Highlights

• Humanitarian access in the Greater Equatoria region is severely restricted due to insecurity, significantly impacting the ability of humanitarian organizations to deliver life-saving assistance.

• The nutrition situation in South Sudan in 2016 was worse than previous years, and since 2013 there has been a 350% increase in the number of cases of children under five years with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Overall in 2016, UNICEF and partners have admitted 203,335 children with SAM into therapeutic feeding programmes, a 50% increase from 2015.

• With UNICEF Child Protection facing a 71% funding gap, the number of reunifications of separated children with their families in 2016 was less than half of that in 2015 as a result of limited resources.

Situation in Numbers

1.83 million People internally displaced since 15 December 2013 (OCHA South Sudan Humanitarian Bulletin, 21 December 2016)

1.17 million South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries since December 2013 (UNHCR South Sudan Situation Information Sharing Portal, 23 December 2016)

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

The December 2016 food security outlook shows that extreme levels of food insecurity are expected in South Sudan in the first half of 2017. As a result of disrupted planting and harvesting caused by insecurity, coupled with high prices and volatile trade, food availability and access in the country is expected to be lower than normal. Northern Bahr el Ghazal and areas of Unity and Central Equatoria states are already at emergency levels of food insecurity. With insecurity restricting access for humanitarian assistance in many of these areas, the population may exhaust their coping mechanisms and descend into catastrophic levels of food insecurity. As regular livelihood activities continue to be disrupted across the country and with food availability constrained, high levels of acute malnutrition are expected in the first half of 2017.

As the security situation continues to deteriorate in the Greater Equatoria region, the number of South Sudanese fleeing into neighbouring Uganda, Kenya, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo is rising, with 7,046 people recorded to have crossed the border in a single day.
While the Greater Upper Nile (Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity states) used to be considered the main conflict-affected region in South Sudan, approximately 56% of South Sudanese refugees are now from the three Equatoria states. Since July 2016, more than 394,500 refugees have entered Uganda alone; over 86% of the refugees are women and children. Uganda is hosting the highest number of South Sudanese refugees in the country, which has reached over 600,000.

Greater Equatoria now ranks as the second highest region in the country in terms of people in need of humanitarian assistance, which is estimated at 1.9 million. The region is second only to Greater Upper Nile, where a total of 2.9 million people are in need of aid. Greater Equatoria also ranks as the region with the highest need for the establishment of a protective environment.

Highlights

• Uganda is host to over 589,573 South Sudan refugees and asylum seekers since 2014; out of which 64% are children.

• 130,915 South Sudanese children aged 6 to 59 months have been vaccinated against Polio since January 2016.

• This year, 3,341 (1,475 boys and 1,866 girls) children born to refugee parents from South Sudan have been registered through the National Mobile Vital Recording system (MVRS). This ensures their right to identity and is a gateway to access services where identification documents are required.

• A total of 31,052 children have been registered for integrated early childhood development learning (IECD) in Yumbe, Adjumani, Kiryandongo andArua refugee districts respectively since January 2016.

• 8,970 separated and unaccompanied children (4,853 boys and 4,117 girls) were registered for reunification and foster care in 2016.

• 109,600 South Sudan refugee children and women were provided with hand washing facilities in 2016.

• 3,496 South Sudanese children continue to receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) services in 2016.

Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs

According to UNHCR and OPM1 , 64 per cent of the new refugee arrivals from South Sudan are children. During the first two weeks of December, daily arrivals averaged 4,501 individuals. Since July 2016, 399,456 refugees arrived in Uganda reflecting 67 per cent of the total South Sudan refugee population in the country and 84 percent of those that arrived this year.

UNICEF, UNHCR and WFP are supporting the current food and nutrition assessment exercise in all districts of Kiryandongo, Adjumani, Yumbe, Arua, and Koboko covering refugee settlements and host communities. Nutrition screening is being done at all entry and collection points. Medical and nutrition screening by UNICEF, Concern Worldwide and respective district health teams at multiple entry points in December 2016 show that 19 children of 5,588 had severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

Across the refugee hosting districts, there is clear evidence of under-resourced basic services for new arrivals such as water, education and health particularly in Bidibidi settlement with its sizeable population.

by Lin Taylor | @linnytayls | Thomson Reuters Foundation

Thursday, 5 January 2017 17:45 GMT

Unfolding catastrophe in the Lake Chad basin was named the most neglected crisis of 2016

(Adds details)

By Lin Taylor

LONDON, Jan 5 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Women in the Lake Chad basin have been forced to sell sex to survive due to a conflict that has driven millions from their homes and left children to starve, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday.

An insurgency by Boko Haram militants has displaced more than 2.4 million people across the swamplands of Lake Chad, where the borders of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria meet, and disrupted the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of others.

Up to a million people have been cut off from humanitarian aid by Boko Haram despite a regional military offensive against the Islamist militants, according to the United Nations.

"It's (extraordinary) ... to see a woman and her family and they have nothing other than what they've been given. The children are clearly malnourished and it's just hopeless," said Simon Brooks, head of ICRC's delegation in Cameroon.

As the head of their households, some mothers have been forced to sell sex so they could feed their family, since many no longer have husbands because of the conflict, Brooks said.

"When you don't have the means to survive, you'll go begging for it. It's a loss of dignity when you're having to resort to something like that just to keep your children alive - fraternising with people who have money."

The unfolding catastrophe in the Lake Chad basin was named the most neglected crisis of 2016 in a poll of aid agencies by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Overshadowed by the wars in Syria and Iraq and the global refugee and migrant crisis, Lake Chad has barely made the headlines, Brooks said during an interview in London.

More than 7 million people lack food but insecurity makes it hard for aid agencies to reach the most vulnerable.

Half a million children are severely acutely malnourished and on the brink of death if they are not treated, Brooks said.

"This area has suffered from decades of chronic neglect ... if it continues to be under-funded and under-reported, then millions of people will continue to suffer," he said.

The ICRC says it has drastically scaled up its work in the Lake Chad region, including cash transfers to displaced people and food aid, making its operation there its second largest in the world behind Syria.

(Reporting by Lin Taylor @linnytayls, Editing by Katie Nguyen. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters that covers humanitarian issues, conflicts, global land and property rights, modern slavery and human trafficking, women's rights, and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories)

Building on a “trajectory of unity” that had begun with the Security Council’s recent adoption of two important Middle East resolutions, Olof Skoog (Sweden), Council President for January, said the 15-member body would focus on issues ranging from Colombia to the Lake Chad Basin, hold a ministerial-level open debate on the maintenance of international peace and security and work to make its overall methods more results-oriented.

“We have to make the best of the momentum that exists now,” he said, referring to the adoption of resolution 2334 (2016) condemning Israeli settlements on 23 December and resolution 2336 (2016) on 31 December expressing support for efforts by Turkey and the Russian Federation to end the bloodshed in Syria.

Sweden — one of five newly elected non-permanent members of the Council — had hosted the Council’s first informal meeting of 2017 this morning, he said, noting that member States had agreed that their service was both a privilege and a huge responsibility. Emphasizing the need to produce the kinds of outcomes “that the world expects”, he added that the Council was not always as effective as it should be, and that his delegation hoped to change the way things had been going.

In the last few days, he said, he had met with new Secretary-General António Guterres who had expressed his strong wish to build a trustful and active working relationship with the Council, in line with his vision of “putting peace at the centre”. Through its work over the month, it hoped to establish a regular, proactive relationship with Mr. Guterres, who would brief the Council on 10 January during an open ministerial-level debate on the maintenance of international peace and security.

During that debate, he said, the Council expected Mr. Guterres to put forward his vision of international peace and security, including the important element of prevention. Support from Member States at the ministerial level would send a strong signal to those that had recently questioned the effectiveness of multilateralism “that the United Nations is coming together”.

Highlighting some of the topic issues that would come before the Council in January, he said Syria would be discussed on three tracks — chemical weapons, political and humanitarian. While all members were hopeful that the current ceasefire would hold, many concerns remained. Among the issues to be discussed were the results of the upcoming meeting slated to take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, and how humanitarian aid would proceed.

While the Council remained worried about the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he said, there was an overall sense of relief that an agreement had been reached at the end of 2016. The issue was scheduled to come before the Council on 11 January, but action to endorse the agreement could be taken up before that date.

The Colombian peace process, an item recently added to the Council’s agenda, would be also be considered on 11 January, he said. Meanwhile, a discussion on the Lake Chad Basin — a region where the impacts of climate change and the terrorist activities of Boko Haram had created an “explosive cocktail” — would be taken up on the following day.

On 17 January, the Council would hold an open debate on the Middle East, he said, noting that France was organizing a conference on the issue on 15 January. He hoped that the meeting, along with the Council’s recent adoption of resolution 2334 (2016) would trigger action towards a two-State solution.

Other worrying issues included the situation in Mali, where non-State actors were making the implementation of the peace agreement difficult, he said, noting that the matter would be addressed on 18 January. Also on the agenda were a briefing on the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, Somalia and other situations of concern in Africa. In that regard, he stressed that “we want to make sure the region is heard” and that the Council coordinated properly with the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and other regional partners.

Noting that the peacekeeping mission in Cyprus was up for a mandate renewal, he nevertheless noted that peace talks were ongoing, and expressed his hope that a political solution would be reached over the course of the month. If that happened, there would be a need to revisit how the United Nations supported the implementation of such an agreement.

Mr. Skoog then responded to a number of questions from correspondents. To a question on how the Council would follow up to the Paris Middle East conference, he said while it might be possible for the body to “add value” with an outcome of some sort, it was too early to tell.

Responding to a question on the Council’s planned consultations on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons report, he said the question of accountability would be addressed. However, it was too early to know if there was unity on the matter, as the Council had five new members.

Asked why the “forgotten”, but “bloody” conflict in Yemen was listed in a footnote to the Council’s January schedule, he responded that the body hoped to take the matter up on a date that would make it possible to be briefed on progress in the political process. He expected that would happen sometime in January.

He then responded to a similar question about Libya’s absence on the agenda, noting that the Council would prefer to schedule a meeting “when there is something to report”.

To a question about whether nuclear disarmament and the issue of weapons of mass destruction would be addressed in January, he urged Member States to raise the matter during the 10 January open debate.

Asked whether the issue of terrorism and violent extremism would be addressed during that debate, and whether there was any intent to produce an outcome document, he said that terrorism, violent extremism and non-State actors were part of the reason the Council had recently been hampered in its actions. “The modernization of asymmetric warfare and terrorism has put the Security Council on the spot,” he said, adding that it needed to calibrate its response in a more effective way. He expected both Member States and the Secretary-General to raise the matter during the open debate, and hoped that broad support would emerge for the latter’s vision. However, there would be no formal negotiated outcome.

To a question on whether the Council would pursue another resolution on Israeli settlements, he said the next step in the Middle East peace process was the Paris conference, whose outcome would direct the Council’s quarterly discussion.

In response to a question about the situation in South Sudan, which he said had been “left hanging” in 2016, he said he expected the matter to come up in January. While it was important that the Council come together on that front, it must also collect wisdom from regional actors.

A number of questions were also raised about the incoming Administration of United States President-elect Donald Trump, including about his recent comments on social media that the United Nations was a “club” where people “have a good time”. To that, he responded that multilateralism worked in the interest of all countries, including the United States. The United Nations worked very hard and had made major strides in such areas as climate and development, he said, affirming the Council’s intention to work both with the current Administration and the incoming one over the month of January.

In that vein, he was asked about recent discussions about a potential United States move to cut funding for the Organization, and responded that there was apprehension about such comments. However, it was best to wait and see what happened, as various confirmations were outstanding in the United States Congress. He pledged to work closely with the incoming United States Mission and to reach out to the Trump Administration at the appropriate time.

For information media. Not an official record.

Highlights

• Despite incidents reported in Kaiga-Kindjiria area, the security situation remains relatively calm in the Lake region. A decrease in incidents has coincided with the surrender of elements associated with armed groups in recent weeks.

• Results from the most recent national SMART survey indicate an 11.2% prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM). 153,738 children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) have been admitted and treated in nutritional units so far in 2016, reaching 79% of the annual target.

• Despite the continuing strike led by civil servants across the country, including teachers, 17 schools were open in the Lake region in November, providing education to 4,638 students.

• The hepatitis E outbreak that began on 31 August continues in the Amtiman health district in Salamat Region. A total of 317 cases were reported. WASH items were supplied by UNICEF to the Health District.

SITUATION IN NUMBERS

2,200,000
Children affected
(UNICEF HAC 2016)

220,000
Children under 5 with Severe Acute Malnutrition in 2016
(OCHA, December 2016)

123,191
People displaced (IDPs, returnees, TCN, refugees) in the Lake Region
(IOM DTM, 25 October and UNHCR refugees’ statistics, 16 November 2016)

UNICEF Humanitarian funding needs in 2016 (revised)
US$ 64.6 million

Available in 2016
US$ 32 million

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

Impact of violence in the Lake region

Despite some incidents reported in Kaiga-Kindjiria area, the overall security situation remains relatively calm in the Lake region. A decrease in incidents has coincided with the surrender Boko Haram elements in recent weeks. Since August a total of 1,088 people, including 458 children, have surrendered. Military authorities in the Departments of Fouli and Kaya continue to register cases Boko Haram elements surrenders, but in fewer numbers than those recorded the previous months.

According to the latest displacement tracking matrix (DTM, IOM, 16 November 2016) and refugee statistics from UNHCR (31 October 2016), there are 123,191 displaced persons, including 5,424 refugees living in the Dar Es Salam refugee camp. Among internally displaced persons (IDPs), 98,752 persons (returnees and IDPs) have been formally registered with IOM; 19,015 others are not yet registered.

UNICEF and other humanitarian actors continue to provide assistance to displaced persons, directed primarily towards sites that have been difficult to access for security reasons, some of which are gradually becoming accessible. Humanitarian actors face additional challenges such as minimum services in health facilities and nonfunctioning of most schools due to strike.

Outbreak

The outbreak of hepatitis E that began on August 31 continues in the Amtiman health district,Salamat Region. A total of 317 cases have been reported, out of which 307 cases have been registered in Amtiman town, with the remaining 10 reported cases in five surrounding villages (Kachkacha, Mina, Anguiteye, Anala and Atelal).

The epidemiological trend has evolved irregularly, with an average of 40 cases over the 4 last weeks. According to the epidemiological model used by MSF-Holland, currently present in the Region, a decline in the number of cases is projected to occur after the end of the year (epidemiological week 52).

Refugees, returnees and stateless persons from CAR in the South

In southern Chad, 66,312 refugees from Central African Republic (out of a total of 70,310 CAR refugees) and 82,644 returnees from CAR still live in various sites (UNHCR November 2016, OCHA October 2016). In returnee sites, emergency shelters constructed in 2014 have since deteriorated. Access to water, hygiene and sanitation services is declining due to lack of funding.

In November 2016, 200 people who fled Boko Haram attacks in northern Cameroon moved to Mini locality in Monts de Lam department. They were transferred to the Diba site. Since July, the Diba / Vom site has been hosting 804 Central African refugees who fled their country following attacks in Ngaoundaye locality in CAR last June.

Food insecurity and malnutrition

According to the Cadre Hamonisé, updated in November, the forecasted cereal production for the 2016/2017 crop year has increased of 14% from last year. However, some regions recorded a decline in cereal production, including Tandjilé (-11.2%), Wadi Fira (-11%) and Bahr El Ghazal (-5%). However, nearly 456,000 people are estimated to be living in conditions of phase 3 (crisis phase) food insecurity. Vulnerable populations are in need of food, nutrition, health, and improved access to livelihoods in order to build resilience. In the Lake region, 222,356 individuals are food insecure, including 81,438 people currently living in phase.

Results from the national SMART nutrition survey carried out in August / September 2016 show an 11.2% prevalence of acute malnutrition (GAM), above the WHO threshold of 10%. The prevalence of GAM particularly exceeds WHO’s critical emergency threshold (15%) in the regions of Ennedi West (23.3%), Borkou (19.3%), Ouaddaï (16.9%), Batha (16.6%), Bahr El Ghazal (16.1%) and Salamat (15.6%). The Kanem Region, with a prevalence of 14.9%, is also at the edge of the emergency threshold.

ECHO DU SISAAP

1. Evaluation à mi-parcours du projet d’appui à la mise en place du SISAAP

L’évaluation à mi-parcours du projet d’appui à la mise en place du SISAAP, financé par la Commission de l’Union Européenne et appuyé techniquement par la FAO, a été réalisée au cours du mois d’Octobre 2016 et son rapport dans sa version finale vient d’être disponible. Cette évaluation, réalisée par deux (2) consultants (un international et un national), a pour principal objectif d’apporter une appréciation globale sur les résultats obtenus dans la mise en œuvre du projet à la date de l’évaluation. De façon plus spécifique, l’évaluation visait à apprécier la pertinence du projet et analyser son efficacité et son efficience en mettant en relation les différentes activités, les ressources disponibles et les résultats escomptés.

L’évaluation a conclu sur trois (3) recommandations majeures devant guider les actions du Gouvernement et de ses partenaires impliqués pour un SISAAP durable, à savoir : (i) une élévation du niveau d’ancrage institutionnel du dispositif, ii) une accentuation plus marquée de la dimension locale et du rôle à donner aux instances régionales (CRA et CDA) dans la prévention et la gestion des crises et des catastrophes et, iii) un leadership plus affirmé de l’Etat qui doit reprendre l’initiative de la collecte des données, l’analyse et la diffusion de l’information et en assurer le financement. Les ONG, les Agences de Nations Unies et les autres intervenants recentreront leurs missions essentiellement sur le développement et l’assistance humanitaire.

2. Une cellule technique d’élaboration et du suivi du Plan National de Réponses

Depuis bientôt trois (3) ans, le Gouvernement et ses partenaires élaborent un plan annuel de réponse pour répondre aux situations de crises alimentaires et nutritionnelles et atténuer leurs effets sur les populations les plus vulnérables. Le plan de réponse en soutien aux populations vulnérables face à l’insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle est élaboré sur la base des résultats des analyses du Cadre Harmonisé et constitue le document de référence pour l’ensemble des acteurs impliqués dans le dispositif de prévention et de gestion des crises alimentaire, nutritionnelle et pastorale. A ce titre, son élaboration doit être faite de la manière la plus consensuelle possible.

Ainsi, le Plan National de Réponse en soutien aux populations vulnérables pour l’année 2017, en cours d’élaboration, a fait l’objet d’une retraite au Foyer de l’Animateur de Darda (Département du Chari) les 29 et 30 Novembre 2016, où toutes les institutions concernées ont été conviées. A l’issu de cette retraite, les participants ont recommandé la mise en place d’une cellule technique permanente pour l’élaboration et le suivi-évaluation de Plan National de Réponses. Que vivement cette cellule naisse et soit opérationnelle dans les prochains jours pour que les institutions de réponse connaissent une meilleure coordination et soient mieux suivi.

La Suède, qui entame son mandat de deux ans en qualité de membre non permanent du Conseil de sécurité, assure dès le 1er janvier la présidence mensuelle de l’organe chargé du maintien de la paix et de la sécurité internationales, dont l’un des temps forts sera un débat public au niveau ministériel sur la prévention des conflits et l’instauration d’une paix durable, a annoncé, ce soir, l’Ambassadeur Olof Skoog.

Cette réunion, prévue le 10 janvier et présidée par la Ministre suédoise des affaires étrangères, Mme Margot Wallström, sera l’occasion pour le nouveau Secrétaire général de l’ONU, M. António Guterres, qui a pris ses fonctions à la tête de l’Organisation il y a deux jours, de s’adresser, pour la première fois devant le Conseil à ce titre, pour présenter ses idées dans le domaine de la prévention des conflits. « Ce sera une manière de sceller la relation entre le Conseil de sécurité et le Chef de l’Organisation », a déclaré M. Skoog.

« Le Conseil n’a pas toujours été à la hauteur des attentes placées en lui, comme l’a illustré la crise syrienne. Mais nous voulons faire le meilleur usage possible de cette nouvelle année, qui coïncide avec l’arrivée d’un nouveau Secrétaire général », a-t-il expliqué. « La plupart des États sont désormais convaincus de la nécessité d’éviter les situations de conflit que nous avons vu se multiplier au cours de ces dernières années », a noté M. Skoog, en affirmant que le Conseil est disposé à ce que M. Guterres use de ses bons offices à cette fin.

La « bonne résolution » prise par la Suède pour la nouvelle année, a-t-il dit, est d’axer les efforts sur l’amélioration et l’harmonisation des méthodes de travail du Conseil. Sans faire l’objet d’une réunion spécifique, ce sera un objectif que la présidence suédoise du Conseil s’est engagée à atteindre tout au long du mois de janvier, a assuré M. Skoog. Ainsi, dans un souci de bâtir une relation constructive avec le Conseil, le Secrétaire général sera convié plus régulièrement à des consultations à huis clos, « ce qui n’a pas toujours été le cas par le passé ».

La situation en Syrie continuera de mobiliser le Conseil de sécurité en janvier, dans la perspective de la réunion d’Astana, au Kazakhstan, à la fin du mois, entre le Gouvernement syrien et les représentants de l’opposition. Le 31 décembre, les « Quinze » avaient adopté la résolution 2336 (2016), entérinant ainsi les efforts de la Fédération de Russie et de la Turquie pour mettre fin à la violence en Syrie et lancer un processus politique dans ce pays déchiré par un conflit depuis 2011.

M. Skoog a rappelé que la résolution reconnaît le rôle continu que l’ONU, « garante » de la solution politique et de l’assistance humanitaire, continuera de jouer. Par ailleurs, dès demain, lors de consultations, les membres du Conseil entendront, également au sujet de la Syrie, l’exposé d’un représentant de l’Organisation pour l’interdiction des armes chimiques (OIAC). En outre, des consultations sur les volets politique et humnaitaire de la crise syrienne auront lieu respectivement les 19 et 26 janvier.

Toujours au Moyen-Orient, a noté le Président, le conflit israélo-palestinien retiendra l’attention du Conseil lors du débat public trimestriel sur la question, qui sera organisé le 17 janvier, soit trois semaines après l’adoption de la résolution 2234 (2016) demandant l’arrêt immédiat des colonies de peuplement dans le Territoire palestinien occupé. « Ce débat se déroulera également deux jours après la Conférence de Paris, organisée par la France pour relancer le processus de paix », a noté M. Skoog, en expliquant que selon le résultat obtenu, le Conseil pourrait envisager une action.

Le Conseil de sécurité entendra, le 18 janvier, un exposé sur l’état de mise en œuvre de la résolution 2231 (2016), par laquelle le Conseil a approuvé le Plan d’action global commun relatif au programme nucléaire iranien, a-t-il ajouté.

Deux questions figurant pour l’heure dans les notes de bas de page du programme de travail mensuel trouveront probablement leur place dans les activités du Conseil d’ici à la fin du mois. Il s’agit, a-t-il précisé, des crises au Yémen et en Libye, dont le Conseil se saisira en fonction des avancées des processus politiques correspondants.

Ce sera également le cas de la situation au Burundi, « où un ministre a été assassiné le 1er janvier », a rappelé M. Skoog, en constatant que les dossiers africains se tailleront une place significative au cours de ce mois. Au nombre d’entre eux, il a cité la situation en République démocratique du Congo (RDC), qui fera l’objet d’un examen le 11 janvier, en faisant observer qu’un accord, qui « reste à mettre en œuvre », avait été signé le 31 décembre entre le Gouvernement congolais et l’opposition sous l’égide de la Conférence épiscopale nationale du Congo (CENCO).

Le 23 janvier, le Soudan du Sud sera discuté dans le cadre de consultations par le Conseil, qui devra réfléchir aux meilleurs moyens de « remettre le processus politique sur les rails en gardant à l’esprit les intérêts du peuple » de ce pays. Le 12 janvier, les membres du Conseil, réunis en consultations, discuteront du bassin du lac Tchad, touché non seulement par une sécheresse aiguë mais aussi par l’expansion du terrorisme.

Cette réunion, a dit le Président, est un exemple de ce que la Suède entend par amélioration des méthodes de travail du Conseil, puisqu’elle y associera les organisations régionales pertinentes. Le Président du Groupe de haut niveau de l’Union africaine sur le Darfour, M. Thabo Mbeki, sera également invité à participer à la séance d’information publique programmée le 12 janvier sur les activités de l’Opération hybride Union africaine-Nations Unies au Darfour (MINUAD).

Concernant l’Afrique, le Conseil de sécurité suivra également de près les activités du Bureau des Nations Unies pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest et le Sahel (UNOWAS) le 13 janvier; de la Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation au Mali (MINUSMA) le 18 janvier; et de la Mission de l’Union africaine en Somalie (AMISOM) le lendemain.

Le 26 janvier, le Conseil devrait proroger le mandat de la Force des Nations Unies chargée du maintien de la paix à Chypre (UNFICYP). Pour la première fois depuis le mois de septembre 2016, a fait remarquer l’Ambassadeur Skoog, la situation en Colombie s’invitera, le 11 janvier, au programme du Conseil.

À l’intention des organes d’information • Document non officiel.

After an initial helicopter recce and security assessment mission to Baga on 9 December, the first Multi-Sector Initial Rapid Humanitarian Needs Assessment took only place one month after that. Technical representatives of the health, nutrition, WASH, food security and protection sectors were part of the assessment team. The shelter and CCM sector team had travelled to Baga two days earlier but used the helicopter to assess 2 other towns in Kukawa LGA (Cross-Kauwa and Kukawa).

Participants: Health/Nutrition (WHO, MSF-F, UNICEF), WASH (UNICEF), Food Security (WFP),
Protection (OCHA Gender Advisor), CivMilCoord (OCHA), Shelter/CCM (IOM)

Demographics

Information about the current overall and IDP population is Baga is difficult to obtain. The military spoke about 5,000 IDP and returnees. The ICRC distributed recently 5,500 household rations of food to both IDP and host community (~ 33,000 people). During the first security assessment the military reported a total of 45,000 people (incl. IDP).

ACTION

• DTM to ascertain at least the number of IDP (IOM)

• Exchange of activity-based population data in the months to come to tri-angulate an estimate overall population (all partners)

Food Security

The Food security assessment methodology included a transect walk, direct observation, briefing and discussion with Security Forces and focus group discussions with local populations and traders.

Main livelihoods in Baga combine farming and fishing in Lake Chad, and small-scale business The growing season is almost year-round and farmers used to grow a wide range of crops including beans, millet, corn, onion and cassava.

Due to military operations in Lake Chad and surroundings, farming and fishing activities were restricted. As a result, food crop production has drastically decreased, whereas security restrictions on fishing activities, backbone of the local economy, have limited income generation opportunities.

Before August 2016, the vast majority of households were relying on food assistance provided by Security Forces and consumption of wild leaves.

In 2016, local populations have reported two main food distributions received from ICRC through the Local Red Cross, one in August and the second in December.

The last distribution took place three weeks ago. 5,000 households (~ 30,000 people) received one month rations (50 kg of rice; 50 kg of beans; 12 liters of vegetable oil and 2 kg of salt) from the ICRC.

The main road was opened to traffic on 25th December 2016, and commercial activities are resuming slowly. For the moment, commercial trucks are not allowed to supply the markets.

Markets are functional, but food supply is very low due to the decrease of local food production and security restrictions. Prices of main food commodities remain high.

Since the reopening of the main road, new waves of populations returning back on a daily basis have been reported, especially from Maiduguri.

Blanket food distribution has significantly improved food access, therefore food prices will either reflect this trend (downwards trends due to less pressure from households) or remain high if more returns over the weeks to come.

Restrictions on fishing and livestock markets are still in place, while farming activities are gradually resuming. People are allowed to fish for personal consumption and fish is locally available in street restaurants in Baga town.

Plus de 80 personnes, dont 90% de femmes, ont pris part le 29 décembre à une séance de sensibilisation sur le rôle des personnes handicapées dans la réconciliation et la cohésion sociale au siège de l’Association des femmes handicapées de Tombouctou. Appuyée par la Division des droits de l’homme et de la Protection (DDHP) de la MINUSMA, cette activité vise à soutenir et promouvoir leur contribution au processus de paix.

La question de l'intégration et de l'accès à la vie économique, sociale et politique des personnes handicapées occupe une place prépondérante dans la défense des droits humains défendus par les Nations Unies. Depuis 1992, l'ONU invite tous les peuples du monde à s’engager davantage en faveur de cette cause, en proclamant le 3 décembre comme la Journée Internationale des Personnes Handicapées. C’est dans cet esprit que le bureau régional de la Division des Droits de l’Homme et de la Protection (DDHP) de la Mission onusienne à Tombouctou a apporté son soutien aux femmes handicapées. « Nous sommes tous des personnes vivant potentiellement avec un handicap. Les Nations Unies ont adopté une convention catégoriale pour défendre les droits des personnes en situation d’handicap car elles ont besoin d’une attention particulière », a déclaré, Alassane Gobi, Chef de Bureau par intérim de la MINUSMA et responsable de l’office de la DDHP dans la région.

Présent à la séance tenue dans une ruelle du quartier Hammabangou, sous la vigilance de la Police onusienne, le Directeur régional de l’Action Sociale et de l’Economie Solidaire, M. Hamma Sangaré, a mis en exergue le travail de ce service étatique dans la défense des droits des personnes vivant avec un handicap. Il a également appelé la MINUSMA à continuer à accompagner l’institution dans ses activités à l’intention des couches vulnérables.

Au cœur de cette journée, une explication succincte du cadre légal international de la protection et de la défense des personnes handicapées, par l’officier des droits de l’homme de la MINUSMA, Djibrill Sanogo. Ce dernier a par ailleurs détaillé les principaux instruments que sont la Convention relative aux droits des personnes handicapées et le protocole facultatif se rapportant à ladite Convention, respectivement signées et ratifiées par le Mali le 15 mai 2007 et le 7 avril 2008.

Pour sa part, le directeur de l’école de l’Association des sourds-muets (AMASOURD) a abordé le rôle et la place des personnes à mobilité réduite dans la réconciliation et la cohésion sociale. Pour M. Hamey Wayé Tandina, « cette journée devrait être célébrée aux travers de vraies rencontres de réflexion sur la mise en œuvre des droits des handicapés et la pleine jouissance de ces droits ». L’enseignant se dit persuadé que de pareilles initiatives contribueraient à combattre la stigmatisation et la discrimination à leur encontre.

Quant à Fatouma Abdoulaye, représentant la présidente de l’association des femmes handicapées de Tombouctou, elle a exhorté les femmes à se défaire de tout complexe pour prendre la parole et défendre leurs droits. « Je vous invite à plus d’implication dans la sensibilisation pour la paix et la cohésion sociale sans lesquelles aucun progrès n’est possible, qu’il soit social ou économique, » a-t-elle ajouté.

Le chef de quartier Hammabangou, M. Alassane Yattara, a clôturé la série d’interventions avec un plaidoyer pour la multiplication d’activités du même genre au sein des communautés.

Au rythme de chansons engagées et motivantes, les participantes ont mis fin à la séance.

La MINUSMA à Gao a lancé, ce jeudi 5 janvier 2017, le projet de renforcement de l’accès à l’eau potable dans les régions de Gao et Ménaka, à travers l’installation de pompes à motricité humaine (PMH). Financé par le Royaume du Danemark, pour plus de 176 million de Frs CFA, ce projet vise à contribuer au rétablissement de l’accès à l’eau potable en quantité suffisante pour les populations affectées par la crise politico-sécuritaire et les réfugiés/IDPs retournés dans les régions de Gao et Ménaka.

« Permettez-moi de remercier la MINUSMA et son partenaire l’Association de Volontariat et de Coopération Internationale (LVIA) pour cette heureuse initiative qui s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une réponse urgente aux besoins d’accès à l’eau potable des populations bénéficiaires » a déclaré dans ses observations liminaires, M. Abdoulaye Coulibaly, préfet du Cercle de Gao qui représentait le Gouverneur de la Région.

Avant la crise du 2012-2013, le taux d’accès à l’eau potable dans la région de Gao était de 45% (source JMP) avec un taux de non-fonctionnalités des ouvrages hydrauliques de 30% selon la base SIGMA. Pendant la crise, le conflit dans les régions du Nord du Mali a provoqué un déplacement massif des populations, mais aussi des services techniques causant un arrêt des services de base ainsi que la suspension de l’aide budgétaire et des programmes de développement. « Nous sommes en train d’essayer de travailler, avec l’appui de nos partenaires, notamment la MINUSMA, pour rehausser ces indicateurs d’accès à l’eau potable au bénéfice des communautés affectées par le conflit, » a indiqué M. Ousmane Hamatou, coordinateur de l’ONG LVIA.

Plusieurs personnalités publiques étaient présentes, dont le Président du Conseil Régional, les Maires des communes de Bourem, Talataye et Tessit, ainsi que les représentants de la Direction Régionale de l’Hydraulique, de l’UNICEF et de la MINUSMA.

Pour M. Mohamed El-Amine Souef, Chef de Bureau de la Mission onusienne à Gao : « le lancement de ce projet confirme l’engagement concerté des autorités compétentes, du Royaume du Danemark et de la MINUSMA à apporter des dividendes de la paix à la population ». Il a également annoncé que « 15 points d’eau seront développés dans 8 communes des régions de Gao et Ménaka ».

Le Maire de la commune de Bourem, M. Amadou Mahamane, s’est déclaré « très satisfait de ce projet » qu’il a qualifié de « très utile et important, car il [le projet] contribuera à réduire la corvée de l’exhaure, les distances et la souffrance des populations nomades, suite à une très forte demande en eau. Tout le monde sait que la pluviométrie à Bourem a été difficile. De ce fait, les pâturages le long du fleuve Niger ne sont pas bons. Il faut parcourir plusieurs kilomètres pour trouver des points d’eau suite à une pluviométrie difficile que vient de connaître notre commune ».

L’Association de Volontariat et de Coopération Internationale (LVIA) mettra en place des structures de gestion de l’eau par site qui seront formées pour assurer une durabilité des installations. L’ONG LVIA impliquera à toutes les étapes du projet, tous les acteurs concernées (populations, structures de gestion, collectivités territoriales et services techniques de l’Etat). A la fin des travaux, les ouvrages seront remis aux populations qui responsabiliseront les structures de gestion qui vont assurer le suivi, la maintenance et l’exploitation avec l’appui de la mairie.

Le nombre de bénéficiaires directs est estimé à 21 265 personnes (11 058 femmes et 10 207 hommes).

La durée du projet est de quatre mois.

◾Food and nutrition insecurity is expected to increase further in Chad in the course of the year. Good harvests in 2016 have not allowed the population to recover their coping capacities, which had been seriously strained, not least due to the El Niño phenomenon.

◾More than 1 million people are expected to be in need of emergency food assistance during the upcoming lean season (starting in June), and nearly 230 000 children are expected to suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition. According to the latest nutrition survey, the average Global Acute Malnutrition rate is estimated at 16.7% in 2016, which is above the emergency threshold of 15% and the highest in the whole Sahel. Half of the regions in the country also have Severe Acute Malnutrition rates above the emergency threshold of 2%.

◾The economic crisis currently affecting the country and lack of access to basic services such as healthcare further compound the situation.

CASSANDRA VINOGRAD

BENTIU, South Sudan — For five months, Nyabany and her five children had avoided the gunfire. But they were dying all the same.

Read more on Pulitzer Center

In Numbers

1.83 million internally displaced people (OCHA)
1,291,294 South Sudanese refugees (UNHCR)
212,071 seeking shelter with the UN (UNMISS)
3.6 million people in need of food assistance from October—December (WFP estimate)

Highlights

• Despite insecurity, food and nutrition security data collection continues in order to ensure a representative picture of the food security situation in South Sudan.

• Road test convoy from Juba has successfully arrived in Bentiu, indicating improved road conditions.

Situation Update

• Data collection for the Food Security and Nutrition Monitoring System (FSNMS), which feeds into the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), has reached 90 percent of planned sites. Insecurity has prevented data collection in some locations; however, WFP is working with partners to collect information from displaced populations in host communities to ensure that the data is as representative as possible, to ensure a holistic picture of the food security situation in the country.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Humanitarian needs increased over 2016 as people, particularly in recently accessible areas, face a growing food and nutrition crisis. Response operations for the Food Security Sector has increased substantially with plans to reach 1 million people in the three most affected states in North East Nigeria with food interventions in the month of December alone. With 77 per cent of the IDPs living among host communities, response efforts will also focus on people living in host communities - both IDPs and the community itself.

The second consignment of construction materials arrived for the humanitarian hubs, enabling accommodation for 100 staff from INGOs and UN agencies in the main hub in Maiduguri. The main hub will also hold conference facilities and a medical centre for humanitarian community. The humanitarian hubs will enable humanitarian workers to scale up operations and remain in the harder to reach areas on a rotational basis.

Highlights

• The number of people receiving food assistance grew by 350 per cent in the past five months with food insecurity remaining the greatest concern among internally displaced people (IDPs).

• 76 per cent of IDPs don’t want to return to their homes unless their security can be guaranteed.
  Assistance is required to reconstruct and repair destroyed or damaged homes, to encourage sustainable IDP returns.

• One third of Borno State’s 700-plus medical facilities are completely destroyed with a third of the remaining facilities dysfunctional. The Health Sector is only 22 per cent funded, under the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).

• 75 per cent of the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure was destroyed in the conflict. This puts pressure on the limited facilities, causing frequent breakages and downtimes.

Situation Overview

According to the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), a projected 5.1 million people in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states in Nigeria’s north-east will be food insecure this year. High rates of malnutrition, including SAM, were found recently in places like Rann and Magumeri, both in Borno State. The Nutrition Sector estimates that 450,000 children aged under-five will suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 2017.

The Food Security Sector (FSS) and its partners responded by scaling up food assistance dramatically. It is now delivering food to Magumeri and Gubio (both north of Maiduguri) and to Ngala on the Cameroon border, areas that were previously hard to reach largely because of conflict. Food assistance to vulnerable populations grew from reaching 0.6 million people in August 2016, to 2.1 million people by December 2016. This represents a 350 per cent increase over the last five months. Better inter-agency coordination and partnerships facilitated this growth.

Nonetheless, there is still great need in a region where farmers have been unable to tend to their fields for three years because of conflict and where about 2.1 million fled their homes in fear, leaving all they owned behind. An estimated 1.64 million internally displaced people (IDPs) still live in camps, settlements and with host communities in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

In December, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) published its Data Tracking Mechanism (DTM), Round XIII. The DTM noted that for 66 per cent of vulnerable IDPs food is their greatest unmet need. The DTM also identified several camps and settlements that were not getting food regularly, or at all. These are now receiving attention from the Food Security Sector.

BRUSSELS/ROME - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has recognized the Government of Belgium’s substantial contributions in 2016, a year in which the Belgian Development Cooperation (DGCD) has donated more than €28 million to WFP projects reaching nearly 8 million people in eight countries.

“The Government of Belgium is a valued partner for WFP,” said Krystyna Bednarska, Director of WFP Brussels Office. “In yet another year of unprecedented needs, Belgium has answered the call to ensure the humanitarian community can reach those left furthest behind first, supporting innovative approaches and coordinated responses.”

In 2016 WFP and Belgium further strengthened cooperation in key areas, particularly in innovation, aiming to use new technologies in the fight against hunger. Belgium contributed €500,000 to a pilot project to further develop and use an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV – commonly known as drone) coordination model for humanitarian emergency preparedness and response.

Fostering technological innovation to serve the world’s most vulnerable people can transform lives and address the root causes of hunger. Belgium has supported WFP’s Mobile Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (mVAM) system since 2014. Using mobile phone technology, mVAM enables WFP teams to carry out assessments in real-time in remote areas or conflict zones, in addition to providing people in need with a direct link to assistance.

As the third largest donor in 2016 to WFP’s Immediate Response Account (IRA), and the second largest donor since 2010, Belgium has proven its commitment to saving lives when disaster strikes. The IRA is a funding facility which provides predictable and flexible resources so that WFP can respond immediately to disasters, wherever and whenever they occur.

“WFP and Belgium nourish a fruitful partnership, with WFP ranking this year as our second humanitarian partner in terms of funding. The humanitarian community needs more than ever an organization such as WFP and Belgium is ready to continue contributing to WFP’s excellent humanitarian work in the field of food assistance, logistics, and innovation,” said Alexander De Croo, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister of Development Cooperation.

Furthermore, by contributing nearly €6 million to the WFP-managed United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), Belgium’s funding is strategic in ensuring the delivery of safe, reliable and cost-efficient air services to the entire humanitarian community.

Belgium’s support has helped WFP respond to crises in Afghanistan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Mali, Niger, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and South Sudan. Donors like Belgium help WFP provide in-kind and cash assistance to vulnerable families during times of crisis, keep children in school, and improve livelihoods with the aim of achieving a world with zero hunger.

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

Follow us on Twitter @WFP_Europe

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Aneta Szczyglowska, WFP/Brussels, Tel. +32 (0)2 500 09 10
Jane Howard, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 06 65132321, Mob. +39 346 7600521

L'essentiel :

• Les prévisions régionales de la production agricole sont en hausse par rapport à la moyenne des cinq dernières années. Toutefois, des baisses de la production céréalière sont notées au Libéria et en Mauritanie.

• Les résultats du Cadre Harmonisé indiquent que 10,4 millions de personnes dans la région sont en insécurité alimentaire entre octobre et décembre 2016.

• Au Nigéria, près de 8 millions de personnes sont identifiées en insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle, entre octobre et décembre 2016, avec 1,8 million en urgence et 55.000 personnes en état de famine dans l’Etat de Borno.

Au Sahel et en Afrique de l’Ouest, la campagne agro-pastorale 2016-2017 a été caractérisée par des conditions agro-météorologiques favorables au développement des cultures et des pâturages permettant de confirmer les tendances de productions dégagées à l’issue de la rencontre (PREGEC) de septembre 2016.

La production céréalière connaitrait une hausse de 3,2 pour cent par rapport à celle de l’année dernière et de 15,5 pour cent par rapport à la moyenne des cinq dernières années. Cependant, d’importantes baisses comparées à l’année passée et à la moyenne quinquennale, sont enregistrées au Liberia (-8,8 et -5,1 pour cent) et en Mauritanie (16,9 et 9,9 pour cent).

Sur le plan pastoral, la production fourragère est équivalente à la moyenne des cinq dernières années. Toutefois, des productions inférieures à cette moyenne (-25 à -10 pour cent) sont observées localement dans tous les pays du front sahélien du Sénégal au Tchad.

L’insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle touche 10,4 millions de personnes en cette période de récoltes et 15,6 millions de personnes pourraient être en insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle pour la période de soudure de 2017 si aucune réponse adéquate n’est apportée.