Highlights

• Displacement Tracking Matrix Round XI was conducted. As of 31 August, 2,093,030 IDPs were identified across 13 states. Biometric registration continued in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, where 333,936 IDPs have already been registered

• IOM has built 1,000 emergency shelters in Bama and Gwoza, to ensure that the affected populations have access to shelter, which will reduce their exposure to the environment and contribute to their increased security and dignity.

• IOM has conducted Mental Health and Psychosocial Support needs assessment in Benishek, Minok and Gwoza. In addition, IOM continued providing psychosocial support and activities to beneficiaries in Yola, Chibok and Maiduguri.

Situation Overview

Since the beginning of 2014, the North - East of Nigeria has witnessed an increase in violence conducted by the insurgency, causing a major humanitarian crisis. The intensification of attacks as well as the counter - insurgency activities have resulted in chronic and widespread insecurity and violations of human rights, exacerbating the plight of vulnerable civilians and triggering waves of forced displacement. There are seven million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Nigeria, including 1.9 million people displaced by the insurgency. Ninety-two per cent of the IDPs are hosted by low - income host communities, bringing already - stretched services and resources under increased pressure. The armed conflict has directly affected four states in the North East: Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Gombe, with Borno State being the most severely affected and the epicentre of military operations and displacement of civilians. While the current humanitarian response covers all four states, the access to large territories in Borno State remain very limited. This together with low funding has created a strain for humanitarian actors to meet minimum standards.

The last few months have witnessed the Nigerian security forces enabling access to the main towns and many of the villages of 22 of the 27 Borno Local Government Areas (LGAs), revealing the humanitarian needs of civilians previously inaccessible under the control of the insurgency, where more than 700,000 people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

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

Following a review of sectoral priorities in September, humanitarian partners are now seeking US$739 million to respond to the Lake Chad Basin crisis, up from $520 million at the start of the year. Aid organizations have increased presence and stepped up operations to deliver assistance across the affected region and address the needs of populations in newly-accessible areas. The response, however, remains significantly underfunded with only US$197million, less than one third of the total requirement, received as of mid-September. In recent months, hundreds of thousands civilians in dire need of humanitarian assistance have become accessible in north-eastern Nigeria localities where the army has regained control from Boko Haram. The armed group continues to carry out attacks across the region, and insecurity remains an impediment to access. In Chad’s western Lac region, several aid groups recently suspended operations owing to a series of attacks attributed to Boko Haram. At least seven attacks have been reported so far this month in Niger’s south-eastern Diffa region.
Cameroonian villages near the border with Nigeria continue to come under attack, too.

Contexte

Le violent conflit dans le Bassin du lac Tchad n’a cessé de s’aggraver. Les raids et les attentats suicides de Boko Haram sur les civils causent des traumatismes généralisés, empêchant les gens d’accéder aux services essentiels et détruisant les infrastructures vitales. Environ 21 millions de personnes vivent dans les zones touchées des quatre pays riverains du Lac Tchad. Le nombre de personnes déplacées dans les zones les plus affectées a triplé depuis les deux dernières années. La plupart des familles déplacées sont hébergées par des communautés qui sont parmi les plus pauvres et les plus vulnérables au monde. L’insécurité alimentaire et la malnutrition dans les régions affectées ont atteint des niveaux alarmants.

Développements récents

Après une révision des priorités sectorielles en septembre, les partenaires humanitaires sont maintenant à la recherche de 739 millions $ pour répondre à la crise du Bassin du Lac Tchad, contre 520 millions $ au début de l'année. Les organisations humanitaires ont augmenté leur présence et intensifié leurs opérations pour fournir une assistance dans la région touchée et répondre aux besoins des populations dans les zones nouvellement accessibles. La réponse, cependant, reste nettement sous-financée avec seulement 197 millions $, moins d'un tiers de l'ensemble des besoins, reçus à la mi-septembre. Ces derniers mois, des centaines de milliers de civils dans le besoin urgent d'assistance humanitaire sont devenus accessibles dans les localités du nord-est du Nigeria où l'armée a repris le contrôle sur Boko Haram. Le groupe armé continue de mener des attaques à travers la région, et l'insécurité reste un obstacle à l'accès. Dans la région du Lac au Tchad, plusieurs groupes d'aide humanitaire ont récemment suspendu leurs opérations en raison d'une série d'attaques attribuées à Boko Haram. Au moins sept attaques ont été signalées jusqu'à présent ce mois-ci dans la région de Diffa, au sud-est du Niger. Des villages camerounais près de la frontière avec le Nigeria continuent également d’être attaqués

Regional mixed migration summary for July 2016 covering mixed migration events, incidents, trends and data for the West Africa region (in particular Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal and Liberia).

In this report the term migrant/refugee is used to cover all those involved in mixed migration flows (including asylum seekers, trafficked persons, economic migrants, refugees). If the caseload mentioned refers only to refugees or asylum seekers or trafficked persons it will be clearly stated.

In August 2016, thousands more civilians in South Sudan were forced to flee their homes due to fighting, mainly in the Equatorias and Unity. In all, about 60,000 people fled South Sudan as refugees to neighbouring countries during August, including nearly 50,000 to Uganda. In Central Equatoria, about 12,100 people were displaced in different locations according to partners' estimates. In Western Bahr El Ghazal, more than 2,500 people newly arrived at collective sites in Wau town, while access outside of the town remained restricted. In central Unity, intermittent fighting and tensions caused thousands of people to flee from Thonyor, Adok and Pilleny to neighbouring islands and swampy areas. Others attempted the long and strenuous journeys to Nyal in Panyijiar County or to the UN Protection of Civilians site in Bentiu. In addition, some people from Thonyor and Thakker (Mayendit) reportedly took refuge in Dablual, which was already hosting about 34,000 IDPs. In Jonglei, nearly 8,000 IDPs arrived in Poktap, Payuel and Padiet payams in Duk County following fighting in Pajut. In Northern Bahr El Ghazal, food insecurity and malnutrition remained a major concern and partners scaled-up response operations to stem the growing hunger. Communicable diseases continued to cause death and illness, with ongoing outbreaks of cholera, malaria and kala-azar.

KEY FIGURES

1,843
Voluntary returns to Mali facilitated since January 2016

112
New arrivals from Mali in 2016

4,433
Malian refugees with specific needs (as of 1 September 2016)

11, 547
Malian households in Mbera camp (as of 1 September 2016)

30L
of potable water available per person per day

FUNDING 2016

USD 19.4 M
Requested for the operation

PRIORITIES

• Maintain protection and assistance for all Malian refugees in Mbera camp.

• Strengthen support to refugees’ self-reliance.

• Maintain peaceful coexistence between the refugees and host communities.

HIGHLIGHTS

• In August, 2,907 families in need, including most recent arrivals in Mbera camp, were provided with shelters. It is estimated that an additional 4,500 shelters will need to be replaced in 2016. There is growing concern that due to slow repatriation pace, increased number of shelters will need to be replaced in Mbera camp in the coming months.

• In August, more than 200 latrines were constructed or rehabilitated in the camp. Despite efforts being made to replace and construct new toilet facilities, it is estimated that by the end of 2016 most toilets will need to be replaced. Additional resources are therefore urgently needed to proceed with the replacement of deteriorated latrines.

• The Malian refugee team and a team from the Mauritanian host community played an amicable football match in Mbera camp in celebration of the refugees Olympics to support pacific coexistence among refugees and host communities.

UPDATE ON ACHIEVEMENTS

Operational Context

In collaboration with the Mauritanian Government who has kept its borders open to new influxes, UN organizations and national and international NGOs, UNHCR continues to lead the humanitarian response for 41,792 Malian refugees in Mbera camp. In addition, the organization ensures the protection and assistance of 1,432 urban refugees and 401 asylum seekers, mainly from the Central African Republic, Syria and Côte d’Ivoire.

The majority of Malian refugees living in Mbera camp arrived in 2012: violent clashes in north Mali triggered important waves of displacements into Mauritania, where a refugee camp was established 50 Km from the Malian border in the Hodh el Charghi region. Following the military intervention in northern Mali in January 2013, new influxes of Malian refugees were accommodated in Mbera camp.

On 16 June 2016, Mauritania, Mali and UNHCR signed a Tripartite Agreement to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Malian refugees. The tripartite agreement reiterates the voluntary nature of repatriation and reconfirms the commitments of the Mauritanian and Malian states towards refugees in both countries of origin and asylum. However, despite the signing of a peace agreement in Mali in June 2015 and the voluntary return of more than 1,800 refugees from Mbera camp in 2016, the security conditions in northern Mali remain volatile. Large-scale returns of refugees are therefore not yet envisaged and UNHCR and its partners maintain their presence in Bassikounou to sustain the humanitarian response in Mbera Camp. Some 112 new arrivals from Mali have been registered in 2016.

UNHCR works closely with Mauritanian authorities to enhance the protection space for refugees and asylum seekers in Mauritania, notably through the development and implementation of a national asylum law and system. Pending the adoption of a national refugee legislation, UNHCR advocates for further integration of refugees by improving access to basic services, such as health, economic opportunities but also to documentation and birth registration.

I. Candidate countries and potential candidates

The values on which the EU is founded, as set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, are reflected in the accession criteria. These essential conditions, which all candidate countries must satisfy to become a Member State, include the stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, respect for the rule of law, human rights and the protection of minorities. The current enlargement agenda covers the countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey. The progress towards meeting these criteria is covered in depth in the European Commission's 2015 Enlargement Package1 . This year the Commission introduced a strengthened approach to its assessments in the annual reports on enlargement countries, which not only covered progress but also reported on the state of play and the countries' level of preparedness to take on the obligations of membership. The reports also provide clearer guidance on what the countries are expected to do.

The EU's enlargement policy remains focused on the 'fundamentals first' principle. Reflecting the core EU values and policy priorities, the enlargement process continues to prioritise reforms in the areas of the rule of law, fundamental rights, the strengthening of democratic institutions, including public administration reform, and economic development and competitiveness.

The 2015 EU Enlargement Strategy highlights the main challenges for candidate countries and potential candidates. Regarding fundamental rights, in the Western Balkans and Turkey the Commission continues to underline that while these are often largely enshrined in law, further efforts are needed to ensure implementation in practice. Freedom of expression presents a particular challenge, with ongoing negative developments in a number of countries. The Commission continues to prioritise work on freedom of expression and the media in the EU accession process.
There continues to be a need to better protect minorities, in particular Roma, who continue to suffer from discrimination and difficult living conditions. Discrimination and hostility towards other vulnerable groups, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons, is a serious concern. Additional work is also required to promote equality between women and men, fight domestic violence, ensure respect for the rights of the child and support persons with disabilities.

The functioning of democratic institutions also requires attention. The role of national parliaments in the reform process to ensure democratic accountability still needs to be strengthened.
Enlargement countries need to ensure the effective functioning of the institutional framework for the protection of fundamental rights and a much more supportive and enabling environment to foster the development of civil society as it will contribute to enhancing political accountability and a better understanding of accession-related reforms. The Commission continues to promote and support candidate countries' participation, and that of countries with which a Stabilisation and Association Agreement has been concluded, as observers in the work of the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency. Positive developments were registered in 2015 regarding The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Serbia.

http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2015/20151110_strategy_paper_en.pdf

Facts & Figures

• Population: 4.8 million people - Human Development Index ranking: 187 of 188 countries (UNDP)

• Number of internally displaced (UNHCR): over 384 000, including over 49 000 in the capital Bangui - Number of Central African refugees (UNHCR): 473 400 in neighbouring countries - 2.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance - Around 2.5 million people are food insecure - 2.4 million children are affected by the crisis (UNICEF)

• European Commission humanitarian aid in 2016: €24 million, benefiting 523 000 people - European Commission humanitarian aid since December 2013: €107.5 million - EU humanitarian assistance (European Commission and EU Member States) since 2014: over €259 million

Key messages

• The humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) remains extremely serious almost three years after the current crisis erupted in December 2013. Some 2.3 million people – almost half of the population – are in need of humanitarian assistance. 2.4 million children are affected by the crisis, according to UNICEF.

• Despite a successful election, humanitarian needs persist and are significant, alongside recovery needs. However regular fighting and access constraints complicate aid organisations' work and access to people in need.

• With over €259 million provided since 2014, the European Union is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to CAR. The European Commission alone has provided €107.5 million (in addition to €28 million for Central African refugees in neighbouring countries) in humanitarian aid since December 2013.

• The Commission's humanitarian assistance targets primarily needs in the areas of nutrition, health, emergency shelter, water, sanitation and protection of civilians.

Maiduguri, Nigeria | AFP | Wednesday 9/21/2016 - 03:06 GMT

by Phil HAZLEWOOD, Aminu ABUBAKAR

Doctors crowded around Abdullahi. One squeezed a drip and another prepared a plastic syringe. The young boy didn't move. Only the shallow rise and fall of his chest indicated he was still alive.

Fluid was injected to try to stabilise the two-year-old's blood sugar levels. "He's better than he was 20 minutes ago," said one doctor. "But his condition is still critical."

Abdullahi's mother, Hadiza, perched on the end of the bed, as if trying to get as far away as possible from the machines and lines attached to her tiny son. She turned her head and sobbed.

All of the children brought to the intensive care unit at the field hospital in the Gwange area of Maiduguri are starving to death because of Boko Haram.

Abdullahi's body was swollen from the protein deficiency kwashiorkor. In the next bed lay Hafsat, a 13-month-old girl whose body was little more than skin and bone.

"Her mother died five weeks ago," explained Hafsat's aunt, Fatima Ladan, holding the girl up. "I tried to breastfeed her but there wasn't enough milk.

"I took her to hospital, where she was given Plumpy'Nut (a high-energy food supplement given for severe acute malnutrition) but she wouldn't take it. Each time she would vomit."

Fourteen-month-old Maryam was born in a camp for the displaced after her family fled an Islamist attack in the town of Baga, in northern Borno state, in January last year.

Her grandmother, Hauwa, sat quietly by her bedside.

"My wish is for her to recover and get well," she said. "I pray God gives us food to eat."

- Echoes of Biafra -

There have been repeated warnings about the effects of food shortages caused by the Boko Haram conflict, which has killed at least 20,000 people and left 2.6 million homeless since 2009.

But despite the huge numbers involved, the situation has received little attention compared with other humanitarian crises around the world -- even within Nigeria.

In July, the United Nations said nearly 250,000 children under five could suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year in Borno state alone and one in five -- some 50,000 -- could die.

Last month, the world body said 4.5 million people in three northeast states needed immediate food aid -- double the number in March.

Of those, more than 65,000 people were said to be facing famine. But fighting and insecurity has left some hard-to-reach rural areas cut off from help.

Dr Bamidele Omotola, a nutrition specialist with the UN children's fund UNICEF, said global acute malnutrition rates were "far, far, far above what (we find) in an emergency situation".

"I do remember that the last time we had such serious cases was like when we had the Nigerian civil war (from 1967-70)," he added.

Then, more than one million people died from the effects of starvation and disease in a war sparked by the declaration of an independent republic of Biafra in Nigeria's southeast.

Now, the fighting has left farmers unable to sow crops, land has been destroyed or mined and water sources contaminated while food shortages have pushed up prices in local markets.

At the same time, Nigeria is in recession. The naira currency has lost value and inflation has risen to more than 17 percent, making food, fuel and goods more expensive.

- 'Already too late' -

Doctors and healthcare workers running feeding programmes in camps for the displaced and at public health clinics across Maiduguri, deal with the consequences every day.

Desperately underweight children are weighed and have the circumference of their upper arms measured for signs of malnutrition. Nurses shout out measurements to be recorded.

Those too weak to fight complications such as measles, malaria or diarrhoea are referred to the in-patient therapeutic feeding centre in Gwange run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

The medical charity typically treats children aged between six months to five years old but doctors at the facility said they are seeing increasing numbers younger than that.

The 14-bed intensive care unit is "always full", they added.

MSF said 290 patients were admitted in July and 30 children died due to severe acute malnutrition. In August, the figures jumped to 387 admissions with 72 deaths.

"Most of these cases come in very late into the crisis," said MSF's emergency medical coordinator in Maiduguri, Dr Javed Ali Baba.

"By the time they come here it's already too late. Every day we see two, three deaths."

- 'Terrible catastrophe' -

The Boko Haram conflict and its consequences has spilt into northern Cameroon, western Chad, and southeast Niger, leaving 6.3 million people in the region severely food insecure.

Of those, some 568,000 children have severe acute malnutrition. As a result, the UN has significantly revised upwards its funding estimates for the rest of this year.

The UN regional humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel, Toby Lanzer, said $385 million (345 million euros) more was needed for northeast Nigeria alone.

For the region, $559 million is still required.

"We are really addressing this as we would any of the most serious crises," he told AFP from New York, where UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will launch an appeal for funding on Friday.

But with Nigeria in economic crisis, the expectation is for the international community to "step up" and provide the resources needed, he said.

"The international community will have to do more or we will have a terrible catastrophe on our hands and that doesn't help anybody," he added.

Back in Gwange, Dr Ali Baba said despite a marked increase in work by the government and aid agencies in recent months, he was expecting no let-up in malnutrition cases.

"There are still a lot of people out there who need a lot of help," he said. "I'm pretty sure it will get worse...

"From what we have seen over the last two months... I don't think it's going to slow down at any moment from here."

abu-phz/ser/lto

© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Syntèse par pays

• Au Niger, la tendance générale de l’évolution des prix des céréales est à la hausse pour les céréales sèches et à la stabilité pour le riz. Seul le prix du riz a connu une baisse sur le marché de Dosso (-5%). Les hausses ont été enregistrées : i) pour le mil à Tillabéry et Agadez (+8%), à Niamey (+7%), à Maradi (+5%), à Zinder (+4%) et à Dosso (+2%); ii) pour le sorgho à Zinder (+15%), à Agadez (+14%), à Dosso (+13%), à Tillabéry (+9%), à Niamey (+8%) et Maradi (+5%), iii) pour le maïs à Agadez (+9%), à Niamey (+8%), à Zinder, Dosso et Tillabéry (+5%) et à Maradi (+2%).

• Au Mali, la tendance générale de l’évolution des prix des céréales sur les marchés est à la stabilité, ponctuée de quelques baisses pour le riz et le mil. Seul le maïs a enregistré une hausse à Mopti (+7%). Les baisses sont observées : i) pour le riz local à Sikasso (-7%) et à Gao (-4%), ii) pour le riz importé à Tombouctou (-6%) et à Sikasso (-3%), iii) pour le mil à Sikasso (-6%), à Tombouctou (-4%) et à Mopti (-3%), iv) pour le sorgho à Bamako (-3%). Ailleurs, les prix sont stables pour les différents produits

• Au Burkina, la tendance générale de l’évolution des prix des céréales est à la hausse pour le mil et le sorgho et à la stabilité pour le riz et le maïs. Les hausses ont été enregistrées : i) pour le mil sur les marchés de Tenkodogo (+6%), Ouagadougou, Dédougou, Nouna et Fada (+3%) et ii) pour le sorgho sur les marchés de Nouna (+11%), de Tenkodogo (+10%), de Ouagadougou et Kongoussi (+7%) et de Dédougou (+4%). Quelques mouvements à la baisse ont été enregistrés : i) pour le sorgho à Bobo (-9%), ii) pour le riz à Dori (-6%) et iii) pour le maïs à Ouagadougou (-3%).

20 septembre 2016 – Le Président du Tchad, Idriss Déby Itno, a appelé mardi la communauté internationale à appuyer l'Union africaine (UA) et ses Etats membres dans leurs efforts de lutte contre le terrorisme, qu'il a qualifié de « menace du siècle », dans son discours devant l'Assemblée générale de l'ONU.

« Je lance un appel du haut de cette tribune à tous les Etats membres des Nations Unies, en particulier aux partenaires de l'Afrique, pour qu'ils apportent leurs contributions au Fonds africain de lutte contre le terrorisme créé en juillet dernier par le Sommet de l'Union africaine à Kigali, au Rwanda », a déclaré M. Déby.

« La Somalie, la Libye, le Mali, le bassin du lac Tchad, le Sahel dans son ensemble, sont gravement déstabilisés et le péril cherche à s'étendre sur l'ensemble du continent », a averti le chef de l'Etat tchadien, qui assure la présidence tournante de l'UA.

Celle-ci et ses Etats membres « sont fortement mobilisés et engagés dans la lutte contre ce mal absolu, malgré la modestie de leurs moyens », a affirmé M. Déby. Il a cité le déploiement de l'AMISOM en Somalie depuis 2004, la création de la Force mixte multinationale par les Etats du bassin du lac Tchad et le Bénin pour combattre le groupe terroriste Boko Haram et l'institution du Groupe G5-Sahel servant de cadre de coopération en matière de sécurité et de lutte contre les menaces transfrontalières aux pays du Sahel.

« Cet élan de mobilisation devrait être renforcé et appuyé par l'ensemble de la communauté internationale sous toutes les formes : matérielle, financière, militaire et par le partage des renseignements », a-t-il dit.

Exaltant la coopération entre l'UA et l'ONU, le président tchadien a rappelé que l'UA a adopté, lors de son dernier Sommet, une décision visant à assurer 25% du coût des opérations de maintien de la paix autorisées par le Conseil de sécurité sur le continent africain. « Elle espère obtenir les 75% restants des Nations Unies, sur son budget de maintien de la paix, dans un esprit de division du travail et de partage des charges », a-t-il dit.

« L'UA attend donc avec impatience l'ouverture de discussions fructueuses avec l'ONU sur cette proposition, afin de parvenir à un accord qui puisse renforcer davantage le partenariat exemplaire entre l'Union africaine et les Nations Unies, dans l'intérêt de la paix et de la protection des civils en temps de crise », a-t-il ajouté.

Highlights

• WFP has a 6-month net funding requirement totaling USD 16.8 million for both the PRRO and CP. Without additional resources, WFP will be forced to suspend its operations at the end of September leaving over 416,000 vulnerable Mauritanians in need of food and nutritional assistance. Moreover, if no additional funding is received, WFP will be forced to further reduce its food and nutritional assistance to Malian refugees.

• Results of the PDM, conducted in Mberra refugee camp, highlight that the introduction of cash as part of the general food distributions allowed refugees to diversify their diets and reduce negative coping mechanisms.

Operational Updates

• WFP is preparing budget revisions to extend the PRRO and CP until December 2017. Consultations are being held with the Government, donors and partners, to identify priorities for 2017 onwards. WFP is also contributing to the extension of the UNDAF until December 2017 and to the drafting of the new CCA/UNDAF for 2018-2022, to align with Mauritania’s National Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity (2017-2030). This extension is taking into account recommendations of the 2011-2015 Country Portfolio Evaluation. It is refocusing geographical, household and individual targeting and also implementing more integrated, multisectorial and multi-annual intervention to build the resilience and livelihoods of vulnerable populations, while ensuring national capacity development to enhance ownership and sustainability.

• PRRO Refugees Component: In Mberra camp, WFP assisted 41,520 refugees with food assistance. Food basket was composed of rice, pulses and oil. Each refugee also received a cash transfer of 1,500 Mauritanian Ouguiya (MRO) equivalent to 30 percent of the food basket value.

• Results of the Post-distribution monitoring (PDM), conducted in the camp in July, highlight that the introduction of cash allowed refugees to diversify their diets by acquiring complementary commodities. The results also show that the cash had an impact on the prevalence of negative coping mechanisms such as (i) reducing number of meals, (ii) selling assets, and (iii) begging.

• Moreover, in the camp, 539 children under five and 148 pregnant and nursing women suffering from malnutrition were treated in CRENAM centers. In addition, 2,257 children attending summer classes received a school meal.

• PRRO Local Vulnerable Population Component: In August, WFP assisted 180,277 vulnerable Mauritanians through unconditional food and cash modalities in the six operational regions served by WFP (Assaba, Tagant, Gorgol, Guidimakha, Hodh El Chargui and Hodh El Gharbi). The intervention sought to assist vulnerable households during the lean season period. • In the regions of Gorgol, Guidimakha and Tagant, WFP assisted 3,286 malnourished children aged from 6 to 23 months and 1,260 undernourished pregnant and nursing women through blanket supplementary feeding. WFP also assisted 15,760 pregnant and nursing women and 20,498 children under five through targeted supplementary feeding in Assaba, Tagant, Hodh El Chargui and Hodh El Gharbi.

• Due to operational and funding constraints, WFP assisted 400 vulnerable Mauritanians - in the region of Assaba, instead of the three regions originally planned (Assaba, Gorgol and Guidimakha) - through food assistance-forassets activities via cash transfers. Moreover, WFP assisted 31,680 people vulnerable Mauritanians through food assistance-for-assets activities via food distributions in the region of Hodh El Chargui.

• Country Programme - School Feeding: WFP has no funds available to prepare for the upcoming school year starting in October. A regional press release was published to raise awareness about the risk of missing out on school meals for children in West Africa.

• UNHAS: In August, UNHAS transported 192 humanitarian workers and 1,032 kg of light cargo in 39 rotations between Nouakchott and Bassikonou.

Highlights

• The Pilot cash transfers for the school meals programme is set to launch in September. In total, 24 schools from all six regions will benefit from the pilot.

WFP Assistance

The School Meals Project focuses on strengthening the overall institutional and policy framework for a national school meals system and consolidating and improving the gains achieved in access to pre-primary and primary education. This is accomplished through direct support for school meals in the most vulnerable districts. Key activities include nutrition education and a pilot initiative on local procurement which links school meals to local agricultural production and ensure sustainable markets to small scale farmers.

To ensure that procurement is closer to the communities while improving diet diversity for school children, a cash transfer initiative is being piloted for the school meals programme, with disbursement due to commence in September 2016. A total of 24 schools will be supported through cash-based transfers (CBT) through community/school structures and caterers.

South-South Cooperation programme to strengthen social protection initiatives in The Gambia has been finalized with the WFP Centre of Excellence in Brazil. A national consultant was recruited to support the implementation action plan for the programme. The Gambia is part of the team of countries eligible for Purchase from Africans for Africa (PAA) scale-up. A project formulation mission visited The Gambia in June and held meetings with stakeholders and high level government officials.

The Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) seeks to provide assistance to food insecure and vulnerable households, particularly malnourished children with moderate acute malnutrition, children of 6-23 months and pregnant and nursing women, especially during the lean season. The operation targets 157,100 people for support.

Operational Updates

• The training of schools and communities for cashbased transfers and HGSF is completed. The agreement with caterers is finalised and service to school is scheduled to commence by September 2016. The Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of basic and secondary education which will guide this process is finalized.

• School meals activities did not take place in August due to the end of the school year.

• A mid-year review of the DEV 200327 project was conducted with partners from the Ministry of basic and secondary education.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
SIX KILLED IN MILITIA FIGHTING
Fighting between armed groups in the northern Kaga-Bandoro and Ndomete towns on 16 September claimed six lives, according to the UN peacekeeping force MINUSCA. Denouncing the violence and warning against attempts to cause instability in the country,
MINUSCA has reinforced its presence in the two affected areas and intervened between the warring sides to safeguard civilians.

CHAD
POLIO VACCINATION DRIVE UNDERWAY
The second of five polio immunization rounds started on 17 September. The nationwide vaccination campaign led by the Ministry of Health with support from UNICEF and WHO targets 3.3 million children under 5 years old and will be completed in November. The risk of an outbreak remains high in Chad, as three polio cases were recently discovered in Borno State in neighbouring Nigeria.
CERF ALLOCATES US$10 MILLION
The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) on 14 September allocated US$10 million to provide assistance in four regions in the south to meet the needs of 210,000 refugees and returnees from the CAR and their host communities. The funds will support seven projects aimed at providing emergency multi-sectoral assistance: boosting food security, nutrition services, access to health care, maintenance and improvement of water and sanitation infrastructure, rehabilitation of destroyed shelters and access to education.

DR CONGO
SEVENTEEN KILLED IN VIOLENT PROTESTS
Violent anti-government protests erupted on 19 September in the capital Kinshasa and other cities in the country, resulting in the death of 17 people, including three policemen, according to the interior minister. The opposition says that up to 53 people died. The demonstrations were against perceived intention by President Joseph Kabila to prolong his tenure. Protests continued in the capital for a second day. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the violence and called for restraint. Talks to resolve the crisis are ongoing, although major opposition parties have boycotted the talks.
YELLOW FEVER OUTBREAK UNDER CONTROL
The yellow fever outbreak which started in Angola in December 2015 and spread to the Democratic Republic of Congo is now under control. There is no more the risk of a major epidemic, according to WHO. Since January, 2,707 cases have been reported in all of DRC’s 26 provinces, with at least 76 confirmed cases and 16 deaths. In Kinshasa alone, 7.7 million people were vaccinated in a recent immunization campaign.

NIGER
MORE ASSISTANCE URGED FOR LAKE CHAD BASIN CRISIS
The Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, Toby Lanzer, on 15 September called for increased international support for the millions of people devastated by conflict, displacement and loss of livelihood across the Lake Chad Basin. He made the appeal at the end of a three-day visit to Niger’s south-eastern Diffa region. Inadequate funding and persistent insecurity are some of the main obstacles to reaching those most in need. So far this month, at least seven attacks have been reported in Diffa.

CONTEXT

This Supplementary Appeal reflects the extent of the humanitarian needs in Nigeria, some of which have become apparent in the last several weeks. It outlines UNHCR’s scale up plan and consequent funding requirements to meet the increased humanitarian and protection needs of displaced individuals both inside the country, who have been without access to assistance since the beginning of the conflict, and of refugees returning from neighbouring countries. Building on existing Government resources and capacities, UNHCR will support the Government-led response, in particular by the National and State Emergency Management Agencies (NEMA/SEMA), in line with the Government’s plan for rebuilding the northeast (Buhari Plan) announced in June 2016.

Activities planned under this Appeal are also aligned with the United Nations Scale-up Plan for northeast Nigeria, coordinated by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and based on the individual agencies’ scale-up plans to meet priority sectoral needs for internally displaced populations (IDPs) and their host communities. The 2016 Regional Refugee Response Plan (Regional RRP) for the Nigeria situation will remain the main coordination and planning tool to cater for the protection and life-saving needs of Nigerian refugees living in Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

Since January 2016, counter-insurgency operations launched by the Nigerian security forces, in cooperation with the Multi-National Joint Task Force, have intensified against the extremist group Boko Haram. The army has reclaimed many of the main towns and villages in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States in northeast Nigeria, enabling access and revealing the full effects of the conflict on civilian populations. The security situation remains fragile with sporadic insurgent attacks severely impacting on humanitarian needs, access and response priorities. As the military continues to recapture territory and secure civilian locations, more areas are expected to become accessible to humanitarian organisations in the coming months.

According to the latest Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) report of August 2016 released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), an estimated 1.87 million people have been internally displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, 77 per cent of whom are hosted in Borno State. In recent weeks, access to previously inaccessible areas in Borno and Yobe States has allowed humanitarian agencies to identify up to an estimated 800,000 IDPs in dire conditions and requiring urgent life-saving assistance.

While the Nigerian security forces have significantly reduced the areas under Boko Haram’s control, the civilian population in Borno State remains the most vulnerable to violence, which mostly affects women and children. The conflict has been marked by multiple and grave violations of human rights and humanitarian law, including death, injury, sexual violence and exploitation, detention, disappearances, attacks on civilian sites and forced recruitment. In newly accessible areas of Borno, the rule of law remains a challenge owing to the limited presence of civil administration, police and other law enforcement agencies. With only military and security forces present due to continued active combat and resulting security restrictions, camp coordination and camp management (CCCM) and humanitarian assistance in the IDP camps are delivered mainly under the auspices of military personnel, with resulting constraints on humanitarian space.

Significant numbers of Nigerian refugees have returned from neighbouring countries of asylum, sometimes under circumstances deemed by UNHCR to be inconsistent with international law. An estimated 106,000 returnees have gone back to accessible and nonaccessible areas, some of whom are in IDP or IDP-like settings and are in need of registration services, and reintegration assistance such as shelter, protection-based material assistance and psycho-social support. This number includes an estimated 67,000 identified in newly accessible areas of Borno State, and who are staying in abandoned public buildings largely destroyed by Boko Haram.

With around 81 per cent of IDPs living in host communities, resources are being depleted and services severely strained. IDPs and returnees hosted in camps and displacement sites are often living in congested shelters or isolated in insecure or inhospitable areas, making them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Protection monitoring visits conducted by UNHCR in IDP sites in Borno revealed challenges related to access to water and sanitation facilities, shelter and freedom of movement in and around camps, limited access to medical care, and dire food shortages.

Although most IDPs reportedly wish to return to their areas of habitual residence, conditions are not yet conducive for voluntary, safe and dignified return. Furthermore, the insurgency and related displacement continue to negatively affect livelihood opportunities. Affected households have had consecutive years of restricted income levels, destruction of assets and livelihoods, and reduced food access, leading to increasing trend of negative coping strategies. The number of people in need of food assistance in north-eastern Nigeria has risen to 4.4 million as at August 2016, according to the Food Security Sector.

The additional financial requirements requested in this Appeal will enable a rapid scale up of UNHCR operations initially until the end of 2016, and thus contribute to a holistic and targeted protection and assistance response in newly accessible Local Government Areas (LGAs) in northeast Nigeria. These requirements are expected to go into 2017 and may be the subject of an additional Supplementary Appeal.

• Heavy rain has continued to affect several northern areas of the country over the past week causing more floods.
• Local media, reported 18 people dead and over 6 600 houses damaged in the state of Jigawa.
• Over the next 24 h rain may still affect most of the country. Locally heavy rain may affect the south-western, south-eastern and eastern parts of the country.

Sécurité

La situation sécuritaire dans la région de l’Extrême-Nord demeure incertaine. La semaine sous rubrique a été marquée par trois incidents causés par des assaillants de Boko Haram dans le département du Mayo Sava. Le bilan de ces attaques est de quatre morts, huit blessés, des maisons incendiées et des biens emportés.

Développements majeurs

Le 13 septembre, 194 demandeurs d’asile nigérians (139 enfants, 36 femmes et 19 hommes), originaires de Djakoua, village nigérian appartenant à la ville de Bama, sont arrivés dans la localité de Kerawa, dans le département du Mayo Sava. Une mission d’évaluation du HCR rendue à Mora le 16 septembre relève que ces nouveaux arrivants étaient retenus captifs par les éléments de Boko Haram depuis 2014 et se sont échappés suite au bombardement de leur lieu de captivité par l’armée nigériane. La mission a par la même occasion identifié leurs besoins qui s’expriment en termes de : manque de documents personnels d’identité, manque d’abris, d’inaccessibilité en eau potable, à la santé et manque de biens non comestibles (natte, ustensiles de cuisine, jerricans, couverture etc).

Région de l’Extrême-Nord

Statistiques

Au 16 Septembre, le camp de Minawao compte un total de 58,104 individus (15,576 ménages) enregistrés. Les femmes représentent 53% et les hommes 47%.

Protection

Un total de 68 individus (28 ménages) sont arrivés spontanément au centre de transit de Gourounguel ; ils viennent des villages nigérians voisins où ils fuient la menace de Boko Haram.

Education

Un total de 9,610 élèves (4,552 filles et 5,058 garçons) sont inscrits à ce jour dans les établissements scolaires du camp de Minawao, soit 818 à la maternelle (447 filles et 371 garçons), 7,500 au primaire (3,452 filles et 4,048 garçons) et 1,292 au secondaire (653 filles et 639 garçons). Les inscriptions se poursuivent dans les écoles.

Eau et assainissement

L’approvisionnement en eau dans le camp de Minawao reste une préoccupation. La production d’eau moyenne par jour est de 684 m3 (42% des forages, 47% de l’adduction et 11% de water trucking) soit un ratio de 12 litres par personne et par jour. Il faut 486 m3 additionnels pour atteindre le standard requis de 20 litres par personne et par jour.

Région de l’Est, Adamaoua et Nord

Mariages collectifs

En vue de faciliter l’accès à l’état civil aux réfugiés et populations hôtes, 54 mariages collectifs ont été organisés à la mairie de Mandjou sur initiative du Ministère de la Promotion de la Femme et de la Famille (MINPROFF). Ces mariages ont uni 46 couples de réfugiés, 3 couples camerounais, et 5 couples mixtes (camerounais et réfugiés).

Biométrie

L’opération de vérification et d’enrôlement à la biométrie a été lancée dans la région de l’Adamaoua pour les localités hors sites. Au courant de la semaine écoulée, 1,100 individus (636 femmes et 464 hommes) ont été enrôlés à N’Gaoundéré. Ceci porte le total des personnes enrôlées depuis le début de l’opération à 81,652 individus (42,664 femmes et 38,988 hommes). L’opération se poursuivra à Ngaoui.

Protection de l’enfance

Le site de Gado a organisé un séminaire sur la protection et la sécurité des enfants du 12 au 15 septembre, à l’attention des autorités administratives et responsables des forces de défense et de sécurité, des leaders communautaires et acteurs humanitaires. L’objectif à terme de ce séminaire est de développer des stratégies de protection afin d’assurer une meilleure sécurité des enfants.