le maraichage.

Pour le village de Ya Moussa, dont l’existence était menacée, une nouvelle ère s’annonce. Selon Ibrahima Sory Cissé, 28 ans, et Fodé Cissé, 39 ans, des habitants du village, le nouvel ouvrage aura l’avantage de mettre fin aux maladies liées à l’eau. Surtout, ajoutent-ils : "Les femmes vont désormais pouvoir se reposer".

Dans la commune d’Inékar (région de Ménaka), ACTED organise des foires alimentaires, avec l’appui de l’agence Américaine Food for Peace, pour soutenir les foyers les plus vulnérables .

Lors d'une première foire, plus de 1400 familles ont reçu l'équivalent d’environ 25 euros en coupons alimentaires et ont pu les échanger contre des aliments variés auprès de producteur locaux (riz, semoule, sucre, lait…). A terme, grâce à ces foires, près de 9000 familles pourront ainsi bénéficier de l’équivalent de 70 euros en coupons alimentaires. De plus, les familles les plus vulnérables peuvent disposer d’une assistance alimentaire d’urgence et l’economie locale est stimulée grâce à l’achat des aliments auprès des commerçants locaux.

Everywhere in the world that I visit, I ask children what they want to become when they grow up. They’ll usually tell me: I want to be a nurse. A teacher. A pilot.

But when I asked Aisha, a ten-year-old girl from Cameroon, I received a startling reply. Aisha wants to be a soldier. Why? To fight those who have driven her family from their home. To achieve peace and security which is now just a dream.

I met Aisha recently as I travelled through the Lake Chad Basin including northern Nigeria, the lake region of Chad, and the Far North of Cameroon. I was there to hear from the women and men who have been bearing the brunt of ongoing terror and violence by Boko Haram.

Let me tell you this first – the people whom I met are strong and resourceful. Women and men with remarkable dignity and determination. Women and children who had the strength to smile and welcome me with warmth despite the harsh conditions of their reality.

I wanted to hear from them - How is their life now? What do they need? What would they like me to tell the world on their behalf?

Their stories are painfully similar, dotted with horrible descriptions of homes burned, loved ones killed and belongings looted.

"We had our farms and we could grow our food,” said two women who fled to Chad to escape the violence. Mariam and Isara are mothers now living at the Yokoua displaced person’s site, home to over a thousand people who fled their islands under attack in June last year.

“Our husbands fished. We had to leave everything behind,” the women said. “We couldn’t even bring our clothes. We were helped when we arrived by the families living here, and we got some food from (World Food Programme) WFP. But we have little else.”

In Maiduguri, in northern Nigeria, I sat with women, men and children outside their shelter, a former school that offers them no running water or electricity, and poor sanitation. Some 100 displaced families now live here. Thousands of other Chadian farmers and fishers shelter in fields of desolate, rolling sand dunes in remote areas, dotted with makeshift huts.

These people are among the 2.8 million who have been displaced by the violence. A total of five million face hunger due to the conflict that spills across national borders.

Local communities, already hard-pressed themselves, are trying to help. They have shared the small amount of food that they had.

Together with our partners, we are helping, despite limited resources and the challenging environment. Our teams are providing emergency food and nutrition support to hundreds of thousands of people. Where food is available and markets working, we are gradually introducing cash assistance so that people can buy the food they need, support the local economy, and become more independent.

For there is no end in immediate sight to the violence - Africa’s latest and largest displacement crisis.

WFP has supported the Nigerian Government and its partners in starting a cash assistance programme with mobile-phone delivery for over 4,000 displaced people. The goal in the coming months is to reach 70,000 people in the areas where hunger has reached an explosive level.

While we must respond to their immediate needs, we must also work towards greater resilience for both the displaced and for the local communities which are hosting them so that they can sustain themselves.

Some of the women I met had lost their husbands to the Boko Haram violence and were forced to quickly become the sole breadwinners for their families. They have managed remarkably and say that with a little support, they could get on their feet, earn a living, and keep their children in school.

For my part, I pledged to pass on their stories and make their voices heard, so that this crisis in some of the poorest parts of West Africa gets the urgent attention and support that it requires.

If not, how many more millions will be pushed into hunger and desperation with futures lost to terror and violence. More than 5 million already are hungry.

Highlights

• According to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Round VIII Report (February, 2016), there are an estimated 1.82 million people displaced as a consequence of the conflict in Adamawa,
  Borno, Gombe and Yobe states, among which 1 million are children.

• The relocation of IDPs from camps occupying schools to more permanent sites commenced in Borno state in February. To address the increase in health care needs, UNICEF has established an additional clinic in Bakassi camp and mobilized additional health workers and logistical support to Dalori camp.

• The Nutrition Sector was represented in the Cadre Harmonisé process held in February in Kano state. A key observation during the process was the dearth of nutrition information that limited analysis of the situation. There is a lack of representative sampling for GAM and SAM prevalence, including the under-five mortality rate. The main source of data, the National Nutrition and Health Survey is only conducted once a year.

• The Education in Emergency (EiE) Working Group hosted a Global Call to raise the profile of the work of the sector in responding to needs in the North East. Participants on the call included ECHO,
  USAID, DfiD, Oando Oil and other EiE WG partners in Nigeria.

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

The conflict between Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), commonly known as Boko Haram, and the Nigerian Security Forces (NSF) in the North East of Nigeria is entering its seventh year. According to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Round VIII Report (February, 2016), there are an estimated 1.82 million people displaced in Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe as a consequence of the conflict. The largest proportion of these IDPs are located in Borno state (1.52 million), followed by Yobe (139,550) Adamawa (130,320), and Gombe (26,233).

The rapid assessment of perceptions of children born out of sexual violence and girls and women associated with Boko Haram, conducted by UNICEF and International Alert, highlighted the significant challenges for girls, women and their children to reintegrate into their communities. In particular, some communities hold extremely negative views towards children born out of Boko Haram related sexual violence, which place these children at risk of rejection and, in some cases, attack.
The relocation of IDPs from camps occupying schools to more permanent sites commenced in Borno state in February.

Five camps were included – Government College, Yerwa, Arabic Teachers College, Government Girls Secondary School and Government Girls College. The IDPs are being relocated to Dalori and Bakassi camps. To address the increase in health care needs, UNICEF has established an additional clinic in Bakassi camp and mobilized additional health workers and logistical support to Dalori camp.

The Nutrition Sector was represented at the first Cadre Harmonisé (CH) Analysis exercise of 2016, conducted in Kano state from 25th -28th February. The CH framework tool consolidates evidence from existing data collection mechanisms to develop an internationally comparative severity scale. This scale allows for the mapping of current food and nutrition situations, as well as analysis of projected situations. States included in the CH analysis included Borno, Yobe,
Adamawa, Zamfara, Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, and Jigawa.

Only those nutrition surveys which were pre-validated by the Nutrition in Emergency (NiE) working group were integrated into the meta-analysis of the CH. Overall results from the situation analysis show that compared to last year, there were slight improvements in the nutrition situation. This could be attributed to a scale up of multi-sector humanitarian interventions targeting the most vulnerable in focus states. An improvement in the security situations in the NE region improved access to basic services, this was also highlighted as a probable contributor to the improvements seen. The findings from this exercise will be validated, and the report published in March 2016.

Nigeria - As part of its overall support to families displaced by violence in Northern Nigeria, in partnership with the government and other agencies on the ground, IOM relocated 189 families from a school to Bakasi camp. Each family was provided with a newly built shelter by IOM along with a non-food item (NFI) package.

This voluntary relocation is part of a government-led drive to vacate schools where internally displaced persons (IDPs) were initially settled in order to be able to reopen them for classes in April.

Richard Danziger, the IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa (WCA) who is on an official visit reassured the IDPs of IOM’s commitment to providing shelter and NFIs to alleviate their plight. He stated that “providing assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the North-eastern part of Nigeria is imperative as a first step toward long-term stability in Northern Nigeria and the entire Lake Chad sub region.”

Justus Zare, Permanent Secretary to Borno State Ministry of Education who is also the secretary to the Relocation Committee explained that efforts are being made to improve the situation of the camp. He said “shelters are being provided, drilling for water is completed, solar panels are installed and we are happy with IOM and other partners for assisting us.”

IOM is also conducting baseline assessments and registration for IDPs living in camps and host communities under the Displacement Tracking Matrix project. In addition, psychosocial services are provided to the IDPs and referrals are made for appropriate treatment where applicable.

Two years ago many displaced people were housed and shielded in school facilities when schools were shut down due to Boko Haram offensive. Surviving family members were scattered across various schools used as temporary camps in the state. With the relocation and provision of shelters by IOM many families are now reunited.

The humanitarian crisis in Northern Nigeria continues and yet the aid community is facing significant funding gaps to sustain interventions. IOM is appealing for USD 15 million for continued shelter support, displacement tracking and biometric registration, camp management and camp coordination (CCCM) and psycho-social support.

For more information, please contact: Ikechukwu Hillarion Attah, IOM Abuja. Tel: Office: +234 (0) 8140671127; Mobile: +234 (0) 8036452973. Email: iattah@iom.int or Enira Krdzalic, Tel: + 0093794100526 Email: krdzalic@iom.int

Norway is increasing its humanitarian assistance to the Sahel to NOK 70 million in 2016. ‘The humanitarian situation in the Sahel region is dire. Food and nutrition crises, armed conflicts, climate change and rapid population growth are all taking their toll,’ said Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende, who visited Mali this week.

Mr Brende visited the Malian capital, Bamako, together with Minister of Defence Ine Eriksen Søreide. ‘With this significant contribution, Norway is sending a clear signal about its increased humanitarian support to the Sahel countries,’ Mr Brende said.

The humanitarian assistance provided by Norway will be channelled through the UN, aid organisations and the Red Cross system. Mr Brende also announced support of NOK 70 million for education in the Sahel, and NOK 20 million for efforts to strengthen the police and the judicial system in northern Mali.

One in six people in the Sahel does not have enough to eat, and around six million children in the region are suffering from malnutrition. The future prospects of millions of families in the Sahel are very uncertain. In addition to the chronic challenges of food insecurity, malnutrition and epidemics, violent conflicts in the region are forcing growing numbers of people to flee their homes.

The UN has estimated that close to USD 2 billion is needed to meet humanitarian needs in the Sahel region in 2016. So far, only 10 % of this amount has been provided by international donors. ‘Norway shares the international community’s concern about developments in the Sahel. The humanitarian needs are immense, as one crisis gives way to the next. Many people are also having to live with the constant threat of violent extremism,’ Mr Brende said.

The civilian population in the unstable Sahel region has suffered crisis after crisis for many years, as a result of both armed conflict and natural disasters. In several of the countries in the region, governance is weak and there are major humanitarian challenges. At present, the future prospects of the rapidly growing young population are gloomy. This is leading to an increase in migration, and at the same time creating a breeding ground for organised crime, smuggling and terrorism.

Début mars la tendance générale de l’évolution des prix des céréales est à la hausse dans les 3 pays

Syntèse par pays

Au Niger la tendance générale des prix des céréales est à la hausse pour le mil et le sorgho sur certains marchés. Les hausses ont été enregistrées : a) pour le mil à Dosso (+9%), à Maradi (+7%) et à Niamey (+6%), b) pour le sorgho à Tillabéry (+12%), à Niamey (+7%) et à Maradi (+4%), c) pour le maïs à Niamey (+6%) et d) pour le riz à Niamey (+8%). Quelques mouvements à la baisse ont été observées : i) pour le maïs à Maradi (-10%) et à Dosso (-5%) et ii) pour le sorgho à Dosso (-5%).

Au Mali la tendance générale de l’évolution des prix des céréales est variable selon les produits. Elle est à la hausse pour le mil et le riz local, et à la stabilité pour le riz importé, le sorgho et le maïs. Les hausses ont été observées pour le riz local à Bamako et Ségou (+8%) et à Tombouctou (+3%), pour le mil à Bamako (+7%), à Tombouctou (+5%) et à Mopti et Gao (+3%), pour le sorgho et le maïs à Kayes, respectivement +3% et +4%, et pour le riz importé à Bamako et Tombouctou (+3%). Quelques rares cas de baisse ont été enregistrés : i) pour le mil à Kayes (-3%) et ii) pour le sorgho et le maïs à Bamako, respectivement de -7% et-4%.

Au Burkina la tendance générale des prix est à la hausse pour le maïs et à la stabilité pour le riz. En ce qui concerne le mil et le sorgho, des fluctuations tantôt à la hausse tantôt à la baisse et des stabilités sont observées selon les marchés. Les hausses ont été enregistrés, i) pour le maïs à Bobo (+9%), à Ouagadougou, Dédougou et Nouna (+4%) et à Fada (+3%), ii) pour le sorgho à Bobo (+9%), à Tenkodogo (+7%) et à Dédougou (+4%), iii) pour le mil à Fada (+6%) et à Tenkodogo (+3%). Les baisses ont été enregistrées : i) pour le mil à Kongoussi (-9%), à Nouna (-7%) et à Ouagadougou (-3%), ii) pour le sorgho à Kongoussi (-9%), à Ouagadougou (-7%) et à Nouna (-4%), iii) pour le maïs et le riz à Kongoussi respectivement de -6% et de -5%.

Moki Edwin Kindzeka
March 20, 2016 3:59 PM

YAOUNDE— Cameroon's military has freed 12 people held hostage by 30 suspected rebels on its border with the troubled Central African Republic. Cameroon's military says that two of the suspected rebels were killed and several its soldiers were wounded in a 48 hour operation.

The governor of the Adamawa region of Cameroon says the 12 people, including children, were freed from captivity after Cameroon military launched an operation on its border with the Central African Republic.

Kildadis Taguieke Boucar says, unfortunately, some of the hostage takers escaped to the neighboring country.

He says the assailants were quickly detected by the population and Cameroon military because they were dressed in foreign military uniforms, an indication many rebels and evildoers from foreign countries were still operating on Cameroonian territory.

Among the freed hostages flown by Cameroon's military from the border zone to the Ngaoundere airport in Adamawa region is 47-year old cattle rancher Mohamadou Njobdji, who says he spent two weeks in captivity after he was seized with his two children from his home at Ngaoui.

He says the day he was kidnapped there was a loud knock on his door about 11:00 PM with voices threatening that if he refused to let them in, he and his family would be killed. He says when he opened the door some masked people, dressed in black and armed with guns ordered his household to follow them.

Njobdji says while in captivity on the mountainous border zone, they were asked to pay ransoms of up to $10,000 each for their release. He says they were beaten each morning and fed with meat from stolen cattle.

Colonel Asoualai Blama, who led the operation to free the hostages, has called for civilians to report suspects and strange people in their localities. He says Cameroon's military is determined to fight the attackers, but the battle can not be won without the participation of the general population.

He says he is very thankful to the population, especially farmers and cattle ranchers who collaborated by giving useful information to the military. He says without such collaboration the armed men who operate on border localities should have retreated to the Central African Republic.

Before 2014, CAR rebels were attacking Cameroon frequently to press for the release of Abdoulaye Meskine and 10 anti-Balaka soldiers who were arrested in Cameroon in 2013.

Cameroon and CAR negotiated the repatriation of Meskine to an undisclosed location and the attacks reduced. But since May 2015, Cameroon has been complaining that suspected CAR rebels were attacking its territory, kidnapping cattle ranchers and rich business persons and asking for ransoms.

Cameroon shares a 900-kilometer long boundary with the landlocked Central Afrtican Republic and there are 300,000 CAR refugees in Cameroon.

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Monday 3/21/2016 - 14:25 GMT

Some 20,000 people have been killed in the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno state in northeast Nigeria, according to a report for the World Bank that puts the cost of destruction at $5.9 billion.

The report lays bare the extent of the damage since the insurgency began in 2009 and which at one point saw the Islamists control swathes of territory across the northeast.

It is part of a Post-Insurgency Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment, an intervention programme involving the World Bank, European Union and the UN with six northeastern states.

Assessments in each of the states were carried out in areas including education, healthcare, water, sanitation, housing, municipal buildings, energy, environment, transport, economy and business.

In Borno, sources with knowledge of the report told AFP on Monday that some 20,000 citizens are thought to have been killed during the violence -- a higher figure than previous estimates.

In addition, the majority of the more than 2.0 million internally displaced persons came from the state.

In the 27 local government districts that make up Borno, the fighting destroyed or damaged:

• 956,453 (nearly 30 percent) out of 3,232,308 private houses

• 5,335 classrooms and school buildings in 512 primary, 38 secondary and two tertiary institutions

• 1,205 municipal, local government or ministry buildings

• 76 police stations

• 35 electricity offices

• 14 prison buildings

• 201 health centres

• 1,630 water sources

• 726 power sub-stations and distribution lines.

In some areas such as Bama, the destruction has been near-total, with only 20 percent of houses unscathed.

The report also estimated parks, game, forest and grazing reserves, orchards, river basins and lakes have been poisoned in 16 of the 27 areas, and 470,000 livestock killed or stolen.

The source close to the Borno state government said the report has yet to be approved by the bank and a decision was expected soon on funding.

But given the cost of the damage -- about $5.9 billion -- and Nigeria's struggling economy caused by the global oil shock, matching external funding for reconstruction could be problematic, the source added.

The World Bank in Nigeria declined to comment.

str-phz/ccr

© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

KEY DRIVERS OF THE CRISIS

• Recurring natural disasters such as droughts and floods combined with the 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. In addition, increasing insecurity in the far North of Cameroon and along the border of -CAR hampers humanitarian access.

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

Par Francesca FrezzaCaritas s’inquiète de la détérioration de la crise en Afrique centrale, où des milliers de personnes sont contraintes de fuir les combattants de Boko Haram au Niger, au Nigeria et au Tchad.

Des dizaines de milliers de personnes vivent à présent sous des arbres ou dans des villages de fortune et des camps près de Diffa, au Niger, après avoir fui leurs villes et villages suite aux avancées des fondamentalistes.

Les attaques au Nigeria et les raids outre-frontière, au Niger, ont forcé des centaines de milliers de personnes à fuir de chez elles depuis 2014, et ce nombre ne fait que croitre alors que les violences s’intensifient. Les moyens de subsistances disparaissent eux aussi, car les cultures sont pillées et dévastées par les militants.

Plus d’un tiers de la population de Diffa, estimée à 600 000 personnes, a été déplacée par le conflit. Des douzaines d’écoles ont fermé dans la région.

“« Cette situation permanente de terreur et d’intimidation les a conduits à fuir et à finir dans une situation pénible, en particulier pour les femmes et les enfants, qui dorment à l’air libre, au froid », dit Raymond Yoro, Secrétaire exécutif de CADEV, Caritas in Niger.

« Il y a un besoin urgent d’aide internationale… Il nous faut construire d’urgence de nouveaux abris, fournir des couvertures et d’autre articles de première nécessité. Caritas au Niger a besoin d’un soutien international pour aider les victimes de Boko Haram », dit Yoro Caritas a fourni de l’argent pour acheter de la nourriture et des kits d’hygiène, des moustiquaires et un équipement de conservation de l’eau à 15 000 personnes depuis le lancement d’un appel d’urgence en juin.

Des femmes et des enfants

Amina Tijani a été contrainte de fuir de son village au Niger, à la frontière avec le Nigéria, après une attaque de militants armés de Boko Haram.

Choquée et secouée par cette violence, elle s’accroche à son fils. Tous deux s’abritent dans un camp de déplacés internes aux abords d’une route près de Diffa.

« Je viens du village de Chilori au Niger, près de la frontière avec le Nigeria », dit Tijani. « Nous avons fui il y a deux mois, quand notre village a été attaqué par Boko Haram. »

« Certaines personnes âgées sont restées, mais les autres ont fui. 10 personnes ont été tuées. J’ai six enfants et nous n’avons rien, pas d’eau, pas d’habits, pas de nourriture, rien du tout. »

Zana et Adama et leurs enfants ont fui leur village au Nigeria. Leur père a été tué lors d’un violent raid de Boko Haram.

« Ils ont débarqué dans notre village et ont commencé à tout bruler et à tirer sur les gens. Ceux qui ont eu la chance de survivre ont fui », dit Zana.

« Nous avons perdu notre père dans cette attaque, il n’a pas réussi à s’échapper. Nous avons sept enfants dans la famille, il nous faut des couvertures et plus de nourriture. »

Zana et Adama ont rejoint des déplacés du Niger, du Nigeria et du Tchad dans un camp de personnes déplacées. Elles sont trop effrayées pour rentrer chez elles.

Elles font parties des personnes ayant bénéficié de la distribution par Caritas d’articles ménagers d’urgence comprenant des moustiquaires, des casseroles, de la literie, des kits d’hygiène, des habits et des transferts monétaires.

Au total, 228 foyers ont reçu une aide de la part de Caritas près de la ville de Château. Mais il reste encore beaucoup plus à faire. Il n’y a pas suffisamment de logements pour ceux qui cherchent à fuir les violences et aucun système scolaire n’est à disposition des enfants.

Beaucoup des déplacés n’ont pas seulement perdu leur maison, mais aussi des êtres chers. Ils ne savent plus où ils sont.

Djarou Ali, 45 ans, craint que son mari n’ait été tué par des militants de Boko Haram. Elle et sa fille Hawa Babacar ont survécu à des attaques brutales sur son village et ont fui au camp de Château, au Niger, à la mi-février.

« Mon mari a disparu et je pense qu’il est mort, parce que cela fait plus d’un an que je ne l’ai pas vu », dit Ali.

« Je bénéficie du soutien d’autres personnes dans la communauté, celles déplacées, mais aussi de Nigérians qui ont suffisamment de compassion pour me donner quelque chose à manger ou un peu d’argent pour soutenir ma famille. »

Fatima Brah Fatima Brah est reconnaissante pour les couvertures, les moustiquaires, les casseroles et les transferts monétaires que Caritas a donné aux réfugiés et au déplacés internes ici. « Il y a neuf mois, nous sommes venus ici après que Boko Haram a brulé notre village une nuit et que nous avons fui dans le bush. Ils ont tué plus de 10 personnes. »

Falmata et ses enfants vivent au village de Guidan Kaji près de la frontière avec le Nigeria, dans les environs de Diffa.

Ils ont été déplacés cinq fois rien que cette année, après diverses attaques de Boko Haram, et ont traversé deux pays. Des personnes déplacées du Niger et du Nigeria s’abritent dans ce village. Elles ont récemment reçu des couvertures et des habits de Caritas.

Les jeunes hommes sont particulièrement vulnérables à l’enrôlement dans Boko Haram, car ils ont peu d’occasions de gagner de l’argent à Diffa.

Caritas travaille auprès des adolescents et des jeunes hommes à un programme de récolte des ordures, afin de promouvoir le travail et de générer des revenus.

Soixante-cinq hommes sans autre emploi récoltent ainsi des ordures le long des routes de Diffa 10 fois par mois et sont payés environ 2$ chaque fois.

Babaye Abdou, 18 ans, est content de participer à ce programme communautaire de Caritas.

[Cliquer pour tweeter “Besoin urgent d’une aide accrue pour les victimes de Boko Haram. Programme de récolte des ordures de Caritas pour les jeunes hommes.”]

« J’ai entendu de ce programme dans mon voisinage à travers des amis à moi qui y participaient et qui m’ont présenté aux responsables. » « C’est la première fois que je participe et j’avais besoin de travailler. Avant, j’avais un travail, je cuisais des briques, mais à cause d’une blessure, je ne peux plus faire ça et donc ce programme est une autre façon de gagner de l’argent. »

Caritas fait aussi de la sensibilisation sur l’impact du conflit.

Pour les « Prix Producteurs »
Les prix collectés ce mois de Février 2016, nous indiquent que :

• Riz Gambiaka: le prix le moins cher est 275 FCFA/kg enregistré à Kléla et 290 à Siengo suivi de Niono avec 300 et le plus cher 350 F à Sofara dans la région de Mopti.
  
• Riz Adny11 : il est vendu à 290 FCFA/kg à Siengo, 300 à Niono (Ségou) et 310 FCFA/kg à Baguinéda (Koulikoro).
  
• Riz BG: il se vend à 315 à Baguinéda (Koulikoro) et 350 FCFA/kg à Sofara (Mopti). Riz Local étuvé : il est vendu à 400 FCFA/kg maximum à Niono et Siengo, 275 à Sofara (Mopti) et 250 à Klela (Sikasso).
  
• Paddy: les prix des différentes variétés se situent dans une fourchette de 150 à 178 FCFA/kg le prix dont le plus bas est enregistré à Siengo et le plus élevé à Tombouctou.
  
• Les Semences : les prix ont évolué entre 275 FCFA/kg variété R2 en passant par 300 pour la R1 à Siengo et 335 FCFA pour les variétés BG et Wassa à Baguinéda.