Niamey – Faced with a new wave of displacement following recent Boko Haram attacks in Niger’s Diffa region and with needs on the rise, WFP plans to double its food and nutrition assistance, aiming to gradually increase its life-saving support to more than 250,000 people in Niger’s embattled southern region.

In recent days, WFP distributed 15-day emergency food rations to more than 1,400 newly displaced people finding refuge in Diffa town. This week, food assistance is on its way for thousands more newly displaced people at sites between Diffa and Bosso towns, with 157 metric tons on the move.

“Tens of thousands of people have been uprooted this past week following what was the deadliest attack since April 2015. More than half of them are women and children. These are people who have already been displaced several times due to the violence spilling across the border with Nigeria. They have now reached the end of their rope,” said Belkacem Machane, WFP Niger Deputy Country Director.

“Many have walked from 10 to 40 kilometres. They are arriving in a state of shock, and urgently need food, shelter, water – assistance with their most basic needs,” added Machane.

As the situation of the newly displaced people becomes clearer, WFP plans to continue reaching those most in need in Diffa town and at displaced people’s sites at Ngagam, Kintchandi and Garim Wazam.

More than 240,000 people have been displaced in Diffa region. A total of 450,000 people in the region – nearly 70 percent of the population - face hunger. With the onset of the lean season, WFP is concerned that hunger can only deepen.

To date, WFP provided food and nutrition assistance to some 136,000 refugees, displaced people and vulnerable host communities.

Where markets are functioning and food is available, WFP provides cash assistance so that people can buy the food that they need for their families, and also support the local economy. About 40,000 people have been reached with cash assistance. Each family receives 32,500 CFA (about US$ 54) per month.

“Many displaced people live outside of formal sites in an extremely difficult situation – both they and the local population taking them in need support. A lack of funding has been forcing us to make tough choices as we cannot fully meet their needs,” said Machane.

“We are now facing not only the most difficult period of the year – the lean season when food stocks are low – but also the challenges of responding to a significant number of newly displaced people who need urgent life-saving assistance. Current shortfalls have prevented us these past days from providing a full month food ration to the newly displaced people,” added Machane.

WFP urgently requires US$ 20 million for the next six months to assist people affected by the Lake Chad Crisis.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 75 countries.

Follow us on Twitter: @WFP_WAfrica, @WFP_Media

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Vigno Hounkanli, WFP Niger, + 224 628340957
Adel Sarkozi, WFP West Africa Regional Bureau (Senegal), +221 776375964

Elections have been a cyclical driver of conflict risk and violence in Rivers state since 1999. The state was reported to have had the highest number of violent incidents during the 2015 general elections in Nigeria. In the lead-up and aftermath of the 2016 legislative election rerun on 19 March, Rivers was once again marred by widespread political and cult violence with fatalities in the lead-up surpassing any period since 2009. This ongoing cycle of insecurity is not only impacting the citizens of the state, but also business. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Rivers has the second largest GDP after Lagos, but it is also one of the most violent states per capita in the Niger Delta. With increasing insecurity in the state surrounding election cycles in 2015 and 2016, there are growing concerns that local businesses are being impacted, investors may invest elsewhere, and the state may even see international companies start to rethink their physical presence in the hub of Port Harcourt.

Aniekan Archibong, Super Ofeno, Nkasi Wodu, Nate Haken, Patricia Taft, and Hannah Blyth contributed to this report.

This mapping study project on ombuds institutions for the armed forces in francophone countries in sub-Saharan Africa draws on extensive research undertaken as part of a previous OIF-DCAF research project in 2013 entitled “Ombuds Institutions for the Armed Forces in Francophone Africa: Burkina Faso, Burundi and Senegal”.

The objectives of the mapping study are to develop a comprehensive analysis of the activities and role of the ombuds institutions; to identify factors that may facilitate or hinder the establishment and functioning of such institutions; to encourage ombuds institutions to deal with the armed forces and to improve the functioning and effectiveness of existing institutions; and to involve the ombuds institutions of the states concerned in the global process of exchanging good practice and experience between existing ombuds institutions.

L’ étude cartographique des institutions de médiation pour les forces armées dans les pays francophones d’Afrique sub-saharienne est un projet initié sous l’égide de l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) en collaboration avec le Centre pour le contrôle démocratique des forces armées – Genève (DCAF) dans le cadre du programme de l’OIF « Apporter un appui au maintien et à la consolidation de la paix ». Cette étude s’inscrit dans la continuité de recherches approfondies, menées dans le cadre d’un premier projet intitulé Les institutions de médiation pour les forces armées en Afrique francophone : Burkina Faso, Burundi et Sénégal (OIF-DCAF, 2013) et a pour objet de mettre en évidence l’importance de l’existence de telles institutions en tant que mécanismes soutenant la démocratisation, la bonne gouvernance et la réforme des systèmes de sécurité et favorisant ainsi les processus de transition démocratique.

L’OIF accompagne et soutient les États en sortie de crise et en période de transition démocratique afin de rétablir un ordre constitutionnel et de renforcer les institutions politiques. En adoptant la Déclaration de Bamako (3 novembre 2000), la communauté francophone a consacré la consolidation de l’État de droit comme domaine d’attention prioritaire.

L’objectif de l’établissement de l’État de droit en période de construction de la paix passe par l’adoption de réformes institutionnelles destinées à restaurer la stabilité politique et la démocratie mais également la promotion, la défense et le respect des droits de l’Homme et des libertés fondamentales. Dans le cadre du programme « Apporter un appui au maintien et à la consolidation de la paix », l’OIF encourage le renforcement des capacités de l’État et la promotion des principes de l’État de droit, ce qui implique l’établissement de processus de médiation, de conseil et de sensibilisation des gouvernements et de leurs populations. L’établissement d’une gouvernance démocratique des secteurs de la sécurité tend à devenir l’un des objectifs essentiels afin de restaurer et renforcer les fonctions de l’État dans les environnements post-conflictuels. Les initiatives mises en œuvre dans les pays membres de la Francophonie en vue de renforcer le processus de consolidation de la paix ont permis de démontrer le caractère indispensable de la médiation entre personnels civils et militaires : la médiation constitue à la fois un moyen de règlement pacifique des différends et un outil indispensable à la prévention de futurs conflits. L’instauration d’une paix durable dans les pays sortant d’un conflit armé ou d’une période de violences implique la mise en œuvre des principes de bonne gouvernance et l’adoption de mesures visant la réforme des systèmes de sécurité.

Le DCAF est engagé en faveur de la promotion des institutions de médiation et d’Ombudsman au sein des forces armées et soutient la Conférence internationale pour les Institutions d’Ombudsmans des Forces armées (ICOAF). Les institutions de médiation pour les forces armées jouent un rôle déterminant en faveur de la promotion et du respect des principes de l’État de droit et des droits de l’Homme. Ces institutions favorisent le dialogue, jouent le rôle d’intercesseur entre les membres du secteur de la sécurité et les populations civiles, et permettent ainsi de renforcer la confiance mutuelle ainsi que l’efficacité des activités menées par les forces de sécurité. L’engagement du DCAF et sa coopération avec les institutions de médiation pour les forces armées visent trois objectifs principaux : (1) Formuler des recommandations politiques visant à renforcer le fonctionnement de ces institutions ; (2) Soutenir la coopération internationale entre les institutions de médiation existantes ; (3) Favoriser l’échange de bonnes pratiques et d’expériences entre ces institutions.

Ambassadeur Ridha Bouabid, Ambassadeur et Représentant permanent de l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) auprès des Nations Unies à Genève

Ambassadeur Theodor H. Winkler, Directeur du DCAF

Note by the Secretariat

The present report provides an account of the activities undertaken by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons. It considers progress made in key priority areas identified by the Special Rapporteur, and the major challenges relating to the human rights of internally displaced persons that require new or enhanced attention, including the integration of humanitarian and development activities, development-induced displacement, the vulnerability of marginalized groups to displacement and the need for consultation with and the participation of displaced persons in progress towards achieving durable solutions.

I. Introduction

1. The present report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, is submitted in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 23/8. It is the last report submitted to the Council by the present mandate holder.

2. The Special Rapporteur pays tribute to Francis Deng, the Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons for the period 1992-2004, and Walter Kälin, the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons from 2004 to 2010. He thanks them sincerely for their unreserved support during his tenure as Special Rapporteur.

3. In the first section, the Special Rapporteur provides an overview of his activities over the reporting period and progress relating to key priorities that he had identified for his work. In the second section, he considers some major challenges and emerging issues for consideration by all stakeholders relating to the human rights of internally displaced persons.

4. The Special Rapporteur thanks the numerous entities that have supported and assisted his mandate during his tenure, including Member States, United Nations agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and volunteer groups, academic and research organizations and numerous other stakeholders.
   He is grateful for the support provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). In order to maximize its impact, the mandate also relies on the additional support provided by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with which he has built fruitful and effective partnerships.
   Memorandums of understanding with both offices have enabled the flow of information and exchange of expertise and initiatives and have allowed additional mandate support staff to be located in both bodies.

5. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges the work and contributions of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and the Joint IDP Profiling Service, with which he has formed valuable collaborations. Their innovative work in the areas of research, profiling, field support, capacity–building, training and advocacy have contributed to improving national and international responses to internal displacement and provided essential tools to national Governments and other stakeholders.

6. The Special Rapporteur pays tribute to and has benefited immensely from civil society organizations. National civil society groups, non-governmental organizations and volunteer groups are always on the front line of assistance efforts and bear much of the social responsibility for supporting internally displaced persons, frequently with minimal resources.

7. The Special Rapporteur expresses sincere appreciation to the Brookings Project on Internal Displacement for its support to the mandate. The project concluded its work and partnership with the respective mandates of the Representatives of the Secretary-General and the Special Rapporteur in 2015.

8. The mandate has been and must remain an important voice in the international community on and for millions of internally displaced persons globally. The Human Rights Council and the General Assembly among others have recognized the catalytic role played by the mandate in raising the level of awareness of the alarmingly high numbers of internally displaced persons, addressing their development and specific needs, including through mainstreaming the human rights of such persons into all relevant parts of the United Nations system. In its resolution 70/165, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to continue to provide the Special Rapporteur, from within existing resources, with all assistance necessary to strengthen and carry out his mandate effectively.
   The Special Rapporteur considers it necessary to take measures to strengthen the effectiveness of the mandate and enhance its operational capacity and its ability to engage all stakeholders at the highest level.

9. Redesignating the mandate from that of Representative of the Secretary-General (1992 to 2010) to a Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council (2010 to 2016) has undermined the mandate holder’s standing and institutional ability to play an inside role as a catalyst and to mainstream the human rights of internally displaced persons within the United Nations system. A Special Rapporteur acting in a voluntary, external and independent capacity is no longer adequate to cope with the complexity and scope of global internal displacement today. This concern was raised in December 2013 at the UNHCR high-level dialogue on internal displacement, in which calls were made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other authorities to reinforce the mandate.
   The Special Rapporteur considers that enhancing the mandate to a Special Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons, with appropriate staff and resources, working within and outside the United Nations and in dialogue with Member States and all stakeholders, would demonstrate the commitment of the United Nations and the international community to addressing internal displacement effectively.

Agile, resilient and sustainable supply chains for children

Improving accessibility, bridging financial gaps, generating savings and strengthening supply chains with governments

or 70 years, securing the health and wellbeing of children around the world has been at the heart of everything UNICEF says and does.

Between 2000 and 2015, the global community made great strides to improve the lives of children and their families – galvanized by the common objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The collective commitment of governments, donors, partners and international institutions more than halved under-five mortality rates since 2000 (from 12.7 million to 5.9 million children); contributed to an almost 50 per cent fall in extreme poverty (from 1.9 billion to 836 million); provided access to water for 2.6 billion people; and helped 43 million additional children attend primary school each year – many of these are girls. But there is more yet to do.

In September 2015, world leaders committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a renewed global push, between now and 2030, to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice and address climate change. The 17 SDGs include goals that are specific to the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents. Access to affordable, high-quality vaccines, medicines, water and sanitation and education supplies is critical to realizing the SDGs.

UNICEF remains one of the largest buyers of supplies for children and in 2015 procured over $3.4 billion in supplies and services. At the same time, UNICEF Supply responded to increased requests from governments for technical expertise, knowledge sharing and collaboration to optimize supply chains, prevent stock-outs, reduce costs and ensure timely delivery. UNICEF uses evidencebased strategies that focus on competition, transparency, special financing, special contracting and partner collaboration to tackle market issues to achieve value for money, sustainability and meet demand.
These efforts contributed to increased availability and declining prices in 2015:
Over $422.8 million in savings and cost avoidance was achieved in 14 commodity groups across the year, bringing cumulative savings since 2012 to $1.068 billion.

The rapidly growing supply financing area of UNICEF’s work is core to achieving the above and is the theme of this year’s annual report. Initially, UNICEF’s support in this area focused on securing bridge financing for countries experiencing gaps in the timely availability of funds to buy supplies. However, in the last five years, the work on supply financing solutions for children has expanded markedly. It covers special contracting arrangements that help address market uncertainties and contribute to lower prices; technical support to build countries’ budgeting, financing and procurement self-sufficiency; and efforts to encourage expansion of the local supplierbase. The report explains each of these financing interventions, and through country examples, illustrates the impact of these efforts on the lives of children.

Alongside efforts to establish agile, resilient supply chains, UNICEF Supply continued to respond to the needs of children caught in crisis and conflict throughout 2015. The Supply emergency response reached children in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Guinea, Iraq, Liberia, Malawi, Nepal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria and Vanuatu. UNICEF Supply also supported migrant and refugee children risking their lives to find safety and education in Europe.

Despite this varying and often challenging operational environment, achievements across the year demonstrate the scope and value of UNICEF Supply and its potential to contribute to global efforts to ensure children and young people are healthy, safe, educated and empowered. The drive to integrate sustainability into supply chains for children is built upon ingenuity, perseverance and compassion – qualities that define UNICEF colleagues who procure and deliver supplies that help fulfil every child’s right to a full and healthy life.

By Moustapha Diallo, IFRC

In Mangodara, a department located 500 kilometres from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, local communities are facing various challenges. It is a malaria prone area and access to health care facilities is difficult. People also do not have access to clean water. Women wash clothes in the same backwaters and streams they depend on for cooking and drinking, making adults and children sick.

“It hurt me to see many pregnant women losing their life in the process of giving life, to see children die of malaria or suffering from diarrhoea because of dirty water," explains Suzanne Pagbalem, who joined the Burkinabe Red Cross Society as a volunteer in 2014 when the National Society started to implement an integrated community health project in Mangodara.

Twice a week, Suzanne criss-crosses the winding streets of her village conducting informal talk sessions with the women, as well as home visits to discuss with couples the importance of antenatal care, vaccinations, family planning, good hygiene practices, sanitation and the use of safe water.

Fighting the good fight against malaria

The fight against malaria is a key component of the project. It includes both prevention activities and community care.

Suzanne, like 100 other volunteers of the Provincial Committee, has been trained to conduct the malaria treatment protocol as defined by the Ministry of Health of Burkina Faso. She is able to use the Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) on patients. If the RDT is negative with warning signs, Suzanne refers her visitors to the nearest health centre.

If the RDT is positive, with no signs of severe malaria, Suzanne offers other forms of treatment.

After 18 months of implementation, the health district reported indicators that point to a decline in maternal and child mortality and morbidity in the 50 villages covered by the project.

“This project with volunteers acting at the community level has helped manage 4,000 cases of uncomplicated malaria. If these cases were to come to the health facilities, the workload would be too high,” says Boukary Bance, from the Mangodara health district. “Homecare management of malaria has helped prevent their evolution into severe cases, hence the reduction of mortality in children under five years. The drilling of boreholes has also significantly lowered water related diseases.”

For Suzanne, the feeling of having helped her community against many diseases is the reward that she can draw from the project. “This is where I draw my energy,” she says proudly.

Implemented by the Burkinabe Red Cross Society with financial support from the Norwegian Red Cross, and technical support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the overarching goal of the project is to contribute to the decline in maternal and child mortality and morbidity in Mangodara. The project has also provided solar energy to four health centres, equipped eight villages with motorcycle ambulances to facilitate people’s access to health centres, and drilled four boreholes.

CHAD

SEVERE MALNUTRITION HIGH AMONG DISPLACED

The rate of severe acute malnutrition has reached 4.63 per cent in 16 displacement sites in the western Lac region - more than double the two-per cent emergency threshold - according to the outcome of a screening exercise carried out in May by WFP on 1,511 children. Treatment for malnutrition is ongoing, with 8,116 admissions registered between January and April.

GHANA

HEAVY RAINS UNLEASH FLOODS

Floods triggered by heavy downpours in the early hours of 13 June swamped some districts in the capital Accra and destroyed houses and property. The National Disaster Management Organization is undertaking rapid assessments and compiling information on affected areas, populations and their immediate needs. Separately, in the country’s central region, five people, including a child were killed by floods following four days of persistent rainfall.

NIGER

TENS OF THOUSANDS DISPLACED AFTER ATTACKS

Recent attacks by Boko Haram in Bosso area have displaced tens of thousands of people who have sought refuge around 30 km away. The attacks occurred between 3 - 6 June in the wake of rising incidents of insecurity in and around Bosso. An assault on 31 May in the nearby town of Yebi killed nine people and forced around 15,000 residents to flee to Bosso. Many of the displaced had been evacuated a year ago from islands in Lake Chad for security reasons. Assistance is being provided in the various sites where the displaced have settled.

LAKE CHAD BASIN CRISIS

GOVERNMENTS COMMIT TO IMPROVE PROTECTION

The Governments of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria on 8 June agreed on measures to provide better protection and assistance to populations of the Lake Chad Basin, in particular to refugees and internally displaced persons. The Governments, UN agencies and NGOs gathered for a UNHCR led protection dialogue in Abuja also committed to take concrete steps to address key protection risks faced by the affected populations such as measures to ensure the civilian and humanitarian character of hosting areas and continued access to asylum, including respect for the principle of non-refoulement.

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE (EVD)

EBOLA DECLARED OVER IN LIBERIA

The World Health Organization on 9 June declared the end of the latest Ebola outbreak in Liberia, 42 days after the last confirmed Ebola patient tested negative. The country has begun a 90-day heightened surveillance phase to ensure that any new cases are identified quickly and contained before spreading. Liberia first declared the end of Ebola human-to-human transmission in May 2015, but the virus has re-emerged three times in the country since then. All the three worst-affected West African countries have now been declared free of the virus.

TCHAD

TAUX DE MALNUTRITION SÉVÈRE ÉLEVÉ PARMI LES DÉPLACÉS

Le taux de malnutrition aiguë sévère a atteint 4,63% dans 16 sites de déplacement dans la région ouest du Lac – un taux largement supérieur au seuil d’urgence de 2% - selon le résultat d'un exercice de dépistage effectué en mai par le PAM sur 1 511 enfants. Le traitement de la malnutrition est en cours, avec 8 116 admissions enregistrées entre janvier et avril.

GHANA

DE FORTES PLUIES PROVOQUENT DES INONDATIONS

Les inondations provoquées par des pluies torrentielles dans les premières heures du 13 juin ont submergé certains quartiers de la capitale Accra et détruit des maisons et des biens. L'Organisation Nationale de Gestion des Catastrophes a entrepris des évaluations rapides et la compilation d'informations sur les zones touchées, les populations et leurs besoins immédiats. Par ailleurs, dans la région centrale du pays, cinq personnes, dont un enfant, ont été tués par des inondations après quatre jours de pluie persistante.

NIGER

L’ATTAQUE DE BOSSO DÉPLACE DES DIZAINES DE MILLIERS DE PERSONNES

Les récentes attaques de Boko Haram dans la région de Bosso ont déplacé quelque dizaines de milliers de personnes qui ont trouvé refuge à environ 30 km de là. Les attaques ont eu lieu entre les 3 et 6 juin suite à une récente augmentation des incidents de sécurité dans et autour de Bosso. Le 31 mai, un assaut dans la ville voisine de Yebi a tué neuf personnes et forcé environ 15 000 habitants à fuir vers Bosso. De nombreuses personnes déplacées avaient été évacuées il y a un an des îles du lac Tchad pour des raisons de sécurité. Une assistance est fournie dans les différents sites où les déplacés se sont installés.

CRISE DU LAC TCHAD

LES GOUVERNEMENTS S’ENGAGENT À AMÉLIORER LA PROTECTION

Les gouvernements du Cameroun, Tchad,
Niger et du Nigeria ont convenu le 8 juin de mesures pour assurer une meilleure protection et assistance aux populations du bassin du lac Tchad, en particulier aux réfugiés et aux personnes déplacées. Les gouvernements, agences des Nations Unies et ONG, réunis à l’occasion d’un dialogue sur la protection dirigé par le HCR, se sont engagés à prendre des mesures concrètes pour faire face aux risques de protection clés auxquels sont confrontées les populations touchées telles que les mesures visant à assurer le caractère civil et humanitaire des zones d'accueil et un accès continu à l'asile, y compris le respect du principe de nonrefoulement.

MALADIE À VIRUS EBOLA (MVE)

L’OMS DÉCLARE LA FIN DE LA TRANSMISSION DU VIRUS AU LIBERIA

L'Organisation mondiale de la Santé a déclaré le 9 juin la fin de la récente épidémie de fièvre Ebola au Liberia, 42 jours après que le dernier patient confirmé a été testé négatif.
Le pays a commencé une phase de surveillance accrue de 90 jours pour assurer que tous les nouveaux cas soient rapidement identifiés avant qu'ils ne propagent le virus à d'autres personnes. Le Liberia avait déclaré la fin de la transmission homme à homme du virus une première fois en mai 2015, mais ce dernier a refait trois fois surface dans le pays depuis lors. Les trois pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest les plus touchés sont désormais déclarés exempts du virus.

Abuja, Nigeria 15th June 2016 - “Mortality rates in those states where we ran our severe malaria project fell from 25 to just one percent. These results are, in part, due to the project and show that the use of injectable artesunate for severe malaria works.”

Dr Kolawole Maxwell, Malaria Consortium Country Director was speaking at an event in Abuja which featured the results of our Improved Severe Malaria Outcomes project across three states: Oyo, Enugu and Cross-River. “The use of injectable artesunate for severe malaria should be scaled up across all states in Nigeria as stakeholders work toward the achievement of national case management targets,” he added.

Malaria is a serious public health concern in Nigeria, accounting for 30 percent of all childhood deaths and 25 percent of deaths in children under one year of age. The entire Nigerian population is at risk of malaria all year round. Severe malaria is deadly and particularly dangerous for pregnant women and children. It represents the end-stage of untreated or improperly treated malaria, resulting in a near 100 percent mortality rate if left unaddressed.

Until fairly recently, quinine was the drug of choice for such cases. But with the release of the World Health Organization’s revised guidelines in 2010 came a new recommendation that artesunate, a derivative of artemisinin that is injected directly into the vein, replace quinine as the preferred treatment for severe malaria. In support of this policy change, Malaria Consortium’s UNITAID-funded project worked to reduce mortality from severe malaria through the accelerated global adoption of injectable artesunate.

Today, Malaria Consortium is holding an event to share results from the three-year project in Abuja, focusing on sharing results from Nigeria with key stakeholders, policymakers, clinicians, donors, researchers and implementers. It also provides an opportunity to discuss the current practices around the treatment of severe malaria and how these can be improved.

The project, Improving Severe Malaria Outcomes (ISMO), involved supply and demand management of injectable artesunate in six countries – Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Cameroon and Ethiopia. Malaria Consortium led the project with our partner Medicines for Malaria Venture and in collaboration with the government as well as other partners to support the design, implementation and evaluation of activities in the three states. The project trained 24 master trainers and 440 facility-based mentors in 115 health facilities, as well as supplying 138,000 vials of the treatment.

The result was a sharp drop in the mortality rate due to severe malaria. In addition, the project successfully demonstrated that more effective management of severe malaria with user-friendly injectable artesunate is not only possible, but also accepted by service providers and stakeholders. With sufficient funding, this means that it could be scaled up across all states in Nigeria.

“The Nigerian government is pleased to see such impressive results from this project on severe malaria,” said, Dr Godwin Ntadom, who represented National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme. “We remain committed to the fight against this deadly disease and the overarching goal of eliminating malaria from our country. Effective management of severe malaria is an essential step to help achieve this.”

The event was attended by the Commissioners and Permanent Secretary of Health Ministry of the three focal states, the Director of Public Health of the Federal Ministry of Health, community members, key stakeholders of the National Malaria Elimination Programme and the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.

END

About Malaria Consortium: Malaria Consortium works with partners, including all levels of government, to improve the lives of all, especially the poorest and marginalised, in Africa and Asia. We target key health burdens, including malaria, pneumonia, dengue and neglected tropical diseases, along with other factors that impact child and maternal health.

For more information please contact: John Dada, Malaria Consortium Email: media@malariaconsortium.org or call +44 (0)20 7549 0210; www.malariaconsortium.org

Maiduguri, Nigeria | AFP | Wednesday 6/15/2016 - 12:01 GMT

Nearly 700 people, most of them children, are receiving treatment in hospital in northeast Nigeria for severe malnutrition after being rescued from Boko Haram, the Borno state government said.

Sixty-one "critically malnourished" young children and babies were among 478 children, 196 women and 23 men brought to the state capital Maiduguri from the town of Bama on Monday, it said in a statement.

The infants were "undergoing medical care arising from extreme deprivation of food", Tuesday's statement said, adding that all the people were rescued after two years in captivity by the Islamist insurgents.

It was not immediately clear whether those taken to a special care unit had been brought from camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Bama.

But last week a civilian vigilante and a soldier based in the remote town of Banki, 60 kilometres (38 miles) from Bama, told AFP at least 10 people were "starving to death" every day.

Nigerian and international relief agencies were working with IDPs in Bama but none appeared to be in Banki, which was recaptured from Boko Haram in September last year.

'Walking corpses'

The vigilante said 376 people had been buried in the last three months and those still alive were like "walking corpses".

The Borno state governor Kashim Shettima and aid agencies have warned about acute food shortages for IDPs in northeast Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region.

Nearly 6,500 children were found to be severely malnourished at camps in Borno state last year, while more than 25,000 others had "mild to moderate symptoms", health officials said in February.

Nigeria's government has been encouraging people to return to their homes as the military counter-insurgency regains captured territory from the Islamic State group affiliate.

Last week, it signed an agreement with Cameroon for the return of 80,000 Nigerian refugees.

But farmlands in the mainly agricultural region have been devastated by the fighting, while homes and infrastructure have been destroyed.

Shettima said on Tuesday he had ordered a new IDP camp to be opened in Maiduguri for more than 10,000 people rescued from the countryside around the towns of Marte and Mafa in recent days.

The IDPs, who had been unable to return home because of insurgent activity near their villages, had been camped out under trees by the road from Maiduguri to Dikwa.

The Boko Haram conflict has killed at least 20,000 people since it started in 2009 and forced more than 2.6 million people from their homes.

bur-phz/sf/ach

© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Bamako, Mali | AFP | mercredi 15/06/2016 - 17:03 GMT

Le gouvernement malien et les groupes armés signataires de l'accord de paix de 2015 se sont entendus sur la création d'autorités intérimaires dans les cinq régions administratives du nord du Mali, a-t-on appris mercredi de sources concordantes.

Le retard de l'application de cette disposition de l'accord constituait l'un des principaux points de blocage du processus de paix et avait conduit les groupes pro-Bamako aussi bien que ceux de l'ex-rébellion à boycotter depuis près d'un mois certaines instances de l'accord.

"Cette entente constitue une avancée significative dans le processus de paix", s'est félicitée dans un communiqué la Mission de l'ONU au Mali (Minusma), qui publie le texte, daté du 14 juin.

L'information a été également annoncée par le Haut Conseil pour l'unité de l'Azawad (HCUA), une des principales composantes de l'ex-rébellion. "Nous revenons donc dans le processus" après ce boycott, a déclaré à l'AFP un de ses porte-parole, Almou Ag Mohamed.

Des responsables de l'ONU et des analystes maliens ont lié la récente recrudescence d'attaques jihadistes meurtrières, frappant notamment les Casques bleus, à la quasi-paralysie du processus de paix.

D'après ce document, signé par le ministre de la Reconstruction des régions du Nord, Hamadou Konaté, et les deux représentants des groupes pro-Bamako et de l'ex-rébellion, les collectivités territoriales du Nord seront remplacées par des autorités intérimaires.

Il comprend un calendrier pour les principales mesures de la période transitoire, retardées depuis des mois.

L'installation dans les régions du Mécanisme opérationnel de coordination (MOC) chargé de conduire des patrouilles mixtes composées d'éléments des trois parties est ainsi prévue à partir du 1er juillet, le redéploiement des services de l'Etat dans le Nord du 15 juillet au 15 août et la mise en place des autorités intérimaires du 15 juillet au 25 août (bien : 25 août).

Les membres de ces autorités seront "désignés de façon consensuelle" par les trois parties parmi les agents des services de l'Etat, la société civile et les conseillers sortants des collectivités qu'elles remplacent, selon le texte.

Le président de chaque autorité intérimaire sera "le chef de l'exécutif local" et leurs décisions seront exécutoires immédiatement, leur légalité n'étant contrôlée par le représentant de l'Etat qu'a posteriori.

En attendant la promulgation de la loi créant ces nouvelles collectivités, votée par le Parlement le 31 mars, "des collèges transitoires sont mis en place, à titre exceptionnel, dans les circonscriptions administratives nouvellement créées", selon le document.

Ces collèges, dotés des attributions des futures autorités intérimaires, seront désignés "de manière consensuelle" par les trois parties parmi la société civile.

L'accord de paix signé en mai-juin 2015 prévoyait la mise en place de ces autorités transitoires dans un délai de trois mois pour gérer pendant une période transitoire les régions administratives du nord du Mali.

L'accord vise à isoler définitivement les groupes jihadistes qui avaient pris le contrôle du Nord en mars-avril 2012.

Ces groupes en ont été en grande partie chassés à la suite du lancement en 2013, à l'initiative de la France, d'une intervention militaire internationale, qui se poursuit actuellement, mais des zones entières échappent encore au contrôle des forces maliennes et étrangères.

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© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The re-opening of Local Government Areas (LGAs) which were hitherto inaccessible has led to the identification of new IDP locations in Borno State, while ongoing conflict between the military and Boko Haram has resulted in the influx of more IDPs into Maiduguri metropolis and establishment of spontaneous camps in the State. In these new camps, conditions remain dire especially with the onset of the rainy season, as issues of overcrowding, poor drainages and shelter, and severe food shortages and starvation have been reported. Recent reports have also indicated an increasing spate of sexual and gender based violence against IDP women and girls across camps in Borno State.

During the lean season (June to August 2016), about 16 million people are estimated to be food insecure in 8 States, 7.3 million of whom are in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe. Humanitarian actors continue to provide assistance in areas of protection, shelter and non-food items, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, nutrition and food security.

Boko Haram related violence since January 2016 accounts for 31% of all reported incidents and 65% of all reported fatalities mostly in parts of the North-East where conflict between military and Boko Haram is still ongoing. The security situation remains a challenge to civilians and humanitarian activities.

Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Wednesday 6/15/2016 - 16:31 GMT

Boko Haram killed four people and abducted four women from a village in northeast Nigeria, the military said on Wednesday, dismissing the Islamists as weakened and increasingly desperate.

Army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman told AFP the attack happened on Tuesday morning in Kutuva, in the Damboa local government area of Borno state, which has been hardest hit by seven years of fighting.

"Boko Haram terrorists riding on six motorcycles attacked the village. They killed four residents and abducted four women," he said.

"Residents of neighbouring Kaya village mobilised and pursued the terrorists. They traced them to Sabon Garin Baale but unfortunately they lost track of the gunmen."

Such hit-and-run attacks were a regular feature of the Islamic State group affiliate's tactics in the remote region but have become increasingly rare since the beginning of 2015.

Thousands of women have also been seized in the conflict, including more than 200 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok, which is some 70 kilometres (44 miles) away by road.

A military counter-insurgency has recaptured swathes of territory seized and controlled by the militants in 2014, pushing them out into border areas around Lake Chad.

The army has since April been mounting a push against Boko Haram's stronghold in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno, which is near Damboa local government area.

Usman said soldiers and civilian militia had been deployed to the area of the kidnapping but it was unclear whether the gunmen were heading for the Sambisa Forest or elsewhere.

"They are doing their best to track them down and rescue the women," he added.

"Boko Haram have been severely weakened. But they are trying to save face. That's why they're trying to launch attacks on soft targets.

"They're now facing lots of challenges. Our troops are mounting pressure on them, which has cut off most of their supply routes.

"Just a few days ago 17 Boko Haram terrorists surrendered to the civilian JTF in the Damboa area. They were forced to surrender out of starvation."

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© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

• 2 million people throughout Niger are now experiencing critical food insecurity

• Malnutrition levels in conflict zones in Diffa region—which hosts more than 241,000 refugees and returnees from the conflict in neighboring Nigeria—are above the emergency threshold.

• Action Against Hunger is meeting urgent humanitarian needs of people recently displaced by new waves of violence

Over the past decade, Niger has faced drought, episodes of political instability, and several devastating food crises. Currently, 2.1 million people are facing food insecurity. In regions such as Zinder, Diffa, Maradi, and Dosso the malnutrition rate exceeds 15 percent, above the emergency threshold set by the World Health Organization. Of particular concern is the fact that 400,794 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, with another 709,003 children and 272,000 pregnant and nursing women moderately malnourished and very vulnerable.

New waves of displacement caused by recent attacks and ongoing conflict triggered by the insurgency group Boko Haram in neighboring Mali and Nigeria have driven a steady flow refugees and returnees into Niger, straining already scarce local resources.

Crisis decimates livelihood opportunities

People rely on farming, raising livestock, and fishing to earn income. But active conflict has made the Lake Chad and the Komadougou River areas inaccessible, depriving people of their livelihoods and preventing them from using land for grazing for their livestock.

"Before the conflict, the Diffa region was already classified as a chronically vulnerable area,” said Alvaro Pascual, Action Against Hunger’s manager of programs for Niger and the wider the Sahel region. “Now, even in areas less exposed to the violence, people are facing a very severe food crisis. Refugees and displaced families rely heavily on the support of host communities to help them meet their basic needs for shelter, food, water. But things have reached a breaking point: host communities themselves are struggling and food stocks are quite low.”

Meeting urgent needs and building resilience

"The humanitarian crisis in Diffa is complex. Sudden and unexpected population movements, precipitated by attacks on communities by Boko Haram, make it very difficult to plan for and deliver emergency assistance,” said Pascual. “Our work must integrate short-, medium-, and long-term planning and interventions, combining humanitarian assistance with transitions to recovery and development activities, and addressing the root causes of the vulnerability in the area.”

Action Against Hunger is prioritizing initiatives to improve agricultural production and help communities earn income.

To address the rising demands for clean water and sanitation, we are also distributing hygiene kits, rehabilitating and building wells and latrines, and conducting hygiene promotion and cholera prevention campaigns.

Our teams continue to monitor food security and nutrition status of at-risk communities in the coming weeks, and we will work to reach and treat children suffering from malnutrition.

15 juin 2016 – Face à une nouvelle vague de déplacements provoquée par les récentes attaques de Boko Haram dans la région de Diffa, au Niger, le Programme alimentaire mondiale (PAM) a annoncé qu'il s'apprêtait à doubler son aide alimentaire et nutritionnelle pour porter secours à plus de 250.000 personnes dans cette région du sud du pays.

« Ces derniers jours, le PAM a distribué des rations alimentaires d'urgence pour une durée de 15 jours à plus de 1.400 personnes nouvellement déplacées ayant trouvé refuge dans la ville de Diffa », a déclaré le Directeur adjoint du PAM au Niger, Belkacem Machane, ajoutant que des livraisons additionnelles auront lieu dans la semaine pour aider d'autres personnes nouvellement déplacées dans des sites situés entre Diffa et Bosso.

« Des dizaines de milliers de personnes ont été déracinées cette dernière semaine, suite à l'attaque la plus meurtrière [de Boko Haram] depuis avril 2015 », a-t-il ajouté.

Selon M. Machane, plus de la moitié d'entre elles sont des femmes et des enfants qui ont déjà été déplacés à plusieurs reprises, en raison de la propagation de la violence du groupe terroriste depuis le Nigeria vers le Niger.

« Ils sont au bout du rouleau », s'est inquiété le Directeur adjoint. « Beaucoup ont marché entre 10 et 40 km. Ils arrivent dans un état de choc et ont de toute urgence besoin de nourriture, d'abris, d'eau ».

Le PAM estime que plus de 240.000 personnes ont été déplacées dans la région de Diffa, où 450.000 personnes au total, soit près de 70% de la population, souffrent de la faim.

M. Machane a dit craindre que la situation alimentaire dans la région n'empire en raison du début de la période de soudure.

« Le PAM a besoin de toute urgence de 20 millions de dollars pour les six prochains mois afin d'aider les personnes touchées par la crise du Lac Tchad », a-t-il ajouté.

La situation épidémiologique de cette semaine a été caractérisée par une accalmie pour les maladies prioritaires sous surveillance sur l’ensemble du territoire national. Le résultat définitif de la riposte vaccinale contre l’épidémie de rougeole dans le district sanitaire d’Ansongo (région de Gao) fait état de 2 551 sujets de 6 mois et plus vaccinés sur une cible de 2 259 soit une couverture vaccinale de 112%. Télécharger la situation épidémiologique pour plus de détails

(Bamako, New York) Alors que le mandat de la Mission intégrée des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation au Mali (MINUSMA) doit être renouvelé le 30 juin, la FIDH et l’AMDH demandent au Conseil de Sécurité des Nations Unies de fournir à la Mission les moyens de défendre son mandat dans un contexte sécuritaire extrêmement dégradé qui rend difficile la mise en œuvre de l’Accord pour la paix et la réconciliation au Mali issu du processus d’Alger, lequel est par ailleurs ralenti par le manque de volonté politique des parties signataires.

En effet, depuis la signature définitive de l’Accord de paix en mai et juin 2015, la situation sécuritaire n’a eu cesse de se détériorer, la population civile et les personnels de la MINUSMA faisant face à une recrudescence d’attaques armées, en particulier dans le nord du pays, et à de nombreuses violations des droits humains commises par des groupes armés terroristes ainsi que par les groupes pro-gouvernementaux et la Coordination des mouvements de l’Azawad (CMA).

A cet égard, la FIDH et l’AMDH recommandent au Conseil de Sécurité de conserver un mandat fort en matière de protection des civils et de donner à la MINUSMA les moyens de défendre son mandat. Aussi les règles d’engagement militaire de la Mission devraient être clarifiées dans le mandat et ses capacités renforcées, notamment par une meilleure formation des troupes avant leur déploiement dans un tel contexte asymétrique et le renforcement des équipements militaires terrestres et aériens.

Le centre du pays, et en particulier la région de Mopti, continue d’être le théâtre de violations graves des droits de l’Homme commises dans le cadre de la lutte contre le terrorisme et dans un contexte d’incitation à la violence inter-communautaire qui a entraîné plusieurs meurtres de civil. Des arrestations et détentions arbitraires, disparitions forcées et tortures ayant entrainé des morts des civils, visant notamment la communauté Peuhl, seraient principalement imputables aux forces armées maliennes engagées dans la lutte contre le Front de libération du Macina, affilié au groupe terroriste Ansar Dine.

La FIDH et l’AMDH recommandent donc un renforcement de la présence de la MINUSMA dans cette région, par le déploiement d’une force de police internationale afin d’assurer le retour à la stabilité et la restauration de l’autorité de l’Etat.

Comme elles l’ont rappelé aux Etats-membres du Conseil de sécurité lors d’une interface organisée à New-York en mai 2016 ainsi que dans la note de plaidoyer publiée en février, nos organisations, qui accompagnent de nombreuses victimes de crimes contre l’humanité et de crimes de guerre commis pendant le conflit malien à partir de janvier 2012, attendent que les autorités maliennes prennent leurs responsabilités et garantissent l’accès effectif des victimes à la justice.

Les conditions sécuritaires ne permettant pas aux magistrats de retourner et de travailler dans les régions du nord en sécurité et alors que la poursuite des responsables de crimes internationaux est nécessaire à l’établissement d’une paix durable, la FIDH et l’AMDH proposent la création d’un pôle judiciaire spécialisé pour connaître des graves violations des droits de l’Homme commises au nord du pays et demandent la mise en place immédiate de la commission internationale d’enquête prévue dans l’Accord de Ouagadougou et l’Accord d’Alger.

La MINUSMA devrait également inciter le gouvernement du Mali à adopter les mesures nécessaires afin de garantir la protection des victimes et des témoins.

Nos organisations demandent enfin au Conseil de Sécurité de donner mandat à la MINUSMA d’accompagner les autorités maliennes dans la préparation et l’organisation des élections locales prévues à l’automne prochain, étape indispensable pour le redéploiement de l’autorité de l’Etat sur l’ensemble du territoire dans les meilleurs délais.

Lire toutes les recommandations de la FIDH et de l’AMDH au sujet de la MINUSMA.