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South Sudan: South Sudan situation: Regional Emergency update 22 – 28 August 2016

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Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Country: Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda

KEY FIGURES

121,956
South Sudanese arrivals since 8 July 2016, based on field reports (as of 28 Aug)

975,801
Total South Sudanese refugees as of 28 Aug (both pre and post Dec 2013 caseload and new arrivals)

259,796
Refugees in South Sudan

1.61 M
Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in South Sudan

FUNDING (as of 30 August)

USD 643.0 M
Requested by UNHCR for the situation

HIGHLIGHTS

  • A total of 121,956 refugees have fled South Sudan since 8 July, including 95,331 into Uganda. New arrivals from South Sudan report ongoing violence against civilians, looting, forced recruitment, rape and kidnappings. Some arrivals into Sudan, report hundreds of people, predominantly women and children, are unable to reach the border due to heavy rains.

  • UNHCR financial requirements for the South Sudan situation remain only 20% funded. Even before the recent influx, the funding shortfalls have hampered protection and response activities across all operations. In Uganda, many activities have had to be suspended in recent weeks to ensure the provision of life-saving support to the latest arrivals.

UPDATE ON THE SITUATION SOUTH SUDAN

  • In Juba, a total of 1,836 IDPs have now been relocated from UNMISS Tomping to UN House (POC 3). More IDPs have approached humanitarian partners to register for relocation. UNHCR partner Humanitarian Development Consortium established a permanent protection presence at the relocation registration site. UNHCR conducted a protection assessment of IDPs at the Don Bosco compound. Most of the IDPs reported that their properties were looted in July and that they do not feel secure to return to their homes. UNHCR and partner Humanitarian Development Consortium also conducted a protection assessment of IDPs living at the Way Station. Some 109 individuals remain displaced in this collective centre and are in dire need of shelter, food and non‐food items and medical services. They have received no assistance since they were displaced in July.
  • In Lasu settlement, Central Equatoria, lack of food continues to affect the well-being of refugees. Some families have reportedly departed for DRC due to fear of increasing food insecurity in the settlement.  In Makupandu settlement, Western Equatoria, UNHCR and partners provided agricultural tools to 346 families (146 refugee families, 200 host community families) in an effort to help them become more self-reliant.
    In Malakal, Upper Nile, humanitarian partners continue to advocate with local authorities to lift movement restrictions of IDPs between the POC site and the West Bank of Wau Shilluk. The restrictions pose serious challenges to local trade, family reunification and delivery of assistance.
  • In Wau, Western Bahr al Ghazal, UNHCR and other humanitarian partners conducted an inter-agency rapid needs assessment on 23 August to verify reports of some 38,500 returnees in Wau town by South Sudan’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC). While the RRC estimate needs to be further verified, the team visited eleven return areas. Insecurity remains the issue of major concern for the displaced. The Protection Cluster has urged the government to deploy police and conduct policing patrols. UNHCR also identified 132 persons with specific needs at the UNMISS Protected Site 2, and provide 127 of them with non-food items.

Mali: Mali mVAM Bulletin no. 1, août 2016 : Lancement du mVAM au Mali

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Source: World Food Programme
Country: Mali

Points Saillants

  • Démarrage de la collecte de données à distance (mVAM) dans la région de Gao auprès d’un échantillon de 250 ménages bénéficiaires de l’assistance alimentaire saisonnière (en nature et coupons) du PAM.

  • Les premiers résultats montrent que la situation alimentaire apparaît globalement satisfaisante :

    • Près de 75% des ménages ont une consommation alimentaire acceptable.
    • Environ 3 ménages sur 10 ont eu recours à des stratégies d’adaptation pour subvenir à leurs besoins alimentaires.
  • Certaines différences entre les résultats mVAM et PDM ont été notées.

Contexte

Malgré la signature de l’accord de paix et de réconciliation en Mai 2015 au Mali, la situation sécuritaire dans les régions du Nord du Mali (Mopti, Tombouctou, Gao et Kidal) demeure fragile. Cette insécurité continue ainsi à retarder le déploiement des services de l’Etat et à entraver les activités humanitaires.

Pour disposer d’informations sur la sécurité alimentaire dans ces zones vulnérables et difficiles d’accès où le PAM et ses partenaires mettent en oeuvre de nombreux projets d’assistance, le PAM a décidé de mettre en place un projet pilote de suivi et d’analyse de la sécurité alimentaire (mVAM).

Le mVAM consiste à contacter par téléphone les personnes assistées afin d’évaluer leur situation alimentaire à travers un nombre limité d’indicateurs de sécurité alimentaire (score de consommation alimentaire, indice réduit des stratégies de survie, source principale d’approvisionnement des aliments, prix des produits alimentaires).

La région de Gao a été sélectionnée pour la phase pilote, en interrogeant 250 ménages bénéficiaires de l’assistance alimentaire saisonnière (en nature et coupons) du PAM effectuées au début du mois de Juillet 2016. Les appels ont eu lieu du 26 juillet au 02 Août 2016 à Bamako et le PDM a eu lieu du 19 juillet au 02 aout.

Cameroon: Cameroon Students Face Setbacks as School Resumes

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Source: Voice of America
Country: Cameroon, Nigeria

Moki Edwin Kindzeka

MAROUA, CAMEROON — Lara Salamatou wants to resume her education, but as Cameroon schools reopened Monday, the 16-year-old could only get lessons in frustration.

She’d tried to enroll in the government high school in Maroua, the Far North provincial capital, after fleeing three months ago from extremist violence near her home in Kerawa on the border with Nigeria. She was turned away because of overcrowded classes and few teachers, she said.

Now, Salamatou is among at least 100,000 displaced youths whose education has been jeopardized this academic year, according to Cameroon’s government.

Authorities recently shut her school in Kerawa, along with 160 others, because of cross-border raids by the Nigerian-based Boko Haram Islamic insurgents. Schools in host communities are overcrowded and insecurity has delayed construction of more classrooms.

Adding to the country’s academic challenges, the government last week moved to shutter more than 300 unlicensed or unauthorized schools, though those weren't in the Far North.

Would-be students wait

At a French-speaking government elementary school here, roughly 500 prospective pupils still waited outside as classes began Monday.

Teacher Njah Clementine said the school wouldn't admit youths whose parents had not paid the $10-per-student fee required by parent teacher associations for expenses such as textbooks and exams. PTAs manage public schools in collaboration with the government, which provides otherwise free elementary education. It’s compulsory for youngsters ages 6 through 14.

Though many of the deterred youngsters have been displaced from conflict zones, Clementine said, the government hasn’t provided instructions on whether to admit them.

"There are so many parents that rush at the last minute to come and pay. … Some are begging" that their children be allowed to come to class, Clementine said, insisting the school has "effective" teachers. "They prepared their lessons since last week."

Since 2014, some government-funded teachers have refused transfers to schools in areas vulnerable to Boko Haram attacks, further straining those schools' resources.

Battling Boko Haram

Across the border in northern Nigeria, Boko Haram attacks government schools and schoolchildren. The Islamist militants oppose education; the group's name translates to "Western education is forbidden."

Cameroon's minister of basic education, Youssouf Hadidja Alim, said the government is striving to build more classrooms in safer locales. She said it has constructed more than 200 classrooms, noting that 87 buildings have toilets. The government also has installed 56 wells to serve the education sites. More facilities are planned, she said.

The government also is providing special allowances for teachers to encourage them to teach in vulnerable areas and has implemented an emergency plan for border areas, Alim said.

But Boko Haram fighters target the companies building the schools, said the Far North region’s top-ranking basic education official, Aminou Sanda Zoua. He said that contractors have abandoned construction sites because of mounting insecurity. He added that all classrooms built by the military’s engineering corps are ready for use.

Sudan: Darfur's refugees continue to live in fear

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Source: Deutsche Welle
Country: Chad, Sudan

Darfur marks an end of transitional government's term. But Darfuri refugees still feel unsafe as the conflict continues in parts of the region.

Bechir Yaya dreams of having his own car repair shop. One day, the young Sudanese would like to stand on his own two feet and not be dependent on aid. He and many of his countrymen found refuge in the Treguine camp in Abeche, in eastern Chad. Since the beginning of the civil war 2003, about 114,000 refugees found shelter in Treguine. Most young people in the camp do not go to school. The prospect of a normal life in peace seems far away for most of them.

Since the start of the Darfur Peace Agreement process in 2006, Chad played a crucial role in Darfur. In 2007, the Darfur Regional Authority was formed as an interim government body. Now the president of Chad, Idriss Deby has been invited to take part in the ceremony marking the end of the Darfur Regional Authority's term on Wednesday September 7 in Fashir, the capital of North Darfur State.

No reason to celebrate

It's a new era, but according to Ulrich Delius, spokesperson of the NGO "SOciety of Threatened Peoples," there is no reason to celebrate. "It has been a really sad year, this 13th year of the Darfur conflict. Ending the term of the regional authority is supposed to nurture the fiction of peace." But in reality that has nothing to do with the needs of the refugees, Delius to DW.

Since the conflict in Darfur broke out in 2003, more than 2.3 million people have been displaced. Most of them live in refugee camps in Darfur and neighboring Chad. Even though Chad supported the Darfuri rebels in the early stages of the conflict, it has been trying to negotiate a peace deal since 2011.

Refugees feel unsafe

Treguine refugee camp at least offers professional training to the youngsters. They can become tailors, soap manufacturers, dyers or computer scientists. Bechir Yaya wants to become a car mechanic. "I opted for it to have a chance of finding a job", he said. The situation remains dire for thousands of Sudanese who had to flee their homes years ago. Returning to their villages seems almost impossible due to the lack of security in Darfur.

Potemkin villages

According to Delius many displaced persons do not accept some of the new villages that have been built with the help of Arab states. The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, who is also attending the ceremony in Fashir, has contributed a lot of money to the reconstruction of Darfur. So have other emirates. "But the former inhabitants are rejecting these model villages," Delius said. They believe that the conflict-torn region is not secure enough to leave the camps.

"They want to be compensated for the loss of their villages that were destroyed during the war and not appear to be strengthening the Sudanese government by moving back there. That would mean they agree with the government's attempt of showing a peaceful region. "The villagers' situation is made even worse because the Sudanese government is cutting down on humanitarian aid," Delius added. "It is a very poor region that needs more help. There is an acute problem with peace and war in all of the five Darfur regions."

In some areas, life has gone back to normal, but in others, the conflict continues. About 150,000 new refugees fled from the Marrah mountains since January 2016. "There is no justice for the displaced people of Sudan. They claim that the voluntary return to their homes was never discussed with them," says Delius. "They do not feel listened to by their own government, or the European Union or the international community. So the celebration it is a sad occasion indeed."

Blaise Dariustone and Leonie Krahl contributed to this report.

Cameroon: Cameroon Factsheet August 2016

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Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Country: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Nigeria

259,145
CAR refugees registered by UNHCR in rural areas in the East, Adamaoua and North regions, of which 158,418 arrived since December 2013

66,086
Nigerian refugees in the Far North region (of which 57,835 are registered at Minawao camp)

190,591
Internally Displaced Persons in the Far North region (source: DTM by IOM as of June 2016)

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS

  • The security situation in the Far North region remains of concern. Despite the security measures taken by the Cameroonian authorities to prevent Boko Haram’s attacks, the Islamist sect continued to perpetrate raids in the border areas of Cameroon. The Logone et Chari and Mayo Sava Divisions were particularly targeted resulting in killings, lootings and cattle robbery. These attacks also provoked the internal displacement of about 8,000 Cameroonian civilians within other areas in this Region. In addition, the Governor of the Far North Region decided on the closure of the cattle market of Meme which had been used by Boko Haram as a means of supply. In response to these various incidents, the defense and security forces are on maximum alert.

  • On 10 August, the Ministry of Health and UNHCR signed a Convention related to the coverage of the refugee sanitary needs by the national health infrastructures of the East, the Adamaoua, the North and the Far North regions. This Convention determines that as of January 2017, 30 % of the sanitary expenses of the CAR and Nigerian refugees in these regions will be supported by the Government of Cameroon and 70 % by UNHCR.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

  • UNHCR continues to registered and transfer spontaneous arrivals from the transit center of Gourenguel to Minawao camp. Over the reporting period, a total of 420 people (163 households) spontaneously arrived at the transit center where was registered and transferred to Minawao camp. Over the past few weeks, an increase of the number of new arrivals at the transit center has been observed. According to the new arrivals, this is due to the current worrisome security situation in the border villages and the difficult living conditions in IDP camps in Nigeria. Indeed, the new arrivals came from border villages of Doudble, Tchakamari and Fotokol, and the IDP camps of Fufore and Damare in the North East of Nigeria.

  • Boko Haram attacks in the Logone et Chari and Mayo Savo Divisions over past weeks provoked fresh displacements of some 8,000 Cameroonians fleeing their villages to seek security in other areas within the Far North Region. UNHCR and other aid workers are coordinating efforts to provide immediate assistance to those new displaced in dire need of food, health, shelters and NFIs, etc.

  • UNHCR and the Cameroonian Government pursued the biometric verification and registration exercise of all refugees and asylum seekers and began on 3 August the enrolment of refugees living off-site in the North region. In total, 8, 228 refugees living in Mbai-Boum, Man Regara and Ouro Souley were verified over the reporting period. The biometric verification and registration in the North region, targeting refugees living outside sites is currently ongoing. Since the beginning of the biometric verification and registration in the East, Adamaoua and North regions, in February 2016, 76,696 refugees have been verified. The biometric verification and registration exercise aims to ensure the better protection and assistance of refugees by verifying and updating their profiles, including information on specific needs.

  • To improve livelihood and develop the empowerment of refugees, UNHCR organized on 24 August, together with the National Fund for Employment, training on the techniques of job searching and selfemployment targeting 42 urban refugees to strengthen their capacities in the search of remunerated employment and the creation of income generating activities.

Nigeria: Nigeria: Humanitarian Funding Overview (as of 07 September 2016)

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Nigeria

Nigeria: Nigeria: Malnutrition is the biggest problem in Bama

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Source: Médecins Sans Frontières
Country: Nigeria

Interview with MSF project coordinator Hakim Khaldi
7 September 2016

In August, an MSF team went to Bama, a town 75 kilometres from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. Bama is on the frontline of the conflict between the Nigerian army and Boko Haram. MSF project coordinator Hakim Khaldi describes the conditions in which emergency assistance was delivered to people living in a camp.

Why did MSF organise an emergency operation in Bama?

A commercial hub on the road to Cameroon, Bama used to be rich but it’s a ghost town now. Several months ago, its inhabitants fled and took refuge in state capital Maiduguri because of the conflict between Boko Haram and the Nigerian army. Boko Haram fighters aren’t far off, just a few kilometres from Bama.

All you see in Bama these days are displaced people who’ve been forced out of nearby villages. They’re living in a camp under military control; the Nigerian army has a base in the town. It’s estimated there are 15,000 displaced people in the camp, mostly women and children under five years of age. They live in makeshift shelters made out of iron sheeting taken from houses. These people can’t provide for themselves, so they’re totally dependent on outside help for food.

We went back to Bama on 17 August for an emergency operation. The aim was to reduce morbidity and mortality in children under the five years of age by providing them with enough treatment and food for one month, so we brought in therapeutic food for malnourished children (PlumpyNut®) as well as food rations (beans, oil and BP5: fortified biscuits).

During our operation that lasted four days, we stayed overnight in town outside the camp. There was a curfew from 6pm to 7am and no electricity in the house the army lent us. On the first day, we began work at 7am. The queue of people waiting was so long we couldn’t see the end. There were huge lines of women and children. We screened and treated children suffering from malnutrition and distributed food to families with children under five years of age.

We’re planning to go back to Bama twice over the next two months to provide treatment and distribute one month of rations again. But this kind of operation isn’t easy to manage. It can’t be done without coordinating with the Nigerian army, and we’re not free to move around as we want. For security reasons, we — the team — have to travel by helicopter from Maiduguri to Bama, and an army escort is required to accompany trucks transporting food and drugs.

What are the main medical issues you encountered?

Malnutrition is the biggest. During our operation, we examined a total of 3,293 children under five years of age and treated 513 for malnutrition. In other words, 15.1 per cent of children were suffering from malnutrition, and 4.2 per cent of these from severe acute malnutrition. Despite appearances, that’s a slight improvement on our previous visit on 13 July when we distributed therapeutic food. We saw an alarming situation and a rate of severe acute malnutrition of 15 per cent was recorded.

As for the other issues, the three main pathologies we observed during medical consultations were malaria, skin infection and diarrhoea. The number of malaria-carrying mosquitos is increasing now that the rainy season has started.

There’s a clinic run by the Ministry of Health and UNICEF in Bama, but very few patients go because it doesn’t have enough drugs. And, a couple of weeks ago, the Nigerian air force opened a small hospital at the entrance to the camp. But people aren’t rushing there either.

We distributed bed nets to prevent the risk of malaria. But the problem of shelter is nowhere near being resolved. Most families live in shelters put together with rusty iron sheeting and the rain leaks inside. Some have plastic tarpaulins and tents now, but as they don’t have windows, they’re horribly hot. During our operation, we saw around 40 women and children arrive. They couldn’t find any shelter in the camp so they had to set up on mats on the bare earth.

In view of these exceedingly precarious living conditions, MSF has submitted a request to Borno State’s health authorities to vaccinate the camp’s inhabitants against measles, pneumonia and cholera. The consequences can be fatal when one of these diseases comes on top of malnutrition.

Access to water is another of the camp’s problems. Only seven of nine wells actually work so there’s not enough water to go round. Several organisations are providing assistance to the displaced in Bama, but this assistance is still patchy and not enough to cover everything that’s needed.

Nigeria: Nigeria: Humanitarian Overview (as of 30 August 2016)

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Nigeria


Nigeria: Lake Chad Basin: Crisis Update 7

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria

Regional Highlights

  • The results of the mid-August Cadre Harmonisé food security assessment in north-eastern Nigeria reveal a considerable deterioration of food security, with more than 4.4 million people estimated to be facing “crisis” and “emergency” levels. At least 65 000 people are experiencing famine-like conditions1 . The current figures represent a 50 per cent increase compared to the March 2016 projection, which estimated that 3 million people were at crisis level and above.
  • Since the first cross-border aid delivery from Cameroon to Nigeria’s Banki town in July, UN agencies and MSF have continued to provide food aid, medical assistance and basic relief items to the displaced people in Banki. Additional assistance is planned in the coming weeks.
  • The Ministers of Health of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have declared the recent polio outbreak in Nigeria a public health emergency for the Lake Chad Basin countries. The declaration calls on Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin countries to urgently and fully implement coordinated responses to stem the outbreak before the end of the year and prevent international spread.
  • Beyond the humanitarian needs stemming from the conflict involving Boko Haram, the countries in the Lake Chad Basin are currently facing significant flood risks. In Nigeria alone, 7 million people in 12 States are reported at risk.
  • The UN and its partners in July issued a 90-day plan summarizing the immediate humanitarian needs of 9 million people in the Lake Chad Basin and requesting US$221.5 million, including US$96.7 million for food security, for the period July to September 2016. The plan requests US$164.1 million for Nigeria, US$26 million for Cameroon, US$16.6 million for Chad and US$14.8 million for Niger.

Humanitarian Needs

Population movement

  • Cameroon’s Logone and Chari department in the Far North region is the most affected by violence, insecurity and displacement. The number of displaced people in Logone and Chari continued to increase over the last few months, from 110,000 in June-July to around 150,000 in August.
  • Increased insecurity and large military operations in Chad have led to new population displacement and limited humanitarian action in some areas. In the Lac region, there are some 125,000 displaced people, including 6,500 refugees.

Protection

  • The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs, Chaloka Benyani, conducted a four-day visit to Nigeria. Mr Benyani met with Government officials, UN agencies and NGOs and visited several IDP camps in Borno State. He pointed out that the situation constituted a major national emergency, the scale of which was only just beginning to be revealed as people flee or are forced to leave newly-liberated areas by security forces.
  • The Boko Haram-related violence has the strongest impact on children. An estimated 568,000 children across Lake Chad will suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), according to UNICEF. In north-eastern Nigeria alone, almost half a million children are suffering from SAM.
  • From 22 to 23 August, OCHA Niger and UNHCR collaborated in training Niger defence and security forces on humanitarian principles and the protection of civilians in conflict.

Food Insecurity

  • Around 65,000 people in newly-inaccessible areas in Borno and Yobe states are experiencing famine-like conditions (Phase 5), according to the latest “Cadre Harmonisé” assessment. Malnutrition and mortality rates are also high, while access to health facilities and humanitarian assistance is limited. In addition, more than 1 million people in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe are facing emergency food insecurity (Phase 4), and about 3.3 million more are in crisis (Phase 3).
  • In August, WFP, MSF and IOM delivered more than 400 metric tons of food, basic household relief items and medicine to 25,000 IDPs who had been cut off from aid since last year in Nigeria’s border town of Banki. Food continues to be delivered to Banki by truck from Cameroon, while other relief items are being brought by UNHAS helicopter from Nigeria. However, ongoing rains are complicating road access to Banki via Cameroon. Humanitarian actors are exploring the possibility of using helicopters.
  • In Chad, food assistance by WFP and its partners in August benefitted over 128,000 people in 47 displacement sites and the Dar-es-Salam refugee camp. In parallel, blanket feeding benefitted over 12,000 children. WFP continues its cash transfer programme in five sites around Bol to 10,283 people.

Nigeria: Lake Chad Basin: Crisis Overview (as of 5 Sep 2016)

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Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria

Background

The violent conflict in the Lake Chad Basin has continuously deteriorated. Boko Haram raids and suicide bombings targeting civilians are causing widespread trauma, preventing people from accessing essential services and destroying vital infrastructure. Around 21 million people live in the affected areas across the four Lake Chad countries. The number of displaced people in the most affected areas has tripled over the last two years. Most of the displaced families are sheltered by communities that count among the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. Food insecurity and malnutrition in the affected region have reached critical levels.

Recent Developments

The number of food insecure people in Nigeria’s north-eastern Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States has risen by around 50 per cent since March to more than 4.4 million people, according to the mid-August ‘Cadre Harmonise’ assessment. Among them, the number of people in “emergency phase”, requiring urgent food assistance to survive, has risen fourfold to over one million. More than 65,000 in newly-accessible localities in Borno and Yobe states are in famine-like conditions. Partners continue to scale-up the response, with WFP aiming to reach over 700,000 people with food and cash assistance in the coming months. Meanwhile, following the re-emergence of polio in Nigeria after a two-year hiatus, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have declared it a public health emergency and urged speedy response to stem the outbreak before the end of the year and prevent international spread. Separately, Lake Chad Basin countries are currently facing significant flood risk. In Nigeria alone, 7 million people in 12 States are reported to be at risk.

Nigeria: Nigeria & Lake Chad Polio Outbreak Appeal - 6 September 2016

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Source: Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Country: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Niger, Nigeria

KEY FACTS

  • Wild poliovirus type 1 outbreak in Nigeria: 2 cases.

  • High risk of poliovirus spread in the Lake Chad area.

  • Ongoing Polio Outbreak Response in Northern Nigeria and Lake Chad area implemented as part of the broader humanitarian response effort.

  • WHO has declared Northern Nigeria Grade 3 Humanitarian Emergency.

  • UNICEF has activated its Level 3 Corporate Emergency Procedure for North-East Nigeria.

  • Budget requirements: US116 million.

  • Funding gap: US$ 33 million.

Humanitarian situation overview in Northern Nigeria

Nigeria has been experiencing insurgency in the north-eastern part of the country since 2009 which led the Nigerian President to declare the state of emergency in the 3 worst affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states in May 2014.

The Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for 2015 states that health facilities have been systematically targeted by insurgent attacks, leading to complete or partial damage to health infrastructure. According to the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan (HPR), about 14.8 million people in four states (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe) were affected by the insurgency with about 7 million in need of humanitarian assistance. Of these, about 3.7 million are in need of health interventions.

Given the rapidly escalating humanitarian needs identified by increased access in newly liberated areas, WHO has developed an immediate Scale-Up Plan for Borno State, where the needs are the most extreme.

Wild poliovirus outbreak situation overview in Nigeria and Lake Chad Area

  • A Wild Poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) outbreak was confirmed on 10 August 2016 in Northern Nigeria. Two polioviruses were isolated from two local government areas (LGAs) of Borno State - Gwoza and Jere. This is the first WPV1 outbreak in Nigeria since July 2014.

  • In response to the outbreak and to prevent further spread, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has supported the Government of Nigeria in the preparation of a Nigeria Response Plan to WPV1 in Borno State and a Regional Response Plan to the Polio Outbreak in Lake Chad Basin Countries.

  • Nigeria has declared the polio outbreak a National Public Health Emergency and Ministers of Health from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have declared the polio outbreak in Nigeria a Public Health Emergency for Countries of the Lake Chad basin.

Additionally, WHO has developed a humanitarian Scale-up Plan in Borno in response to WHO’s official declaration on 19th August of Northern Nigeria as a Grade 3 Humanitarian Emergency. WHO is maintaining Grade 2 status for the surrounding countries of Cameroon and Niger, with consideration to be given of a grading for Chad. UNICEF has also activated its Level 3 Corporate Emergency Activation Procedure at surge phase for North-East Nigeria until 28 February 2017.

The polio outbreak highlights the fragile health systems and the impact of conflict and insecurity while underscoring the risk of transmission throughout the Lake Chad region, notably Chad (Lake Chad area), northern Cameroon, southern Niger and parts of the Central African Republic.

It is not unexpected to find polio transmission in the last stages of polio eradication. This recent discovery does not discount the gains made in Nigeria or on the African continent, but rather underscores the importance of surveillance and of reaching every last child. Every country in Africa and elsewhere needs to assess areas with limited access to find out if there are other pockets where the virus is hiding, preying on neglected and isolated children and families.

Nigeria: Polio this week as of 7 September 2016

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Source: Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Country: Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan

In Nigeria, one new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case has been reported, from Borno state, following confirmation of two cases in August. Regional outbreak response across north-eastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad sub-region is continuing within the broader humanitarian emergency context. Detection of new cases at this point is not unexpected or unusual, particularly as surveillance is being strengthened (including by conducting retrospective acute flaccid paralysis case searches).

The polio outbreak has been declared a national public health emergency by the Government of Nigeria and a regional public health emergency by the Governments of the Lake Chad sub-region, to ensure all-of-government, all-of-society approaches to the outbreak response. See ‘Nigeria’ section below for more.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative has launched an emergency appeal to respond to the polio outbreak across the region. Against the planned outbreak response budget of US$116 million, a critical funding gap of US$33 million must be urgently filled.

Mauritania: Mauritania - Food insecurity and undernutrition (ECHO, WFP, UN) (ECHO Daily Flash of 07 September 2016)

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Source: European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office
Country: Mali, Mauritania

  • It is estimated that 28% of the Mauritanian population (1 092 813 people) are facing food insecurity in the ongoing lean season. No national response plan is as yet being implemented.

  • The country faces high rates of acute malnutrition, exceeding emergency thresholds in seven out of 13 regions. 21 723 children under five are suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition of which 9 874 (45%) have been treated by July 2016.

  • WFP reports a critical funding gap to cover its operations to assist Mauritanian families affected by food insecurity and undernutrition as well as Malian refugees in M'Berra camp. As of August 2016, there are 41 279 Malian refugees in M’Berra camp, dependent on international assistance to cover their basic needs.

Niger: UNHCR Niger - August 2016 Factsheet

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Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Country: Mali, Niger, Nigeria

Highlights

  • 2,249 Nigerian refugees relocated from sites on the RN1 to the camp of Sayam Forage between July and August 2016.

  • 8,896 Malian refugee households received evoucher magnetic cards for assistance in Mangaize refugee camp

  • 1,000 Nigerian refugee children received birth certificates in Sayam Forge refugee camp, Diffa

  • 11,700 Vulnerable displaced and host families received gas bottles for domestic energy in the Diffa region in 2016.

Main Activities

Protection

  • Mali situation: Between May and July, there was a notable increase in interest in voluntary repatriation to Mali by Malian refugees in Niger. In 2016, UNHCR have assisted a total of 2,194 refugees to repatriate to Mali. However, the month of August saw the arrival of new refugees to Niger and a decline in interest in repatriation due to increasing inter-communal tensions and conflict in parts of Northern Mali. UNHCR are providing an emergency response in terms of shelter, NFI, protection and basic services to new arrivals in Abala refugee camp.

  • Nigeria situation: On the 30th of August, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Niger Bar Association and UNHCR Niger. This MoU ensures the provision of legal assistance for refugees in custody in Niger, mainly on suspicion of association with terrorist groups.

Durable Solutions

  • Mali situation: The first phase of the urbanization project in the town of Ayorou is in the final stages. 400 beneficiary Malian refugee families have been selected to receive land plots to settle outside the camp of Tabareybarey. This is part of UNHCR’s overall orientation towards integration into national systems for Malian refugees who do not wish to return to Mali due to the continuing insecurity. This is the first step for Malian refugees in terms of urbanization, whilst 7 communes in the Diffa region have also been urbanized, while the project is ongoing.

Livelihoods and Self-Reliance

  • Mali situation: In the camp of Tabareybarey and the ZAR of Intikane, UNHCR and WFP have begun to shift from general assistance to targeted assistance based on household needs. 75 surveyors and local guides began an exhaustive doorto-door data collection to record the socio-economic characteristics of each household. After the data collection, UNHCR and WFP will provide a first classification of households to be vetted by the beneficiaries.

Camp Management and Coordination

  • Nigeria situation: An Agreement has been signed between the Humanitarian Coordination Cell (Prime Minister Cabinet) and UNHCR regarding the management of the spontaneous sites in the Diffa region. UNHCR are supporting the institutional resilience of the Government counterparts in their management of the displacement crisis in the region, and increasing capacities in terms of coordination and information management.

Energy

  • Nigeria situation: Distributions of gas bottles to vulnerable households outside of the camps are on-going. Of the 20,000 households targeted in 2016, 11,700 have already been reached (approximately 81,900 persons). From the 24th to the 26th of August, a joint mission was organized by UNHCR with the Regional Directorates of Energy, Trade, Environment, and the Promotion of Woman and Protection of Children. In all the sites visited, local authorities and beneficiaries expressed a high level of satisfaction with this intervention and asked the UNHCR to extend it to more households. This project has shown positive results in the areas of livelihoods – increasing household income, protection – in particular reducing the risk of SGBV incidents, and in the preservation of the environment and natural resources.

Mali: UNHCR - West Africa 2016 Funding Update as of 6 September 2016 (All figures are displayed in USD)

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Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Country: Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal

274.0 M required for 2016
77.4 M contributions received, representing 28% of requirements
196.6 M funding gap for West Africa


South Sudan: Juba Response Update: South Sudan | CCCM | Update #23 (30 Aug - 05 Sep 2016)

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Source: Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, International Organization for Migration, CCCM Cluster
Country: South Sudan

2,371 IDPs have relocated from the UNMISS base in Tongping to UN House since movements began on 28 July. 535 individuals relocated over the past week, compared to 651 the previous week, and 78 individuals have registered for the next movement on 7 September. The current registered population of Tongping is 1,605 (5 September), however, due to unregistered arrivals that continue to reside at the site, the true population figure is higher.

UNMISS Tongping

CCCM
• Camp Management continues to provide IDPs with information to support voluntary relocation, including through town hall meetings held across the site by geographic area and key messages posted at strategic locations throughout the site.

WASH
• IOM delivered an average of 20.4L of safe drinking water per person per day, with one tap for every 39 people.
• There is one latrine for every 23 people, 14 functional hand washing facilities and one bathing shelter for every 94 people.
• WASH continues to conduct health and hygiene promotion messaging both communally and at household level. In addition, 30 health education sessions have been held at schools and marketplaces.

Health
• Approximately 50 to 60 consultations were conducted per day, a reduction from previous figures as the site population continues to decline.
• No reported cholera cases in the past 4 weeks.

Protection
• Standard Operating Procedures for referring protection cases and for addressing family separation cases have been finalized between Camp Management, the Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) and other Protection partners.
• Camp Management meet with UNPOL on a regular basis to discuss and address security issues within the site, such as petty theft.
• UNHCR provides counselling to people with specific needs (PSN) to understand these needs and how they can be addressed.

Nutrition
• World Vision screened a total of 259 children with 3 cases of moderate acute malnutrition identified, and zero cases of severe acute malnutrition.
• IOM identifies malnutrition cases not fully treated prior to their relocation and ensures follow-up by World Vision at UN House.

UNMISS UN House

CCCM
• Currently 39,064 IDPs reside at PoC 1 and PoC 3, UN House (5 September).
• Biometric registration is scheduled to begin in PoC 3 following WFP general food distribution (GFD).

Shelter
• Shelter partners continue to construct temporary communal shelters for new arrivals.
• 307 individuals in PoC 1 remain in need of shelter, in addition to the remaining Tongping caseload to be received.
• Camp Management and Shelter partners continue to identify empty plots for construction in existing blocks, with a comprehensive shelter plan underway.

WASH
• Planning and construction of new WASH infrastructure for new arrivals is ongoing in Zone E and Zones H&I.

Health
• 2 new cholera cases were reported over the last 7 days taking the total, cumulative reported cases to 82, with zero reported deaths.

Nigeria: Insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin — Regional Impact, Situation Report #16, 30 July 2016

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Source: World Food Programme
Country: Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria

Highlights

  • Demerger of Boko Haram group and increase of terrorist attacks against militaries and civilians in the Lake Chad.

  • WFP provided food assistance to 25,000 IDP population in Banki and is targeting 205,000 people with in-kind food in seven locations in Borno State

  • 476,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance targeted through cash-based-transfer in northeast of Nigeria.

In Numbers

40,000 newly displaced people in need of humanitarian assistance in Logone and Chari, Cameroon.

4,4 million people in food insecurity in Borno and Yobe and Adamawa, Nigeria.

4 countries affected

USD 334 million required for life-saving assistance in Lake Chad Basin.

Situation Update

  • In Nigeria, Boko Haram (BH) is facing a split within its movement. A new Emir, Abu Musab Al-Barnawi was presented by media as the leader of a new faction. The current group’s leader, Abu Bakr Shekau, stated that he remains the auto-proclaimed Emir of the Jamaatu ahlis sunnah lidda awati wal jihad faction.

  • On 28 July, a humanitarian convoy traveling from Bama to Maiduguri in Borno State, Nigeria, was attacked by unknown assailants. A UNICEF employee and an IOM contractor were injured. Following the attack, the UN agencies, including WFP temporarily suspended humanitarian assistance missions by road in north-eastern Nigeria.

  • On 12 July, a convoy of three Nigerien army vehicles were ambushed by suspected Boko Haram elements on the Bosso-Diffa axis, Niger and a Nigerien military was killed. On 31 July, unidentified armed men attacked three localities in the Lake Chad border and killed 97 civilians.

  • In Chad, the state of Emergency has been extended until October 2016 and access to displaced sites west of Baga-Sola and Liwa axis close to the border with Niger remains difficult given the insecurity.

  • New population displacements were reported in Djounde and Meme in the Mayo-Sava department,
    Cameroon, following escalating attacks. The number of IDPs in need of humanitarian assistance has significantly exceeded WFP planning figures.

  • UN agencies in Cameroon submitted a joint CERF appeal to support the scale-up of humanitarian assistance to some 40,000 newly displaced persons in Logone and Chari department. The department hosts 60% of the total IDPs population in the Far north region and humanitarian agencies’ presence has been restricted due to insecurity. In Borno State, NEMA reported over 15 new locations with approximately 300,000 IDPs in need of immediate food assistance.

World: IASC | Alert, Early Warning and Readiness Report | Outlook Period June - November 2016

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Source: Inter-Agency Standing Committee
Country: Angola, Burundi, Cambodia, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Somalia, Swaziland, Timor-Leste, Viet Nam, World, Zimbabwe

Introduction

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Early Warning, Early Action and Readiness (EWEAR) Report is produced bi-annually by the inter-agency Reference Group on Risk, Early Warning and Preparedness to highlight risks with a high probability and impact on humanitarian needs during the next six months (June to November 2016). The Report aims to provide a forward-looking analysis of the most serious risks in support of IASC Reference Group activity and to equip relevant decision makers with key information for preparedness, response, advocacy and resource mobilisation efforts to mitigate and manage these risks.

As a product of a humanitarian inter-agency entity, adherence to the humanitarian principles is a key factor in its production, in particular independence – meaning the autonomy of humanitarian objectives from those of a political, economic, military or other nature. The Report acts as an inter-agency source of information for officials accountable at the global level for preparedness and is in addition to reporting up the normal chain of accountability from Resident and Humanitarian Coordinators. The Report does not aim to provide an analysis of the relative severity of humanitarian need.

Each country or region includes a risk analysis followed by an analysis of IASC response capacity and preparedness. In an effort to support concerted early action to the situations of most concern, the initial list of risks provided by the different agencies has been prioritised to highlight only those risks assessed as having the most acute gap between the potential humanitarian impact and existing capacity and preparedness levels. Countries have been divided into three ‘tiers’ based on the assessed gap between the seriousness of the risk and the level of preparedness and response capacity: very high, high or moderate.

It was agreed that risks relating to existing Level 3 emergencies (L3s) should only be included in the Report by exception, as L3s are already regularly reviewed by the IASC, with every effort made to scale up and enhance the response. A summary of the methodology used to develop risk selection is at the end of this Report.

All information provided is based on extensive research by the various contributing agencies, with the risk analyses drawing from a range of open and public sources, and presents the IASC early warning analysts group’s collective assessment. The IASC Index for Risk Management (INFORM) values, which are based on historic data, have been added to provide a wider risk context.

The IASC early warning analysts group will continue to closely monitor these risks and the wide range of ‘on watch’ risks that were not included in this Report, as part of regular monthly discussions. This Report was collaboratively developed as an inter-agency product by early warning and preparedness analysts from the following IASC partners: ACAPS, FAO, OCHA, OHCHR, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, UN Women, WFP and WHO. WFP provided staff to facilitate the process and compile the text.

Published in June 2016

Mali: Mali : Réfugiés, rapatriés et personnes déplacées internes - 31 juillet 2016

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Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Country: Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania, Niger

Niger: Technology at the service of refugees in the corner of Niger

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Source: World Food Programme
Country: Mali, Niger

Since 2013 and the introduction of cash vouchers, WFP and UNHCR have been looking for a way to build a more simple, innovative, secure and flexible mechanism that would respond to the needs of refugees in Mangaize refugee camp, Niger. In August 17th this became a reality as the two agencies have successfully implemented the new e-voucher system that will benefit thousands of refugees located in one of Niger’s most difficult area.

The cash voucher was introduced to give to refugees the possibility to choose their own rations from the traders partnering with WFP with the aim of diversifying the contents of their food basket. Today, those cash vouchers can be remotely put on contactless cards, transforming them into e-Vouchers, and can be redeemed at the same selected retailers partnered with WFP.

After UNHCR confirms the status and identity of the household, refugees are registered, enrolled into the SCOPE platform—a powerful and flexible data source that allows WFP to better keep track of registrations—and each household is provided with an electronic card which is charged monthly in order to receive the food assistance. Upon receiving the card, the household heads to the distribution center where merchants verify their ownership through a unique PIN code.

Moziga Aichatou, a Malian woman of 44 years old fled the conflict and violence in Mali in 2012 with husband, El Hadj Gimraw, 59 years old and their 10 children (6 children of their own and guardians of 4 children). She now leaves in Mangaize camp and was the first refugee to receive the electronic assistance card in the camp.

“Now I can shop like everyone else and choose the products I usually eat. I gain a lot of time because I don’t have to queue to receive my rations anymore. It’s good to be back to normal.”

For many other refugees like Moziga this electronic assistance card represents a newfound dignity. The long queues under the sun to receive the paper vouchers are now an old memory. In addition to the relief experienced by refugees, this car provided significant advantaged in terms of workload for WFP and its partners. The card is issued for the duration of the assistance and is automatically recharged with no transaction costs. WFP’s partners (retailers) are no longer forced to verify the authenticity of vouchers or count them one by one and the long distribution chain that existed with paper vouchers has been reduced to a simple interaction between retailers and refugees.

Finally, the system will also improve the transparency and quality of data. The identification/authentication of beneficiaries is facilitated. Additionally, the waiting time for the centralization of manually collected data used for monitoring has been eliminated as the system allows quick access to automatic data generated on the basis of updated information on distributions, beneficiaries, etc. This facilitates easy access to data analysis and rapid decision making. In a few words, since the SCOPE platform allows to know the beneficiaries better, through this joint effort between the two UN agencies, one can expect a better outcome.

According to a first cost-benefit analysis, it is estimated that the e-Vouchers mechanism allows WFP to save USD $60,000 per year compared to the paper process, exclusively within the Mangaize camp.

The first phase, launched in August in the Mangaize camp, benefitted nearly 9,000 beneficiaries. It is expected to scale up to 66,300 people living in the other camps before the end of the year. In 2017, WFP plans to onboard its different beneficiaries into the SCOPE platform.

Written by: Sidiki Traoré Boubacar

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