POINTS CLES

• La saison des pluies de cette année a produit plus de biomasse que la moyenne, mais la situation est moins favorable que celle de 2015.

• Les anomalies à court terme (pluriannuelles) restent préoccupantes dans de nombreux domaines, même si la moyenne de production de 2016 est supérieure à la moyenne.

• Les poches déficitaires de biomasse sont présent malgré une pluviométrie globalement excédentaire et début de saison favorable dans leur zones respectives.

• Les zones pastorales au Mali sont globalement de bonne production, à l'exception de quelques zones d’impact limité à Tombouctou et à Gao.

• Le Niger présente un cas mitigé, avec une bonne production à Diffa et Tillabery, néanmoins de larges poches de production déficitaire à Tahoua, Zinder et Maradi.

• La frange septentrionale du Tchad connaît une production inférieure à la moyenne, mais le reste de la zone pastorale a une bonne production.

• Le Burkina Faso est essentiellement stable, avec cependant une production déficitaire dans certaines parties de la région du Sahel (reflétant une tendance à la baisse à long terme).

• Le Sénégal et la Mauritanie ont une production globale favorable, bien qu'ils soient encore en période de reprise après plusieurs mauvaises années consécutives.

• Les zones de production pauvres pourraient nécessiter la distribution d'aliments bétail.

110,632 réfugiés et demandeurs d’asile ont été vérifiés avec la biométrie dont 22,698 en zones urbaines (Douala & Yaoundé), 69,393 dans les sites amenagés et 24,143 hors sites (11,962 réfugiés dans les villages de la région du Nord). L’opération est en cours dans les régions de l’Est et de l’Adamaoua. La dernière étape sera la région de l’Extrême Nord en 2017.

BURKINA FASO

DENGUE FEVER ON THE RISE

As of 19 November, there were 1,716 suspected dengue fever cases and 18 deaths since the outbreak first erupted in the country in early November. Some of the samples taken for testing in Institut Pasteur de Dakar in Senegal have turned out positive for dengue. A team of two virologists and two entomologists from the Institut Pasteur has deployed to support the national health authorities contain the outbreak.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

AID GROUPS RESUME OPERATIONS

Four aid groups that had suspended work in the western Batangafo area due to insecurity resumed operations on 21 November. Insecurity, however, remains a major hindrance to humanitarian operations in the country. Several incidents of violence and assault against civilians and humanitarian workers since the start of November had led the four NGOs to temporarily suspend nonessential activities. They urged the UN peacekeeping force MINUSCA to tighten security and called on the local leaders to facilitate the work of aid groups.

GUNMEN HINDER ACCESS TO HOSPITAL

The acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Michel Yao, on 23 November condemned the presence of armed men around Bria hospital in the central Haute-Kotto prefecture. Two days earlier on 21 November, clashes between armed groups claimed several lives, wounded more than 50 people and displaced over 10,000 others. Although a medical team is providing services at the hospital, the presence of the armed men is preventing other patients from accessing treatment.

NIGERIA

SUICIDE ATTACK TARGETS IDP CAMP

Two suicide bombers on 23 November detonated explosives outside a camp for the displaced in Maiduguri, the capital of the north-eastern Borno state. The assailants carried out the attack after failing to gain entry into the camp which hosts more than 23,000 people. The explosion occurred less than a week after suspected Boko Haram elements targeted another camp in Maiduguri in a similar way. Camps hosting displaced people have come under increasing attacks recently in Maiduguri where hundreds of thousands of people forced from their homes by violence have sought refuge.

REPUBLIC OF CONGO

JOINT TEAM ASSESSES HUMANITARIAN NEEDS

A joint UN and Government team conducted a mission on 21 - 25 November in the southern Pool department, the scene of a military operation following a militant raid in the capital Brazzaville after the March presidential election. Some 12,986 people had been displaced in the region as of early November. The mission was deployed to assess the humanitarian situation, population movements and identify emergency needs and ways of supporting the displaced.

BURKINA FASO

RECRUDÉSCENCE LA FIÈVRE DE LA DENGUE

Au 19 novembre, on comptait 1 716 cas présumés de dengue et 18 décès depuis le début de l’épidémie au début du mois de novembre. Certains des échantillons prélevés à l'Institut Pasteur de Dakar, au Sénégal, se sont révélés positifs pour la dengue. Afin d’aider les autorités sanitaires nationales à contenir l’épidémie, une équipe de deux virologues et deux entomologistes de l'Institut Pasteur ont été déployés.

RÉPUBLIQUE CENTRAFRICAINE

LES ONG REPRENNENT LEURS ACTIVITÉS

Quatre ONG qui avaient suspendu leurs activités dans la région ouest de Batangafo, du fait de l'insécurité, ont repris le travail le 21 novembre. Toutefois, l'insécurité demeure un obstacle majeur aux opérations humanitaires dans le pays. Plusieurs incidents de violence et d'agression contre des civils et des travailleurs humanitaires, depuis le début du mois de novembre, ont conduit les quatre ONG à suspendre temporairement les activités non essentielles. Ils ont exhorté la MINUSCA à renforcer la sécurité et ont appelé les dirigeants locaux à faciliter le travail des groupes d'aide.

DES HOMMES ARMÉS ENTRAVENT L’ACCÈS À UN HÔPITAL

Le coordonnateur humanitaire intérimaire de l'ONU, Michel Yao, a condamné le 23 novembre la présence d'hommes armés autour de l'hôpital de Bria, dans la préfecture de la Haute-Kotto, au centre. Deux jours plus tôt, le 21 novembre, des affrontements entre des groupes armés ont fait plusieurs victimes, blessé plus de 50 personnes et déplacé plus de 10 000 autres. Bien qu'une équipe médicale fournisse des services à l'hôpital, la présence des hommes armés empêche aux autres patients l’accès à des traitements.

NIGERIA

UNE ATTAQUE-SUICIDE CIBLE UN CAMP DE DÉPLACÉS

Le 23 novembre, deux kamikazes ont fait exploser leurs bombes à l'extérieur d'un camp de personnes déplacées à Maiduguri, la capitale de l'État de Borno, au nord-est. Les assaillants ont mené l'attaque après avoir échoué à entrer dans le camp qui accueille plus de 23 000 personnes. L'explosion a eu lieu moins d'une semaine après que des éléments soupçonnés de Boko Haram aient ciblé un autre camp à Maiduguri de manière similaire. Récemment, les camps accueillant des personnes déplacées ont fait l'objet d'attaques croissantes à Maiduguri, où des centaines de milliers de personnes ont trouvé refuge après avoir fui la violence.

CONGO

UNE ÉQUIPE CONJOINTE ÉVALUE LES BESOINS HUMANITAIRES

Une équipe conjointe des Nations Unies et du Gouvernement a mené une mission, du 21 au 25 novembre, dans le département du Pool, au sud, où une opération militaire avait été menée, suite à un raid dans la capitale Brazzaville, après l'élection présidentielle de mars. Au début du mois de novembre, quelque 12 986 personnes avaient été déplacées dans la région. La mission a été déployée pour évaluer la situation humanitaire et les mouvements de population, identifier les besoins urgents

Highlights

• In the three most directly affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, 8.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, with 1.68 million IDPs, of whom, over 50 per cent are children.

• The 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) will be launched on 2 December.
UNICEF’s funding requirement under the HRP is estimated to be over US$ 143 million while the sector requirements for Nutrition, Health, WASH, Child Protection and Education is over US$ 377.9 million.

• Over 132,500 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) have been admitted to therapeutic feeding programmes and over 123,400 children have received multi micronutrient powder.

• During this week, 4,958 children (6months-15years) were vaccinated against measles in Dalori, and Kofa IDP camps. With UNICEF’s support, so far, over 380,000 children have been vaccinated against measles.

• UNICEF supported 699,525 people with access to safe water, 987,604 with access to improve sanitation facilities and 748,887 people reached through hygiene promotion campaigns and WASH hygiene kits.

• 170,874 children have received psychosocial support including through Child Friendly Spaces (CFSs) and child clubs.

• With UNICEF’s support, 95,261 children are accessing education through Temporary Learning Spaces and schools, and 159,302 children have benefitted from the provision of learning materials.

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

In the three most directly affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, 8.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, with 1.68 million IDPs, of whom, over 50 per cent are children. In line with the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan, UNICEF’s focus remains on these three states where 93 per cent of the IDPs reside.

There is significant displacement of population in Monguno LGA in Borno, as a result of military operation against the Boko Haram insurgents. Figures are not yet confirmed but the UN Heads of Field Offices/mission in Borno were informed during last week’s meeting that nearly 8,000 people are displaced in Monguno and Nganze area. One of the most pressing needs is shelter, as people have taken refuge in schools and Health Centres. The UNCT has agreed to start an interagency response. UNICEF has immediately dispatched 1,000 bed nets (LLITNS), 1,000 hygiene kits and health kits to provide relief to the newly displaced population. IOM plans to deploy a Data Tracking Matrix (DTM) team to work out accurate estimates of the number of people displaced.

According to MSF Switzerland’s field visit report1 to Banki and Ngala IDP camps, and Gambaru town hosting IDPS, the critical needs of the displaced population remain general food distributions, access to safe water combined with major rehabilitation to improve access to hygiene facilities. The findings from MSF’s field visit also indicated that existing Ministry of Health teams on the ground require reinforcement with qualified personnel and permanent supervision. These locations also need to be supplied with drugs and therapeutic food.

Mauritania - La Mauritanie a ouvert un nouveau poste-frontière avec le Mali à Fassala Néré, à l’extrême sud-est du pays. L’inauguration du poste, qui a été construit par l’OIM dans la région d’Hodh ech Chargui, a eu lieu en présence de hauts responsables des autorités locales et de l’Ambassadeur du Japon en Mauritanie, Hisatsugu Shimizu.

Le bâtiment fait partie d’un projet régional de l’OIM financé par le Japon intitulé Gestion coordonnée des frontières au Niger, au Mali, en Mauritanie et au Burkina Faso, qui a également permis de construire et d’équiper un poste-frontière à Doueinkara.

Situé à quelques kilomètres de la frontière avec le Mali, le nouveau poste-frontière est le principal point d’entrée pour les voyageurs, y compris pour les Maliens qui tentent d’atteindre le camp de réfugiés de Mbera en Mauritanie. Les Maliens sont plus nombreux à arriver qu’à partir et l’on craint des pressions croissantes sur les ressources limitées, en particulier l’eau et le bétail, de la région semi-aride d’Hodh ech Chargui.

Anke Strauss, chef de mission de l’OIM en Mauritanie, a fait remarquer que la population mauritanienne accueillant des réfugiés était aussi vulnérable et a profité de deux projets de stabilisation communautaire financée par le Japon. « Ces projets visent à améliorer la résistance et à fournir aux familles des moyens de subsistance durables et diversifiés », a t-elle déclaré.

« Les fonds (japonais) financent les efforts du gouvernement mauritanien pour faire face à de nombreux défis, notamment ceux de la pauvreté et du terrorisme. Le Japon continuera de soutenir les efforts du gouvernement en partenariat avec les organisations internationales », a déclaré l’Ambassadeur Shimizu.

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter Tomoko Sato, OIM Mauritanie, Tel: +222 4938 3790, Email: tsato@iom.int,

HIGHLIGHTS

• Conflict displaces up to 195,000 individuals from areas of Jebel Marra since January

• FEWS NET projects above-average harvests, reduced food insecurity in most areas of Sudan

• Health actors record nearly 4,600 cases of AWD since late August

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• Recent UN and interagency assessments found nutrition, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) concerns, among other humanitarian needs, in South Kordofan State. The assessments also highlighted challenging operating conditions for relief actors in Sudan, largely due to ongoing Government of Sudan (GoS)-imposed access constraints.

• A USAID/OFDA partner temporarily suspended operations in South Darfur State’s Gereida Locality due to early-November intercommunal conflict, which resulted in civilian fatalities, armed robberies, and damage to property and crops. As of mid-November, the partner had resumed health, nutrition, and WASH activities in Gereida.

• The USAID/OFDA-supported UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) has facilitated the transport of humanitarian personnel and emergency food and other critical supplies to an estimated 40 locations across Sudan since January and continues to support emergency evacuations, as needed.

For nearly two years, people in Lagos, Nigeria have been mobilizing to demand a public water system that delivers clean, safe water to all residents. Today, we’re thrilled to announce the next step in the campaign: the release of “Lagos Water Crisis: Alternative roadmap for water sector.” This book lays out a vision for how the city can solve its water crisis, with specific recommendations and action steps for the Lagos government.

The water crisis in Lagos is dire. The World Bank’s decades-long push for water privatization (including so-called “public-private partnerships”) has left the city with dry taps and many people drinking unsafe water or paying exorbitant amounts for water of unknown quality.

The growing and vibrant movement for a solution in Lagos has reached a critical turning point. Corporate Accountability International is proud to partner with Nigerian-based Environmental Rights Action (ERA) in helping build enormous and highly visible momentum in Lagos and internationally, as represented by the powerful “Our Water, Our Right” coalition. Because of this campaign, the World Bank ended its latest push for a privatization contract in the city, and the Lagos government is looking for workable solutions. With top officials engaging on this issue, the time is ripe for a clear, fresh roadmap forward.

Members of the “Our Water, Our Right” coalition will deliver this report to decision-makers and public figures throughout Nigeria, including the Lagos Governor and members of Nigeria’s national parliament. It provides the tools decision-makers at all levels need to reject water privatization schemes and champion the human right to water. Crafting a new plan, as laid out in the report’s recommendations, will ensure a well-functioning, democratically governed water system in Lagos and beyond.

Key findings from the report include:

1. Improving public water systems is both possible and preferable.

2. Public financing, rather than private investment, provides a better deal for the people and the government of cities like Lagos.

3. Collaboration between public providers provides better solutions than privatized, competition-based systems.

4. Strengthening public water systems is good for democratic governance.

5. Lagos’ water system can become a world-class model for other cities to follow.

Collaborating organizations on this report include ERA, Corporate Accountability International, Transnational Institute, Public Services International Research Unit, Public Services International, and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE). Download the full report.

We look forward to the positive developments in Lagos that this report will make possible. Stay tuned for further updates!

Shayda Edwards Naficy is the director of the International Water Campaign.

NEEDS ANALYSIS

• Insecurity and sporadic fighting continues in various locations in Greater Equatoria driving vast displacement within the region. Hundreds of thousands of people were reported to have fled their homes, seeking refuge in neighboring counties or crossing the borders to neighboring countries including Kenya, Uganda, DRC, and CAR seeking protection and humanitarian assistance.
  Cluster partners are equipped to respond in all major IDP locations, but the challenges of gaining access constantly limit, alter, and restrict interventions.

• The recent fighting during July in Juba and continued access insecurities have created additional challenges for humanitarian actors transporting stock from the warehouse, to the IDP sites.
  Cluster partners contingency planning in Juba, anticipating crisis in the future.

• Depreciation in the local currency, unofficial markets, access restrictions and continuing food insecurity has exhausted the coping mechanism of the population. Thousands of people are unable to access basic household items and rely solely on the humanitarian assistance for basic needs.

RESPONSE

• In 2016, Cluster partners have reached 154,395 households with NFI and 48,974 households with shelter materials. These represent 62% and 75% of respective target in Revised Cluster Response Plan (CRP) 2016.

• In collaboration with the WASH, Nutrition Cluster and Logistic Cluster, the S-NFI Cluster led the survival kits operation to provide basic life-saving items to people on the move. In 2016, a total of 15,555 Survival Kits have been distributed in Unity and Eastern Equatoria states.

• The cluster partners are currently constructing individual shelter to the newly displaced population in Juba and Wau. Nearly 300 individual shelters have been built in Juba UN House PoC 3.

GAPS & CHALLENGES

• Access continues to be the primary challenge humanitarian partners face in South Sudan. Key locations such as Yei and Wau Town and counties in Eastern Equatoria and Western Barh el Gazal, remain inaccessible due to political reasons.

Key Messages

• Cereal production in Senegal is up by 54 percent compared to the five year average (DAPSA, 2016). This is favorable for food availability and access in the post-harvest season, particularly for households who are meeting their food needs through the sale and consumption their own production. Minimal (IPC Phase 1) acute food insecurity is expected across the country through at least May 2017.

• Increased international demand for groundnuts from China at prices similar to the 2015/16 marketing season as well as government support for credit to wholesalers has allowed for a normal peanut marketing campaign across the country. Average to above-average income following above-average production is expected from groundnut sales, which will improve the purchasing power of producers, allowing them keep a larger share of cereal production for household consumption.

• Poor households in Fatick, Dakar, Saint Louis, Matam and Louga who saw a deterioration of their livelihoods and assets due to flood damage in July and August continue to have difficulty meeting both food and non-food needs. Atypical coping strategies including labor work, loans, and eating less preferred foods is expected to put these households into Stressed (IPC Phase 2) acute food insecurity starting in March 2017.

Senegal - IOM, in partnership with the Senegalese government, will tomorrow (30/11) organize a large-scale displacement simulation exercise in Dagana, St. Louis region, on the border with Mauritania.

The aim of the exercise is to prepare participants for a crisis situation at the border by fostering cooperation and communication between border communities, administrative authorities, security forces and health and emergency services. Some 500 people are expected to take part.

An earlier simulation exercise was held in Matam in the North Eastern region, also on the Mauritanian border, in February 2016. It also involved some 500 people and brought together different communities, authorities, security forces and health and emergency services.

The active engagement of border communities in humanitarian and security crisis management, where there are displaced populations, is essential. Their involvement enhances the responsiveness of the security and emergency health services.

“Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of institutions in charge of securing national borders by involving the local people in specific scenarios. We hope it will be useful to both the communities and the security forces, and will contribute to closer links between the people and those who are responsible for protecting them,” said IOM Senegal project coordinator Massimo Ramanzin.

The Dagana simulation exercise is part of a US-funded IOM project: Engaging Communities in Border Management and Border Security in Senegal.

For more information, please contact Massimo Ramanzin at IOM Senegal, Tel: +221 33 869 62 00, Email: codakar@iom.int

Highlights

• WFP continued to provide seasonal assistance and emergency support to 150,000 food insecure people and to displaced households and host communities affected by conflict.

• A national assessment on food and nutrition security carried out in September 2016 assesses that 25 percent of the Malian population is food insecure, while 11.5 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition according to the Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) survey.

• Thanks to a USD 2.2 million contribution from Belgium, WFP is able to relaunch its school meals program in 60 percent schools in Mopti, Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal region. Activities will restart in November.

Operational Updates

• According to the National Assessment on Food and Nutrition Security (ENSAN) carried out in September in partnership with the Government of Mali, 25 percent of the Malian population is food insecure. The September 2016 Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) survey on global acute malnutrition assesses that 11.5 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition with the highest rates occurring in Gao and Timbuktu region.

• In total, WFP assisted 340,641 people in October, as compared to 402,752 in September 2016, through food and voucher distributions, malnutrition treatment activities and resilience-building interventions. The decrease in the number of people assisted as compared to September 2016 is the result of a shortfall in resources which prevented school meals activities from resuming and the downscaling of seasonal assistance.

• While WFP downscaled its seasonal assistance at the end of the lean season (June-September), it still targeted 150,000 people, affected by conflict, flooding and facing high food insecurity. In addition, 32,000 children between 6-23 months and 18,000 pregnant and nursing women received nutrition support to prevent malnutrition.

An emergency airlift of 1.5 tons of fortified food was delivered to the beleaguered people of Yei, South Sudan. The flight originated in Entebbe, Uganda. Feed the Hungry East Africa (FTHEA) arranged the flight to South Sudan.

The city of Yei has been isolated due to insecurity since July. The UN reports that 100,000 people are trapped in the town and continued fighting in the region has made overland traffic very dangerous. Feed the Hungry East Africa consigned the shipment to the Yei Ecumenical Emergency Relief Committee (YEERC), a cooperative effort of church leaders in Yei, including the Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Sudan.

Hilary Adeba, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese, served as the coordinator in Yei. The Bishop said “the fighting has had an immediate and serious impact on local populations with hundreds of people dead or injured or forced into displacement.” He indicated the food will be distributed to the most vulnerable in Yei - widows, orphans and unaccompanied children.

The shipment contained 14,800 servings of rice fortified with soy protein, vitamins, minerals and dehydrated vegetables. This product has been shown to be highly effective in strengthening nutritionally vulnerable children.

Feed The Hungry East Africa (FTHEA) is an evangelical Christian humanitarian organization committed to fighting hunger due to poverty, war, famine, and natural disasters. FTHEA operates school feeding programs across in Uganda and Kenya. The organization presently feeds more than 38,000 children every day in Refugee Settlements in Uganda.

Feed the Hungry East Africa hopes to send more shipments into Yei to encourage the hungry and remind them that they are not forgotten.

About Feed the Hungry

LeSEA Global Feed The Hungry is a non-profit 501(c)(3) Christian mission focused on fighting hunger. Since 1987 Feed the Hungry has delivered food and relief supplies to 92 nations of the world. At present the ministry has on-going ministries in 20 nations. For more information about FTH and FTHEA please visit feedthehungry.org

Press Contacts:
- Robert Boucek, Director of Operations, FTH – Email: rboucek@feedthehungry.org Phone: +1 574 206 6203
- Solomon Mwesige, President of FTHEA - Email: mwesige60@gmail.com Phone: +256 75 26 41525

Highlights

• The food basket expenditure (calculated for 1,753 kcal/per person) for a family of 8 people increased by 2 percent from 27,147 Naira in September to 27,743 Naira in October. The food basket is 61 percent higher compared to March 2016.
  
• The minimal month to month increase in the cost of the food basket was largely driven by increases in prices of cowpea/red beans and peanuts by 11 percent and 12 percent respectively.
  
• With the general decline in agricultural production associated with the conflict in Borno and Yobe States, along with the increased cost of fuel, market supply conditions are hampered and could further limit household food access in the coming months.
  
• Most of the staple food commodities available in the markets of Maiduguri are supplied from markets in Kano, Yobe and Taraba States. Some commodities such as red beans and local rice are supplied from Biu, Dikwa, Mungono and Zamarmari in Borno State.
  

Introduction

The conflict in northeastern Nigeria has disrupted livelihoods and decimated agricultural production and trade in basic food commodities as well as the functioning of markets. These conditions, coupled with a turbulent economic environment, characterized by low price of crude oil and rapid depreciation in the value of the Naira have contributed to rising prices of basic food commodities in the affected areas. Between May 2016 and September 2016, the Naira depreciated in value by 54.9% against the US dollar. According to the National Bureau for Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which measures inflation rate rose to 17.9 percent in September 2016 compared to 9.6 percent in January.

Abuja – Over a hundred thousand families in conflict-hit northeast Nigeria have been reached so-far with food and nutrition support in a US$20 million (£16.1m) multi-year joint project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

With more than 4.4 million people struggling in crisis and emergency food security levels in Borno and Yobe – the two states worst-hit by the Boko Haram conflict – UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and Action Against Hunger (AAH) are working together to give families in the two states greater access to food and to protect children from malnutrition.

“We are building a system not only to treat children for malnutrition, but to help families who have been devastated by the conflict to prevent their children from becoming malnourished in the future,” said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.

The three-year project is being carried out in collaboration with the primary health-care agencies of the Government of Nigeria and Borno and Yobe states. It is providing vitamin and mineral supplements for mothers and children, funding for families with severely malnourished children to buy nutritious food, treatment for children with diarrhoea, and advice for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers on how they can provide the best possible nutrition for their children.

With high levels of malnutrition even before the start of the Boko Haram conflict, the two most-affected states have seen food insecurity and malnutrition rates rise dramatically as a result of the fighting. In an already poor area, agriculture and markets have been disrupted by the fighting, which intensified towards the end of last year. The majority of food and seed stocks have been depleted, looted or destroyed, and many of the 1.8 million people who have fled their homes because of the conflict have had to leave behind what little stocks they had. Displacement has left many families with no means of earning a living.

Although this is the harvest season, when more food would normally be available, an estimated 55,000 people in Borno state are living in famine-like conditions. That number is predicted to double by the middle of next year, making longer-term interventions such as the DFID-funded project all the more important.

The project, which began in April and runs through March 2019, has already treated 30,000 children for severe acute malnutrition. More than 100,000 pregnant women have received iron folate; 60,000 children have been treated for diarrhoea, which can cause malnutrition or make it worse; 350,000 children have been given vitamin A supplements, boosting their immune systems and helping to protect them from illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles, which are frequently fatal in the area; and 40,000 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers have been helped with information on the best ways to feed young children in the circumstances in which they live.

An additional part of the project is a system of providing funds directly to families with the lowest incomes to enable them to buy nutritious food to prevent relapse after children have been treated for malnutrition. So far, more than 7,000 families have received this cash assistance.

“Access to cash has proven effective in helping internally displaced families to have a rich and varied diet, ensuring good nutrition for their children as well as enabling them to meet basic needs,” said Sory Ouane, WFP Nigeria’s Representative and Country Director.

Working with Nigerian government authorities, UNICEF is administering the nutrition aspects of the programme in Borno state, which has the heaviest burden of malnutrition, while WFP is managing the cash transfers and AAH is managing both aspects of the project in Yobe state.

“The fact that this is a multi-year commitment enables us not only to save children’s lives today, but to provide families and the most vulnerable young children with protection from malnutrition in the future as well,” said UNICEF Representative Fall.

In the three northeast Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, an estimated 400,000 children under the age of five will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year. It is an extremely dangerous condition, making a child nine times more likely to die from an illness than a properly-nourished child. UNICEF, AAH and other partners working in these three states have so far this year managed to treat more than 130,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, including those in the DFID-funded project.

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B-Roll available for download on the UNICEF multi-media site: http://weshare.unicef.org/Folder/2AMZIFW6PLX

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

About WFP

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food in emergencies and working with communities to build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries. Follow us on Twitter: @WFP_WAfrica; @wfp_media

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger (AAH) is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to saving lives by eliminating hunger through the prevention, detection and treatment of undernutrition. From crisis to sustainability, AAH aims to tackle the underlying and basic causes of malnutrition and its effects. Operating in 47 countries, we assisted more than 14.9 million people in 2015.

About DFID

The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK’s work to end extreme poverty, building a safer, healthier, more prosperous world for all of us which is firmly in the UK’s national interest. We're ending the need for aid by creating jobs, unlocking the potential of girls and women and helping to save lives when humanitarian emergencies hit.
DFID is a ministerial department, supported by 2 agencies and public bodies.

For further information, please contact:
Doune Porter, UNICEF Nigeria, Tel: +234 803 525 0273, dporter@unicef.org
Amadou Baraze, WFP Nigeria, Tel: +234 907 514 7609, amadou.baraze@wfp.org
Yannick Pouchalan, AAH Nigeria, Tel: +234 812 945 0519, cd.ng@acf-international.org
Joseph Abuku, British High Commission, Abuja, Tel: +234 803 727 6237, Joseph.Abuku@fco.gov.uk

Many More Victims of 2012-13 Abuses Await Justice

(Dakar, November 29, 2016) – The trial of the leader of the 2012 coup in Mali, Gen. Amadou Haya Sanogo, and 17 co-defendants, including other members of the Malian army, is set to begin on November 30, 2016, in the southern Malian town of Sikasso. The defendants are accused of the 2012 abduction and killing of 21 elite “Red Berets,” who were detained and forcibly disappeared between April 30 and May 1, 2012, after being accused of involvement in an April 30 counter-coup against Sanogo and his loyalists.

The following statement is from Corinne Dufka, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch:

“The trial of General Sanogo and his co-defendants represents clear progress in tackling the culture of impunity in Mali. For far too long, men like Sanogo were considered untouchable and above the rule of law. Today, the victims and family members of those allegedly abducted and murdered by the defendants are one step closer to getting justice.

“However, the progress represented by this trial, though significant, cannot bear the entire burden of fighting impunity in Mali. The loved ones of many other victims await justice for crimes by all sides during and after Mali’s 2012-2013 armed conflict. These crimes include the summary execution by armed Islamist groups of scores of Malian soldiers in Aguelhok, sexual violence and widespread pillage by various armed groups in the north, and the extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and torture of suspected Islamists by Mali’s security forces.”

In 2012, Human Rights Watch interviewed 30 people with detailed knowledge of the enforced disappearances of some 20 “Red Beret” soldiers as well as the arbitrary detention, torture and mistreatment of dozens of others. The findings were published in a July 2012 press release.

Witnesses told Human Rights Watch that the abuses were committed by soldiers, policemen, and national guardsmen who had supported Sanogo since the March 2012 coup. The mother of one disappeared soldier said that her son had called her on the afternoon of May 1. “My boy sounded so frightened,” she said. “He said the military were arguing among themselves about whether or not to kill my son and the others being held with him… He was very afraid.”

Witnesses described seeing soldiers and policemen drag handcuffed and hogtied detainees along the ground; beat them with batons, sticks, and gun butts; and kick them in the back, head, ribs, genitals, and elsewhere. Others were stabbed in their extremities or burned with cigarettes and lighters on their backs, hands, arms, and ears. Some detainees were suffocated during interrogation; others were chained and handcuffed for days on end.

Witnesses at Kati military camp told Human Rights Watch that on May 3 between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., soldiers removed the detainees and put them inside a military truck. One witness at the camp that night said: “They took them out, bound their hands and legs, and covered their eyes; they have never been heard from or seen since.” Another witness gave Human Rights Watch a handwritten list of 21 detainees seen taken from the camp.

The full July 2012 press release, “Mali: Security Forces ‘Disappear’ 20, Torture Others,” is available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/07/25/mali-security-forces-disappear-20-torture-others

For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Mali, please visit: http://www.hrw.org/africa/mali

29 November 2016 – On 23 July 2014, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon announced the appointment of Ellen Margrethe Løj of Denmark as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS). Ms. Løj succeeded Hilde Johnson of Norway, who had completed her assignment two weeks earlier, on 7 July 2014. 

As head of UNMISS, Ms. Løj has been serving in one of the most challenging UN peacekeeping missions. About eight months before her appointment, a bloody conflict had broken out in South Sudan – in mid-December 2013 – casting a gloomy cloud on the prospects of the world’s youngest nation, which gained its independence in July 2011.

The conflict has been raging for almost three years, with thousands of people dead, while more than two million have fled their homes.

Having served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) from 2008 to 2012, Ms. Løj was regarded as bringing to the position “a wealth of experience in peacekeeping and international affairs.” 

As she comes to the end of her tenure, Ms. Løj stressed, in an interview with UN News Service, the importance of clinging “to every little sign of hope” in South Sudan as the country continues to suffer civil unrest and insecurity.

UN News Service: The reports we have coming out of South Sudan portray it as a country in chaos, where the rule of law has broken down. What’s your impression?

Ellen Margrethe Løj: Well, in December 2013, a conflict broke out between the President and the then Vice President, and that led to armed struggle between the two, and now today, we also see insecurity increasing, and sporadic fighting in several other places in the country. On top of that, the economy is in very bad shape; we all know that the price of oil – which is the main source of income in South Sudan – has fallen drastically on the world market, and therefore the income to the government from the oil production is heavily reduced. Inflation in South Sudan now stands at over 700%, and when all many of the goods are imported from neighbouring countries, you can imagine what that means for the ordinary people and their ability to purchase food and other stuff.

UN News Service: One senior UN official has been talking about the conditions existing for genocide; it sounds like South Sudan is in a dark place right now.

Ellen Margrethe Løj: Well, I’ll leave him to use that word. What I would say is, South Sudan has 64 ethnic groups, and it is right that recently, the talk and appeals for hatred among ethnic groups has increased. But I think it’s crucial that both the South Sudanese leaders, but also with the support of the international community, try to quell that before it gets out of control. That is why I am a very strong supporter of increased nation-building activities, at the community level. As I say to South Sudanese whenever there has been a rift between ethnic groups, I tell them, I don’t understand it; they fought and fought, and suffered to get independence. I thought it was for once independent South Sudan, where all ethnic groups would live in peace.

UN News Service: What are the people you meet in South Sudan telling you about how they are coping?

Ellen Margrethe Løj: That it’s very difficult; the humanitarian needs are increasing, as we speak, and we now have urban poor. We have food insecurity in some parts of the country where there has been no fighting. So, I feel, from ordinary South Sudanese, a very strong desire for the guns to be silent. That is why I’m repeating, over and over again – including to the South Sudanese leaders and politicians – that guns must be silent, and we must think of the future of the boys and girls of South Sudan.

UN News Service: It sounds like an extremely challenging environment in which to work, is it not?

Ellen Margrethe Løj: Yes, it’s very challenging environment, also because the UN is not 100% trusted by the South Sudanese – be it the leaders or the people – because of this conflict that broke out in December 2013. Both sides actually believe that we are taking sides with the opposition or the government, and we are just trying to be impartial, as our mandate from the Security Council says. We are trying to think of creating a better future for the people of South Sudan.

UN News Service: What progress has been made with the deployment of the Regional Protection Force, which was of course mandated by the Security Council?

Ellen Margrethe Løj: Well, the government has accepted the deployment of the Regional Protection Force, including with infantry battalions from neighbouring countries. With the first, we are hesitant about – Ethiopia, Rwanda and Kenya. We will now see what happens with Kenya. We have been in discussion with them about getting land, because we don’t have enough space, and those discussions are continuing. And we have also been discussing with the government regarding how to read the mandate and interpret the mandate; what is the Regional Protection Force going to do? We are not there yet, but we have those discussions.

UN News Service: Are there any reasons for optimism right now, in South Sudan?

Ellen Margrethe Løj: Well, you cannot be head of the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, and not cling to every little sign of hope. It looks very difficult, and it’s very difficult, but we cannot give up, because if we give up, it’s the people of South Sudan that suffer. So, it’s a bumpy road ahead; it’s difficult; we have had many setbacks, but we have to try and try and try because, as I said, we have to think of the future of the boys and girls of South Sudan.

UN News Service: There are still many restrictions on the movement of the UN in the country. The government is telling you they’re prepared to lift these restrictions, but the reality on the ground is different, isn’t it?

Ellen Margrethe Løj: Yes, we have had quite a number of meetings and discussions with the government, and I think we have reached an understanding that we inform them where we are moving, but we don’t seek permission. But then the question of course arises: does that understanding reach the commanders on the ground? Secondly, as I said, the economic situation is very dire; that means that criminality is also increasing. There are criminal elements that, for instance, are stopping World Food Programme (WFP) trucks with food and saying, “we need some of that food, too” and so on.

Bulletin d’information sur les flambées épidémiques

Le 30 août, le Ministère de la santé du Niger a notifié à l’OMS des décès inexpliqués de personnes ainsi que des décès dans le bétail dans la région de Tahoua au Niger. Le 23 septembre, des échantillons humains et animaux ont été examinés à l’Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) et ont donné un résultat positif pour la fièvre de la vallée du Rift, par PCR, ainsi que pour des IgM spécifiques confirmant la première flambée épidémique de fièvre de la vallée du Rift au Niger.

Initialement, la flambée était centrée sur le nord-ouest du pays, dans les zones frontalières du Mali, en particulier autour de Tassara et de Tchintabaraden, dans la région de Tahoua. Cependant, des cas suspects de fièvre de la vallée du Rift ont été récemment recensés au nord et au sud du Tchintabaraden.

Cette flambée épidémique a également coïncidé avec le rassemblement annuel de la Cure Salée à Ingall (près d’Agadez), dans la région de Tahoua, où se retrouvent des éleveurs nomades venus avec leurs bêtes du Niger et de pays voisins. D’après les estimations, 2 millions de bêtes et de petits ruminants se trouvaient dans la zone touchée au début de la flambée épidémique. De plus, des vagues d’avortements et de décès ont été signalées dans le bétail à Boni-Bangou, au Niger, tandis que des cas suspects chez l’homme et chez l’animal ont été confirmés par des IgM spécifiques dans la région voisine de Menaka au Mali.

Du 8 août au 21 novembre, 266 cas humains suspects, dont 32 mortels, ont été signalés à Abalak, Keita, Madaoua, Tilia et Tassara, dans le département de Tahoua, ainsi qu’à Tchintabaraden, dans la région de Tahoua. Du 8 août au 18 novembre, 196 échantillons ont été examinés et 17 patients ont été confirmés positifs pour la fièvre de la vallée du Rift par PCR et/ou par identification sérologique d’IgM. L’IPD effectue actuellement de nouveaux tests sur des échantillons négatifs pour la fièvre de la vallée du Rift.

Étant donné que plus de 90% des échantillons ont donné des résultats négatifs pour une infection récente par la fièvre de la vallée du Rift (IgG et PCR), et comme les femmes au foyer et les enfants représentent une part croissante de la population touchée, il faut élargir l’enquête pour identifier d’autres causes possibles. À cet égard, on met actuellement au point un protocole d’enquête adapté recouvrant les maladies infectieuses et non infectieuses ainsi que les agents chimiques et les toxines.

Mesures de santé publique

• L’OMS a fourni un appui au Ministère de la santé du Niger pour la conduite de l’enquête initiale en vue de la confirmation de la flambée épidémique et de la notification conformément aux dispositions du Règlement sanitaire international.

• Pendant la première semaine d’octobre, le Ministère de la santé et le Ministère de l’élevage ont mené une mission de terrain conjointe dans les zones touchées afin de participer aux investigations en cours sur la flambée, de s’assurer de la bonne mise en œuvre des mesures de prévention et de lutte et de commencer à mobiliser la population face à la fièvre de la vallée du Rift.

• Des experts de l’IPD ont commencé à mener des tests de laboratoire et à former le personnel au Centre de recherche médicale et sanitaire (CERMES).

• Le Réseau mondial d’alerte et d’action en cas d’épidémie (GOARN), avec l’appui de ses partenaires, a déployé des experts de l’IPD pour renforcer les moyens de laboratoire à Niamey, au Niger. En particulier, ceux-ci ont testé des échantillons et formé six experts locaux aux examens de laboratoire (sérologie).

• L’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’alimentation et l’agriculture (FAO) et le Centre de gestion des crises de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé animale (OIE) ont déployé du personnel chargé de participer à une enquête de terrain conjointe, en soutien au Ministère de la santé et au Ministère de l’élevage, ainsi qu’à des activités de riposte.

• La section régionale africaine du réseau EDPLN (AFR-EDPLN) a été mobilisée pour renforcer les capacités de laboratoire des pays voisins.

• Le Bureau régional OMS de l’Afrique a facilité le renforcement des stocks de réactifs et de fournitures de laboratoire et le réapprovisionnement pour ces produits.

• Le Bureau régional OMS de l’Afrique a également facilité l’approvisionnement en triple emballage pour le transport des échantillons.

• Un protocole complet d’enquête sur les flambées épidémiques est actuellement mis au point par le bureau de pays de l’OMS avec l’appui du Siège de l’OMS et du Bureau régional OMS de l’Afrique. Des fonds sont en train d’être mobilisés pour la conduite d’activités de riposte essentielles dans les domaines de la surveillance, des travaux de laboratoire, de la communication sur les risques et de l’entomologie.

• La collaboration avec les organisations non gouvernementales présentes sur le terrain (Alima, BEFEN, Croix Rouge) se poursuit également, avec l’appui de l’UNICEF. Elles contribuent à la prise en charge des cas et à la sensibilisation des communautés.

• Les entomologistes de l’IPD et les entomologistes nationaux du Ministère de la santé ont mené une enquête de terrain complète. Les échantillons ainsi collectés ont tous donné des résultats négatifs pour le virus de la fièvre de la vallée du Rift.

• Le Bureau régional OMS de l’Afrique et le GOARN déploient du personnel supplémentaire dans le pays pour soutenir le Ministère de la santé dans la mise en œuvre des activités de lutte contre la flambée, en particulier pour les enquêtes épidémiologiques, la surveillance et la riposte, la prise en charge des cas, la communication sur les risques et la mobilisation sociale.

• Comme les signes et symptômes de fièvre de la vallée du Rift sont généralisés dans la population humaine, les cas présumés qui se présentent dans les établissements de santé doivent également subir un dépistage rapide du paludisme.

Évaluation des risques par l’OMS

La situation épidémiologique a évolué depuis octobre 2016. Depuis août 2016, sur 196 échantillons analysés, la fièvre de la vallée du Rift a été confirmée chez seulement 17 patients, dont 2 cas confirmés en novembre 2016 et 2 autres en octobre 2016. Les données épidémiologiques montrent que la flambée épidémique de fièvre de la vallée du Rift est de faible ampleur.

Il faut continuer de surveiller la propagation de la flambée de fièvre de la vallée du Rift à des zones précédemment non affectées car les infrastructures de santé sont limitées et les zones et populations dispersées le long des itinéraires des troupeaux.

Les éleveurs sont très mobiles. À la recherche de pâtures, ils se déplacent avec leurs troupeaux le long d’itinéraires qui parcourent la région du Sahel, qui recouvrent plusieurs pays voisins. La flambée épidémique de fièvre de la vallée du Rift a suscité des inquiétudes et présenté une grave menace pour la santé publique au Niger où les infrastructures de santé sont limitées et où les populations sont dispersées le long des itinéraires des troupeaux. Les pays frontaliers précédemment jugés à risque (Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigéria, Tchad, Bénin, Togo et Cameroun) n’ont pas encore signalé de cas de fièvre de la vallée du Rift.

Même si rien n’indique à ce stade qu’il s’agit d’une maladie infectieuse se propageant facilement d’une personne à l’autre, il faut élargir l’enquête afin d’identifier d’autres étiologies car celles-ci pourraient influencer les activités de riposte et de lutte nécessaires.

Conseils de l’OMS

Toute mesure commerciale relative à l’importation ou l’exportation d’animaux vivants issus des zones touchées, ou de leurs produits (viande ou lait), doit être conforme au Code sanitaire pour les animaux terrestres 2016 de l’OIE.

(Juba, 30 November 2016): The Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan is deeply concerned by a recent series of bureaucratic impediments and access constraints that have negatively impacted humanitarian organizations’ ability to assist people in need.

“Humanitarian organizations in South Sudan are striving every day to save lives and alleviate suffering across this country,” said Mr. Eugene Owusu, Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan. “Yet, they continue to face obstacles and challenges which hamper their efforts. This must stop.”

Some 91 humanitarian access incidents were recorded from 1 to 28 November. Of these, 70 per cent (64) involved violence against humanitarian personnel/assets, while 20 per cent (18) involved interference in humanitarian action, including interference in administrative matters (4), illegal or arbitrary taxation (4) and expulsion of staff (2). Also in November, aid workers were denied access to areas outside of Yei town in Central Equatoria and Wau town in Western Bahr El Ghazal, where tens of thousands of people are in need of assistance and protection.

“I am appreciative of the steps taken by the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to tackle the impediments we face on a daily basis, including through His Excellency the President’s establishment of the Humanitarian High-Level Oversight Committee,” said Mr. Owusu. “However, these recent events are a major concern and it is vital that we see the commitments made in high-level fora fully translate into real, tangible and immediate improvements in the operating environment for aid workers on the frontlines of humanitarian action.”

Humanitarian needs in South Sudan continue to rise as a result of conflict and economic decline. Nearly three million people have now been displaced since fighting first broke out in December 2013, including 1.9 million who are internally displaced and more than 1.1 million who have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees. To date in 2016, humanitarian organizations in South Sudan have reached more than 4.1 million people with assistance and protection across the country, including in some of the most remote areas.

“I am tremendously proud of the aid workers across this country who are working tirelessly day-in and day-out to help people in need,” said Mr. Owusu. “I call on all parties to allow free, safe and unhindered humanitarian access so that our colleagues can reach and assist people whose lives have been torn apart by this crisis. Regardless of where they are in the country, civilians in need have a right to receive help.”

By Henry Ridgwell

Video available on original page.

LONDON —

Researchers say that giving anti-malarial drugs to older children can significantly reduce overall transmission of disease. Currently, most such programs are limited to the under-fives, but a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, shows that expanding the intervention can lower the number of malaria cases.

The World Health Organization estimates there were 214 million new cases of malaria in 2015 — and 438,000 deaths, with by far the majority of fatalities in sub-Saharan Africa.

In Senegal, health workers from charities like Speak Up Africa have been testing a new approach: giving preventive anti-malarial drugs to children up to the age of 10 during the rainy season, when malaria prevalence is highest. It’s known as seasonal malaria chemoprevention, or SMC.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine conducted a study of 200,000 children in the program.

“The treatments then have to be repeated at strictly four-week intervals, and that’s quite challenging in terms of implementing that in rural Africa. But despite that, countries have been quick to adopt this new approach,” said Professor Paul Milligan, who led the investigation.

Major reduction in cases

And it’s showing results. In Senegal, the SMC program more than halved cases of malaria in children under 10. It also reduced cases in those above 10 years of age by a quarter — by helping to reduce transmission of the disease.

“By expanding the age range, one is then treating a larger fraction of the parasite reservoir, which is the source of infection to mosquitoes,” Milligan said.

The SMC program has been rolled out to 11 countries, reaching about 15 million children up to the age of five in 2016.

Milligan says the latest results show the programs should be expanded to include older children.

“What we found was that if you’re going door-to-door, it doesn’t take much extra time to treat older children, and that if you go out of school hours then you can get high coverage even during term time,” he said.

Milligan says the next step is to identify other parts of Africa that could benefit from expanding the SMC program to older children.