For several days MSF has been requesting access to Konna, a town in the pivotal area where the north and south of the country meet. This morning the first MSF medical team, comprised of two doctors and two nurses, made the journey from Mopti to Konna.

The team is assessing the medical and humanitarian needs in the area and has already evaluated the main health centre in the town. “Their initial assessment describes a situation where the inhabitants have not had access to healthcare for several days,” says Dario Bertetto, MSF head of mission in Mali. “Health facilities were empty of both medical staff and patients.”

The team has started providing primary healthcare consultations and is organising mobile clinics to understand the health status of the population. If necessary, MSF could scale up capacity to offer support to the Konna’s main health centre. MSF also hopes soon to be able to reach its team in the town of Douentza, where resupply has been impossible because access is still denied.

NAIROBI, 24 January 2013 (IRIN) - Urban refugees in Kenya, threated with relocation to overcrowded refugee camps, are breathing a sigh of relief following a High Court ruling that has provisionally halted the move.

On 18 December 2012, Kenya's Department of Refugee Affairs announced that all refugees should leave urban areas and move to refugee camps - the northeastern Dadaab complex for Somali refugees, and the northwestern Kakuma camp for all others. It further ordered an immediate stop to the registration of refugees in urban areas.

The directive was in response to a number of grenade attacks that have occurred in urban areas, follwoing Kenya's invasion of Somalia in October 2011. The attacks have been widely blamed on the Somali militant group Al-Shabab, although the group has not claimed responsibility.

The government was due to begin the relocation of an estimated 100,000 urban refugees to camps on 21 January, but a ruling on 23 January by Justice David Majanja halted the government's plan until 4 February, when a petition against the directive filed by Kituo Cha Sheria, a local legal rights group, is scheduled to be heard.

"I am satisfied that, in view of the international obligations Kenya has with respect to refugees, and the fact that under our Constitution refugees are vulnerable persons, the petitioner has an arguable case before the court, " the ruling stated. "A conservatory order... is hereby issued prohibiting any State officer [or] public officer agent of the Government from implementing the decision evidenced by and/or contained in the Press Release dated 18th December 2012 pending further orders of this court."

A welcome ruling

Defenders of refugee rights have welcomed the judge's decision. "This is a very positive ruling by the court. We hope it will be widely spread and reduce the fear the refugee community has experienced since the December announcement," Melanie Teff, a senior advocate with the NGO Refugees International (RI), told IRIN. "Of course, a lot of harm has already been done since the press release, and many urban refugees have already fled."

Fatuma Diriye lived in Nairobi's Somali-dominated Eastleigh neighbourhood for over five years. There, she ran a small business and sent money and supplies to her children in Dadaab. She recently moved back to Dadaab after the directive and police harassment.

"The police attacked my business several times. I had to pay them some money to stay safe from the harassment," she told IRIN, adding that she feels helpless now that she is totally dependent on aid for her family's needs.

For many refugees, the journey to from Nairobi to Dadaab is a treacherous one; Jelle Ibrahim, a father of six in Dadaab's Hagadera camp, said he had to go through five different police check-points along the way.

"We were asked to bring identification cards - when I showed my travelling document, they put us in a separate place [for questioning]," he said. "We were harassed until the conductor of the bus intervened and paid some money to the police."

Dadaab unprepared

Dadaab refugee complex, originally built to house 90,000 refugees, currently hosts an estimated 500,000 Somali nationals. An influx of refugees from Kenya's towns and cities would have a serious impact on the ability of aid agencies and the government to provide services.

"Dadaab is overcrowded and under-resourced - its population has risen by about 150,000 in the last year, while funding has reduced by about half," Mark Yarnell, Horn of Africa advocate for RI, told IRIN. "Insecurity remains a major issue in Dadaab, and some refugees are actually returning to Somalia for this reason."

Officials in Dadaab say they have not yet seen a significant rise in refugee arrivals from urban areas, but fear they would struggle to cope if they did.

"The number of refugees arriving from Nairobi appears small. For the time being, it does not have any impact on service delivery or life in the camp. This can, of course, change if more refugees arrive," said Mans Nyberg, senior external relations officer in Dadaab for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

"We encourage all new arrivals to reactivate their refugee cards so that they will get the benefits they are entitled to as refugees," he added.

Refugees remaining in Eastleigh and other urban centres have expressed relief that the directive will not take place immediately, but said they continue to live in fear of police harassment.

Police harassment

"For now, we are happy from what we have heard and that the government is not implementing their directives soon... We can't go back to camps because even refugees residing in the camps have their problems. Food, water, health and even space to settle is a problem due to the number of refugee in Dadaab," said Ubah Hussein, who lives in Eastleigh. "We would like to go back to our country, but still there is no firm security and peace in most places."

"Here is where our children call home... The government has put us in a condition of fear, and we can't even move out of our houses. We are lacking freedom of movement. We don't open our businesses," said Abdi Mohamed, an elderly businessman in Eastleigh. "Some of my neighbours have left for Mogadishu, and others are on course if the government directives persist."

RI's Yarnell said he had met with community leaders in Nairobi who had expressed fear of police harassment and feelings of helplessness.

"I have met community leaders from Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea - people who have been in Nairobi for years, who described feeling helpless and hopeless since the directive," he said. "They regularly experience abuse - mainly extortion - by security forces who detain them and ask for bribes...since the directive, the bribes have gone up from about 500 shillings [US$5.70] to 40,000 [$458], 60,000 [$687] and even up to 100,000 [$1145]."

Eric Kirathe, Kenya's police spokesman, told IRIN that extortion by police officers would not be tolerated and advised refugees to report any such incidents. "Cases of harassment and extortion are very unfortunate. There are channels for reporting - from the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission to police headquarters to the Independent Police Oversight Authority... Reporting to the media or talking about it in an ad hoc way won't get results," he said.

Rights groups say the harassment of refugees - and Somalis in particular - is not limited to security forces, but also exists within wider Kenyan society. Rufus Karanja, a programme officer with the Refugee Consortium of Kenya, said there was growing concern about the safety of refugees in the run-up to the country's 4 March general election.

"In 2007, many refugees were victims of general xenophobia and insecurity, and many were displaced. We are trying to come up with contingency plans for them ahead of the coming election," he told IRIN. "Much of the xenophobia is fuelled by the media, who keep linking the attacks to Somali refugees... There is a need for media sensitization on broad aspects of refugee protection."

A number of civil society groups, under the umbrella of the Urban Refugee Protection Network, on 22 January called on the Kenyan government to end the abuse of refugees that had escalated following the 18 December directive.

"We will continue to pursue, through the courts, reports of extortion, arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention of refugees by security forces," Karanja said.

kr/mh/mod/rz

24-01-2013 News Release 13/09

Geneva/Niamey (ICRC) – Some 7,000 Malians (people displaced by fighting in the Diabali area and families hosting them) are today receiving emergency supplies of food and other basic necessities in the towns of Niono, Kala Seguida and Mariko, in the central part of the country. The aid is being distributed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Mali Red Cross.

"These people are in the utmost distress," said Abrao Cunga, an ICRC delegate in Mopti. "Most of them arrived without money, clothing or food, and they have no place to sleep. How to get food is one of their biggest worries. Some of them fled on motorcycles, others on donkeys, in carts or even on foot. One family of six arrived on a single motorcycle."

The displaced are benefiting above all from residents' willingness to help them by sharing their meagre resources and, when they can, by taking them in. The aid distributions are providing each displaced family with rice, millet, beans, salt and cooking oil, and with blankets, mosquito nets, clothing, kitchen utensils and other basic necessities. Food aid is also being provided for the host families.

The conflict is causing new displacement. According to assessments carried out by the ICRC and the Mali Red Cross, people have fled the fighting in and around the city of Konna. There are almost 1,000 displaced people in Mopti and Sévaré, and some 5,000 further east, in the towns of Badiangara and Bankass. Preparations are under way to provide them with support.

"It is very difficult to have a precise idea of the number of displaced people. Some families leave their homes in search of safety, then they return, then they leave again," said Jean-Nicolas Marti, the head of the ICRC regional delegation for Mali and Niger. "We're doing everything we can to reach all areas, especially those closest to the fighting."

There have been worrying reports of large displacements of people in the Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu areas, in the north of the country. People are said to be leaving the urban centres because they fear the fighting is approaching. The ICRC and the Mali Red Cross are going to assess the situation in the coming days.

Since the conflict in Mali began one year ago, the ICRC and the Mali Red Cross have provided food and other essentials for more than 780,000 people in the Mopti, Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu areas. The most recent distribution of aid took place in December.

For further information, please contact:
Germain Mwehu, ICRC Niamey, tel: +227 97 45 43 82 or +223 76 99 63 75
Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 31 49 or +41 79 244 64 05

Situation overview

The level of humanitarian assistance delivered in December and throughout 2012 remained high, with 1.2 million people receiving food and 1.6 million accessing clean water on average every month. Humanitarians were able to reach a good portion of the targeted population in need also due to gradual improvements in access to several areas in southern Somalia. Partners stepped up interventions in Baidoa, Marka, Afmadow and Kismaayo.

As the situation improved, more people returned to their areas of origin and fewer displacements were reported. December saw the lowest number of displacements in Somalia in 2012, with 4,500 people displaced across the country.

Despite improvements, assistance continued to be challenged by insecurity and Somalia also continues to experience high malnutrition rates especially among internally displaced people. In November-December 2012, FSNAU, Ministry of Health (MoH) and partners conducted eight nutrition surveys in IDP settlements among children aged between 6 and 59 months in Hargeisa, Burao and Berbera (Somaliland); Bossaso, Qardho, Garowe, Galkayo (Puntland); and Dusamareb Town in Central Somalia. Results indicate Critical to Very Critical nutrition situation among all the IDPs assessed with the exception of IDPS in Hargeisa and Garowe who were in Serious phase.

Opérations de lutte contre des essaims et des bandes larvaires sur la côte de la mer Rouge

La situation relative au Criquet pèlerin demeure préoccupante dans les zones de reproduction hivernale le long des deux côtés de la mer Rouge. Des opérations de lutte terrestre et aérienne se poursuivent en janvier contre des bandes larvaires et quelques essaims dans le nord-est du Soudan (15 600 ha) et sur la côte de la mer Rouge, en Arabie saoudite (3 500 ha). Des opérations de lutte terrestre sont en cours contre des infestations de même type dans le sud-est de l’Égypte (3 100 ha). Une autre génération de reproduction aura lieu dans ces trois pays, entraînant une augmentation supplémentaire des effectifs acridiens. Récemment, quelques essaims ont été observés en ponte sur les plaines côtières, près de la frontière entre le Soudan et l’Érythrée. Tous les efforts sont requis pour suivre attentivement la situation et entreprendre les opérations de lutte indispensables.

La situation relative au Criquet pèlerin est actuellement calme dans la Région occidentale. Au Niger, des populations résiduelles d’ailés solitaires immatures épars sont présentes dans le Tamesna et l’Aïr, tandis qu’une reproduction à petite échelle est en cours dans quelques sites des montagnes de l’Aïr. En Algérie, des opérations de lutte limitées ont été entreprises contre de petites infestations d’ailés près des zones irriguées du Sahara central (Adrar). Au Maroc, des opérations de lutte (1 400 ha) ont été récemment réalisées contre des groupes d’ailés immatures dans la partie méridionale du Sahara occidental. Des opérations limitées sont également en cours dans les zones côtières adjacentes du nord-ouest de la Mauritanie et des ailés immatures épars sont présents dans des parties du nord et du nord-ouest. Les faibles températures retarderont la maturation des criquets et limiteront ses déplacements dans la Région.

Markos and Elias have received school meals from WFP for the past two years, but the lunch they ate one day in November was special. For the first time ever, the students enjoyed a meal made from crops grown just a few kilometers from their school — purchased by WFP directly from Ethiopian farmers.

Markos and Elias have received school meals from WFP for the past two years, but the lunch they ate one day in November was special. The food WFP distributed was not shipped from overseas, or even from other countries in the region. For the first time ever, the students enjoyed a meal made from crops grown just a few kilometers from their school — purchased by WFP directly from Ethiopian farmers.

These locally-grown meals are the result of a partnership between WFP’s School Meals programme and its Purchase for Progress (P4P) programme. School Meals promote student enrollment and attendance in chronically food insecure areas of Ethiopia, with a focus on promoting girls’ education. P4P procures food from smallholder farmers and links them to wider agricultural markets.

Since 2010, P4P has purchased nearly 55,000 metric tons of haricot beans and maize for use in all WFP programmes in Ethiopia, generating over US$16 million for Ethiopian smallholders as a result. At Markos and Elias’ school, Hanja Chafa Primary, and others like it, a nutritious P4P-procured porridge made of bean and maize flour, vegetable oil and salt is keeping students full and in school, and putting money in the pockets of Ethiopian smallholder farmers.

“It is very good that the students are eating meals purchased from farmers in our area,” said Hanja Chafa Primary School director, Tomas Woldemichael. “Many parents send their children to school because they know they will get a meal here. Most of the students do not eat beans or any legumes at home, so at first a few were not used to the taste of the porridge, but over time they have started to like it. We are also educating them on nutrition, so that they will not only like the taste, but also appreciate what good nutrition can do for their minds and bodies.”

Although WFP has procured food locally for many years, P4P particularly supports smallholders, who typically tend to less than two hectares of land and make up 70 percent of Ethiopia’s labor force. P4P’s locally procured food is currently being used for WFP school meals in 37 pilot schools in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR). More and more schools will benefit from these meals as the programme scales up.

One smallholder farming family from the outskirts of Hanja Chafa town explained how P4P has changed their lives in the short two years since its start. Spouses Ermias and Chento Bonge tend to a plot of less than half of one hectare. Prior to participating in P4P, they had limited access to markets to sell their crops. “When we managed to sell our crops, we would get a low price for them,” Ermias recalled.

Then, two years ago, Ermias and Chento joined a primary cooperative for smallholder farmers. The larger cooperative union to which their primary cooperative belongs signed an agreement with WFP, and as a result, Ermias, Chento and hundreds of other smallholder farmers became P4P participants. In 2012, 33,000 smallholder farmers represented by 17 cooperative unions participated in P4P. By the end of 2013, 34,000 additional farmers will have joined.

As part of the programme, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) provided Ermias and Chento with a high yielding, drought resistant variety of haricot bean seeds, which they grow and sell both to WFP and elsewhere. The family’s greater income due to market access and having WFP as a reliable buyer encourages them to increase their crop production, and allows them to provide for their six children.

“The Purchase for Progress programme is empowering tens of thousands of rural poor to increase their incomes and create better lives for themselves,” explained WFP Ethiopia Country Director Abdou Dieng. “Better access to markets means that smallholders can produce more and better crops and get good prices for their yield. This is truly life-changing.”

“Providing food-insecure schoolchildren with meals grown within their own country is extremely important,” Dieng added. “With some technical support from WFP’s Purchase for Progress programme and its partners, Ethiopia is feeding itself.”

At Hanja Chafa Primary, Markos explained, “the only food I get at home is kita (a thin bread). It is not enough to make me full for the whole day.” Then, he added with a smile, “I am happy to eat at school.”

Meselech, a classmate of Markos, chimed in: “And it tastes great!”

This article was written by Ida Girma. Ida is a fellow based in the WFP Ethiopia Country Office.

Genève / Niamey (CICR) – Quelque 7 000 personnes (déplacés ayant fui les combats dans la zone de Diabali et familles qui les accueillent) recevront aujourd'hui une assistance d'urgence sous forme de vivres et de biens de première nécessité dans les localités de Niono, Kala Seguida et Mariko, dans le centre du Mali. Les secours seront distribués par le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) et la Croix-Rouge malienne.

« Ces personnes vivent dans la plus grande précarité. Elles sont arrivées en général sans argent, sans vêtements et sans vivres, et n’ont pas d’endroit où dormir. L'accès à la nourriture est une de leurs préoccupations majeures. Certaines ont fui à moto, d'autres à dos d'âne, en charrette ou même à pied. Une famille de six personnes est arrivée sur une seule moto », explique Abrao Cunga, délégué du CICR à Mopti.

Les déplacés bénéficient avant tout de la solidarité des populations résidentes, qui partagent leurs maigres ressources et, quand elles le peuvent, les accueillent chez elles. Grâce aux distributions du CICR et de la Croix-Rouge malienne, chaque famille de déplacés reçoit du riz, du mil, des haricots, du sel et de l'huile ainsi que des couvertures, des moustiquaires, des vêtements, des ustensiles de cuisine et d’autres articles de première nécessité. Une assistance alimentaire est également fournie aux familles d'accueil.

Le conflit provoque de nouveaux déplacements. Les évaluations du CICR et de la Croix-Rouge malienne font ainsi état de personnes ayant fui les combats dans la ville de Konna et ses environs. Près d'un millier de déplacés se trouvent à Mopti et Sévaré, et quelque 5 000 autres plus à l'est, dans les localités de Badiangara et Bankass. Des préparatifs sont en cours afin de leur venir en aide.

« Il est très difficile de se faire une idée précise du nombre de déplacés. Certaines familles quittent leur foyer à la recherche d'un endroit plus sûr, y reviennent, puis repartent », explique Jean-Nicolas Marti, chef de la délégation régionale du CICR pour le Mali et le Niger. « Nous faisons tout notre possible pour accéder à toutes les zones, notamment celles qui sont les plus proches des combats », ajoute-t-il.

Certaines informations inquiétantes font état d'importants déplacements de population dans les régions de Gao, Kidal et Tombouctou, dans le nord du pays. Craignant un rapprochement des combats, les habitants quitteraient les centres urbains. Le CICR et la Croix-Rouge malienne procèderont ces prochains jours à des évaluations de la situation.

Depuis le début du conflit au Mali il y a un an, le CICR et la Croix-Rouge malienne ont fourni une assistance en vivres et biens essentiels à plus de 780 000 personnes dans les régions de Mopti, Kidal, Gao et Tombouctou. La dernière distribution en date remontait au mois de décembre.

Informations complémentaires :

Germain Mwehu, CICR Niamey, tél. : +227 97 45 43 82 ou +223 76 99 63 75
Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, CICR Genève, tél. : +41 22 730 31 49 ou +41 79 244 64 05

Faits saillants

• Les opérations militaires se poursuivent au Mali et prennent de l’ampleur. Les forces françaises et maliennes ont pris le contrôle de Diabali, Konna et Douentza. Les premiers éléments des forces africaines de l’AFISMA sont arrivés au Mali.

• Les récents combats ont entraîné le déplacement d'au moins 11.000 personnes : 8.429 réfugiés sont arrivés dans les pays voisins depuis le 10 janvier.
  Les partenaires ont également identifié 3.599 personnes déplacées internes à Mopti, Ségou et Bamako. Il y a environ 142.900 réfugiés maliens de l'année dernière dans les trois pays, et près de 228.920 personnes déplacées au Mali.

• Les besoins humanitaires sont en augmentation, en particulier dans le nord et dans les zones de combats. Cependant, l'insécurité a conduit certains partenaires humanitaires à réduire leurs activités, y compris dans des régions auparavant considérées comme sûres. Un accès humanitaire sécurisé est essentiel pour la fourniture d’une aide d'urgence. Les secteurs dans lesquels les besoins sont les plus urgents sont l'aide alimentaire et la protection.

• Des financements doivent être apportés immédiatement pour répondre aux besoins actuels, sans perdre de vue les ressources nécessaires à la reconstruction de la résilience à long terme. Il faut encore environ 367,2 millions de dollars pour répondre aux besoins humanitaires formulés dans l'Appel consolidé Mali 2013 Mali.

Alors que Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) demandait depuis plusieurs jours l’accès à la localité de Konna au Mali, une ville située dans la zone charnière de contact entre nord et sud du pays, une équipe médicale MSF a pu se rendre sur place ce matin.

Partie ce matin de Mopti, une équipe médicale MSF, composée de quatre personnes, deux médecins et deux infirmiers, a pu se rendre dans la localité de Konna, dans le centre du pays. Depuis plusieurs jours, MSF demandait l’accès à cette ville, sans succès.

L’équipe est en train d’évaluer les besoins médicaux et humanitaires de la zone, et s’est rendue au centre de santé de Konna.

« Nos équipes sont arrivées dans une ville où les habitants n’ont pas eu accès aux soins depuis plusieurs jours, car les structures de soin étaient désertées, tant par le personnel médical que par les patients », explique Dario Bertetto, chef de mission pour MSF.

L'équipe a commencé à dispenser des consultations de soins primaires et à organiser des cliniques mobiles pour répondre aux besoins médicaux de la population. Dans les jours à venir, MSF pourra être en mesure de soutenir le centre de santé de Konna. MSF espère aussi pouvoir rejoindre au plus vite la ville de Douentza dont l'accès n’est toujours pas possible et ravitailler ainsi son équipe présente sur place.

En 2012, le Mali est apparu comme le pays le plus fragile de la région du Sahel : dans une zone déjà touchée par une forte insécurité alimentaire, le pays a fait face à une grave crise politique et militaire après le coup d’Etat du 22 mars et la présence de groupes armés au Nord, avec d’importantes conséquences humanitaires.

Le 20 décembre 2012, le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies a adopté une résolution autorisant le déploiement d’une Mission internationale de soutien au Mali sous conduite africaine (MISMA ). La prise d’une ville stratégique, jusque-là contrôlée par l’État malien, par des groupes armés a suscité le 11 janvier le lancement d’opérations par les forces maliennes et françaises avant le déploiement de la MISMA, initialement prévu vers le mois de septembre 2013.

Le poids du conflit sur les civils

On estime qu’à eux seuls, les récents combats ont provoqué le déplacement de plus de 10 000 personnes. Oxfam redoute que les opérations militaires en cours n’affectent gravement la population, en faisant des victimes civiles mais aussi en réduisant l’accès des organisations humanitaires à la population, dont les besoins d’aide, notamment d’accès à l’eau, à la nourriture, et à des abris risquent d’augmenter.

Présent au Mali depuis plus de 25 ans, Oxfam est extrêmement préoccupée par la situation de la population dans le pays et dans les pays voisins. Depuis un an, plus de 380 000 Maliens ont fui le conflit qui sévit dans le nord du pays. 151 000 d’entre eux, dont une majorité de femmes et d’enfants, ont trouvé refuge dans les pays limitrophes, Burkina Faso, Niger ou encore Mauritanie. Des pays eux-mêmes confrontés à des pénuries de denrées alimentaires, dues à la sécheresse et à la crise alimentaire de l’année dernière. Dans certains endroits, les réfugiés sont plus nombreux que la population locale. Ainsi, près de Bassikounou, ville de 42 000 habitants, le camp de réfugiés Mbera accueille 54 000 personnes. Dans certains camps de réfugiés, le taux de malnutrition infantile atteint 21%, bien au-dessus du seuil d’urgence de 15% fixée par l’OMS.

La sécurité alimentaire s’est dégradée tout au long de 2012 et risque d’être aggravée par les récents événements : la région de Diabali par exemple, tout juste reprise par les armées françaises et maliennes, est la plus importante région productrice de riz au Mali.

L’action d’Oxfam

Sur le terrain…

Oxfam a des programmes d’aide humanitaire dans les région de Kayes et de Gao, ainsi qu’au Burkina Faso, en Mauritanie et au Niger, dans les camps de réfugiés.

A Gao, où Oxfam vise à aider près de 60 000 personnes, nos programmes de long terme sont axés sur l’éducation. Nous appuyons aussi des initiatives agricoles, en soutenant en particulier les femmes.
Le programme d’Oxfam à Kayes vise à aider 151 000 personnes, jusqu’en mars 2013, en renforçant la sécurité alimentaire et les moyens d’existence dans les communautés vulnérables. 70% des bénéficiaires sont des femmes, qui sont particulièrement vulnérables. Ce programme d’urgence comporte trois volets : distribution d’argent et de bons d’achat pour subvenir aux besoins essentiels et protéger les moyens d’existence ; distribution de semences et d’outils pour permettre aux bénéficiaires de reprendre leurs activités agricoles ; projets communautaires de relèvement. Notre travail sur la sécurité alimentaire inclut un programme "eau et assainissement" : réhabilitation de 20 points d’eau dont 15 sont déjà terminés, distribution de 7 100 kits d’hygiène à autant de familles - le tiers a déjà été distribué - et la promotion de l’hygiène avec un accent sur la prévention du choléra.

Dans les pays voisins, notre objectif est de porter assistance à près de 150 000 personnes, parmi les réfugiés maliens et populations locales qui les accueillent. Nos équipes sont présentes dans quatre des cinq camps de réfugiés au Burkina Faso, ainsi qu’au camp de Mbera en Mauritanie, pour mettre en oeuvre nos programmes d’urgence d’accès à l’eau potable, d’assainissement et d’hygiène.
Au Niger, la réponse d’Oxfam à destination des réfugiés se concentre également sur l’accès à l’eau, et sur l’assainissement et l’hygiène, ainsi que sur des programmes d’éducation.

Avant le conflit, Oxfam avait mis en place de nombreux programmes d’aide d’urgence et de développement dans l’ensemble de la région du Sahel, pour aider plus d’un million de personnes à faire face à la crise alimentaire.

… et ici

Aider les populations locales affectées par le conflit passe aussi par un travail de plaidoyer auprès des autorités françaises et de la communauté internationale, pour une résolution durable du conflit et la protection des civils. Pour Oxfam, il est capital que : toutes les forces militaires présentes dans le pays, ainsi que celles qui y seront déployées dans le futur, respectent les droits de l’Homme et le droit international humanitaire toutes les forces militaires en présence garantissent la sécurité des populations civiles et assurent la capacité des acteurs humanitaires à fournir de l’aide, ainsi que la capacité des civils à recevoir cette assistance. des observateurs de l’ONU soient déployés de toute urgence, et que les autorités maliennes ainsi que la France fassent régulièrement rapport au Conseil de Sécurité sur les victimes civiles et les violations des droits de l’Homme commises par toutes les parties au conflit, ainsi que sur les mesures prises pour lutter contre ces violations. les États qui hébergent des réfugiés, les autorités maliennes et les organisations humanitaires renforcent en urgence leur capacité à répondre à toute détérioration de la situation humanitaire et sécuritaire, et ce y compris en s’assurant que les pays hôtes soient en mesure d’offrir aux réfugiés un environnement sûr.

Oxfam mène aussi, depuis des années, un travail de plaidoyer pour rompre le cycle incessant des crises alimentaires que connait la région du Sahel et plus largement pour améliorer la sécurité alimentaire et défendre le droit à l’alimentation des populations.

KEY MESSAGES

• The October to December rains, which are important in the eastern Horn of Africa, continued into mid-January, reducing some of the deficits that had lasted through the first half of December.
  Nevertheless, cumulative, seasonal rainfall deficits remain in several areas of the eastern Horn.

• Near normal to above normal rains occurred from October through December in western Somalia, Somali and southern Oromia Regions in Ethiopia, western Kenya, most of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the southern highlands and western areas of Tanzania.

• The short term forecasts suggests a continuation of tropical cyclone activities due to unusually high sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the southwestern Indian Ocean that are causing intermittent rains in parts of the eastern Horn of Africa.

Weather risk remains a major challenge to farming in poor countries that face frequent droughts. Recent evidence on index-based weather insurance points to low take-up rates largely due to basis risk (i.e. residual risk left uninsured by the index). Using randomized control trials, we study to what extent traditional groups can be utilized to mitigate basis risk by retailing insurance through these groups. We find that selling insurance through iddirs, with pre-defined sharing rules, increases take-up—suggesting that groups are better placed to reduce basis risk. We also find that insurance strengthens existing risk-sharing behavior within groups, for example, by improving access to loans from the iddir to cover crop losses and improving perceived ability to finance emergencies. Insurance has also improved household welfare in the short term considered in this study, albeit to a limited extent.

Two weeks after military operations began in northern Mali, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continues to work in the regions of Mopti, Gao, and Timbuktu. In addition, on the morning of 24 January, a small MSF medical team managed to reach Konna, a town located 70 kilometres north of Mopti, in the pivotal area between Mali’s northern and southern sectors, where there has been intense fighting over the past week. Furthermore, nearly 6,000 new refugees were registered in Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso.

Questions of Access

A four-person MSF medical team, composed of two doctors and two nurses, left Mopti early on 24 January and managed to reach Konna later that morning. Until today, MSF had been seeking authorisation to enter the town for the last several days, but without success.

Now that access has been permitted, the team is assessing the medical and humanitarian needs in the area. They also visited the Konna health centre, finding upon their arrival that there was no medical staff or any patients in the town’s health care facilities. Team members therefore began providing primary health care consultations and organised mobile clinics to address the health needs of people in the area. In the coming days, as the assessments continue, MSF will be able to provide additional support to the Konna health centre.

Further north, in Douentza, MSF continues to work in the city’s hospital. The medical staff have remained at the hospital around the clock despite intense bombing in the area, conducting approximately 450 medical consultations over the past week. Today, their priority is to augment the medical services provided to wounded patients, as well as to others who need surgical procedures such as Caesarean sections. MSF hopes to be able to resupply the team in Douentza soon, but access to the route into town is still restricted.

In Timbuktu, medical activities are on-going, particularly in paediatric, obstetrical, emergency, and surgical care. Over the past 10 days, MSF has treated approximately 20 wounded patients at the Timbuktu hospital. The priority in this region is to expand hospitalisation and prepare to treat victims of all kinds of violence. Medical supplies and medicines have also been delivered to the health centres that MSF supports in the Timbuktu region.

MSF has been working in the area for more than 10 months and continues to handle large numbers of patients. In 2012, MSF conducted 50,000 medical consultations (approximately one-third of them for malaria), hospitalised 1,600 people, and performed more than 400 operations. The number of people coming to medical facilities has declined somewhat in the last few days, however.

Activities in Gao

MSF is working in three health centres in and around Gao—in the communities of Wabaria, Chabaria, and Sossokoria. Each day, medical teams are conducting approximately 60 to 65 medical consultations at each centre. This volume has remained steady even as the conflict has intensified, though bombing in the area did force MSF to temporarily suspend its mobile clinic, which had been providing access to medical care to people who could not reach any of the fixed sites.

Further south, in Ansongo, MSF is providing primary and secondary care in the local hospital, while also trying to ensure regular delivery of supplies and medicine and to increase the availability of surgery to the degree that teams could respond effectively in the event of an influx of wounded patients.

Concern for the Displaced

In Mali’s interior, insecurity, travel constraints and communications issues are complicating efforts to assess the number of displaced persons and their health status.

The United Nations has recorded 340,000 Malians who are either internally displaced or living as refugees in neighbouring countries. And another 6,000 people have fled the country since 11 January, taking refuge in Mauritania and Niger, where MSF is also working.

MSF works in the Mopti, Gao, and Timbuktu regions of Mali, as well as in the southern part of the country, conducting nutritional activities in the region of Sikasso and providing care to Malian refugees in the neighbouring countries of Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Niger.

“My house is about a dozen metres from the military camp in Diabaly. This Thursday, at 5 in the morning, we heard gunfire between armed groups and the Malian army, which had rigorously counterattacked against the armed groups in Alatona, at the entrance to the town.

“We heard loud gunshots everywhere, and, tragically, one civilian was killed in the gunfire. I quickly ran to take cover at a friend’s house. I was relieved that my family had already travelled to Markala for the weekend.

“It was total panic everywhere in the town of Diabaly and the population had only one choice: hide in their houses and pray to God.

“I hid for three days in horrible conditions, without any food. The second and third days were particularly nightmarish for me, because, as a worker for a water company, one of the armed groups was looking for me to kill me. According to their philosophy, you are not allowed to sell water.

“Thanks to a source that I would rather not name, I was quickly informed of the situation. I will never stop thanking the population of Diabaly: not only did they refuse to hand me over to the armed group, they disguised me as a woman and helped me flee the town. On my lips were but one sole refrain that came from the bottom of my heart: May God protect us, God is great.

“I walked for 35 kilometres by foot before I came to a place with telephone coverage, and I called a friend in Niono, a town about 60 kilometres away, who came to rescue me by motorbike.

“I arrived exhausted and traumatised by the events that occurred in Diabaly. Now, by the grace of God, my morale is better, and I am asking everyone to immediately come to the aid of the people of Diabaly, particularly with food, because they are in desperate need.”

*The name of the person in this story has been withheld to protect his identity.

About CARE: Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and providing lifesaving assistance in emergencies. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to help lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty.

Last year, CARE worked in 84 countries around the world to assist more than 122 million people improve basic health and education, fight hunger, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity, confront climate change, and recover from disasters. Learn about CARE's work in Mali here.

01/25/2013 02:08 GMT

by Michel Moutot

SEVARE, Mali, Jan 25, 2013 (AFP) - Malians living rough for months after the Islamist capture of the north forced them out of their homes are hoping to return soon, spurred by the French-led offensive that has pushed back the extremists.

Hope pervades among the displaced, 600 of whom are living in a new building in the town of Sevare, about 610 kilometres (380 miles) north of the capital Bamako.

The building, originally meant to provide shelter to passing truckers, now serves as their home.

Sevare has never changed hands or fallen to the Islamist radicals but is close to many towns and villages which have.

Mariam Sisoko, a 27-year-old mother-of-three whose last child Ibrahim was born here, comes from Gossi, 420 kilometres east of Sevare.

"Thanks to the French army and thanks to all the French," she says, beaming. "In one month, or two or three, we will, thanks to God, be able to return home."

Mali's former colonial master France launched a military intervention in the sprawling west African country on January 11 to counter a push southwards by Al Qaeda-linked Islamists occupying the arid north since April.

The campaign, now buttressed by the arrival of African forces, has seen the recapture of key central towns in a major boost for the morale of Malian troops who failed to offer any real resistance to the invaders.

Sisoko says the news of the Islamist reverses has sent hopes soaring.

"Ever since we learnt about the French offensive, we have been preparing our bags," she says.

"We just have a few clothes," she says. "The moment the war is over, we go home."

The man in charge of the camp is a 55-year-old former car mechanic named Boakar Traore, who calls himself Blake after a character in a US television series.

Traore, who ran a garage in Hombori, 320 kilometres east of Sevare, fled when it was taken by Tuareg rebels from the MNLA, a separatist group that wants to carve out an independent homeland called Azawad.

"They attacked my garage. They wanted the car spare parts but above all wanted to take me hostage to repair their Toyotas," he said.

"Now it's the Ansar Dine who are holding Hombori," he said, referring to the Defenders of Faith, an Islamist group linked to Al-Qaeda, who chased out the Tuaregs.

"I have two workers who remained there and they were forced to work for them," Traore said. "At least the bearded men pay a little bit. The MNLA don't give money at all. It's slavery," he said.

"I go to church and to the mosque and believe that all roads lead to God," Traore said. "And that is something these people detest. They killed the village chief, a man who was for us like God."

Children run around the vast courtyard of the building, where there is a school. Food supplies are provided by the Malian government, along with the UN World Food Programme and Catholic charities.

Adama Toure, 24, says more than 30 members of his family from the northern region of Gossi are all here.

"When we left, the truck driver wanted us to pay 10,000 CFA francs (15 euros/$20) per person," he said. "We didn't have money, it took us a month to repay him by doing odd jobs here."

An old woman, weaving a little girl's hair into thin long braids, said: "Even though they razed our homes and there is nothing left, we must go back. For us that's home, no other place will do."

mm/ach/jj

© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

01/25/2013 02:15 GMT

by Jenny Vaghan

ADDIS ABABA, Jan 25, 2013 (AFP) - The war against Islamist militants in northern Mali including the deployment of African troops is expected to dominate talks at the African Union summit in Ethiopia opening Sunday.

A scaling-up of African troops is intended to support the weak Malian army -- boosted by the recent French military intervention -- to battle Islamist insurgents, who seized swathes of Mali's desert north following a coup last year.

"Mali will certainly be a real major preoccupation," said Alex Vines from Britain's Chatham House think-tank, noting the slow deployment so far of soldiers for the UN-backed, African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA).

The AU has said the priority is to send troops immediately to the embattled West African state.

"The goal is to do it I would say yesterday, as soon as we can," AU Deputy Peace and Security Commissioner El Ghassim Wane told reporters on Thursday.

African leaders are set to commit their support for the force, with presidents expected to also stay beyond the two-day summit for an international donor conference for Mali.

The conference on Tuesday will aim to drum up further funds for Mali operations and will include representatives from the European Union and the UN Security Council.

Wane said he was confident the donor conference would "deliver on its promise" and secure the necessary resources, including the swift deployment of troops and support for Mali's army.

But during the first bi-annual summit since the election of AU Commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the 54-nation AU, with UN chief Ban Ki-moon in attendance, will also likely focus on other flashpoint areas.

"We have seen the re-emergence of conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau and the Central African Republic," Dlamini-Zuma told reporters this week.

"In Mali and the Sahel we are now facing new, multi-faceted challenges with broader regional and continental implications," she added.

Another topic would be the slow progress between the rival leaders of Sudan and South Sudan, who are due to meet Friday for the latest attempt to push forward a raft of stalled oil, security and border deals.

Vines said a strong commitment from both presidents is required to revive the AU-mediated negotiations, which began after Juba won independence in July 2011.

"These are things that will require a compromise at senior political level, so hopefully a meeting of both presidents will assist the AU mediation team in pushing for progress," he said.

Dlamini-Zuma has urged member states and the international community to work together to address conflict, and insisted that peace is crucial for development on the continent.

"It is my fervent hope that we maintain a proper and healthy balance between achieving peace and advancing development.... The continent cannot advance without succeeding on both fronts simultaneously," Dlamini-Zuma added.

The conference, which is officially themed "Pan Africanism and African Renaissance", will also kick off the 50th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, the predecessor to the AU.

Dlamini-Zuma has said the anniversary was time to ensure the "social and economic liberation of our continent".

African leaders are also set to vote in a new chair of the AU to replace the current head, Benin's President Yayi Boni.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn is slated to replace Boni, according to Ethiopia's foreign ministry.

The position rotates on a regional basis and a new chair is voted in by member states every January.

jv/pjm/boc

© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

By Lucas Liganga

LONDIGO, Tanzania (AlertNet) – The loss of more than half their livestock in the 2009 drought has led Maasai pastoralists in northern Tanzania’s Arusha region to breed fewer, stronger cattle and end their traditional focus on numbers alone as symbols of wealth and status.

The impact of that devastating drought, which dealt a blow to the whole nation’s economy, is still visible in the small number of cattle in many villages of Engarenaibor in Arusha’s Longido district.

Read the full report on AlertNet.

01/25/2013 07:04 GMT

Par Jenny VAUGHAN

ADDIS ABEBA, 25 jan 2013 (AFP) - L'intervention militaire engagée contre les islamistes qui contrôlent le nord du Mali, à laquelle doivent se joindre des troupes africaines en cours de déploiement, devrait dominer le Sommet des chefs d'Etat de l'Union africaine (UA), dimanche et lundi à Addis Abeba.

"Il est certain que le Mali sera une préoccupation majeure", a affirmé Alex Vines, chercheur au groupe de réflexion britannique Chatham House, qui souligne la lenteur du déploiement des troupes ouest-africaines censées constituer l'épine dorsale de la Mission internationale de soutien au Mali (Misma).

Le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU a autorisé en décembre le déploiement de la Misma, chargée d'aider la faible armée malienne à reconquérir la moitié nord du pays, sous contrôle de groupes islamistes depuis avril 2012.

L'UA a admis l'urgence à déployer sur le terrain des troupes qui n'arrivent qu'au compte-gouttes, après que la France a dû intervenir en urgence, mi-janvier, à la demande des autorités maliennes, face à l'avancée des islamistes vers Bamako.

"Le but est de le faire, si je puis dire, pour hier, dès que nous le pouvons", a dit à la presse le commissaire adjoint à la Paix et la Sécurité El Ghassim Wane.

Plus de 2.300 soldats français sont déjà déployés au Mali et l'armée française est pour l'heure le seul contingent étranger engagé au combat au côté d'unités de l'armée malienne contre les groupes islamistes.

Selon Paris, des soldats africains, dont un millier sont arrivés à Bamako, ont commencé mercredi à se déployer vers l'intérieur du pays.

Addis Abeba accueillera le lendemain du sommet, le 29 janvier, une conférence des donateurs qui devront trouver les 340 millions d'euros destinés à financer non seulement la Misma mais aussi la formation et la restructuration des forces maliennes.

"Nous comptons bien sûr sur la conférence pour faire face à ses responsabilités afin de permettre le déploiement de la Misma et le renforcement des capacités de l'armée malienne", a déclaré M. Wane.

Outre les chefs d'Etat africains, devraient également y prendre part des représentant des pays de l'Union européenne et des membres permanents du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU.

Le sommet devrait également se pencher sur plusieurs autres conflits ou zones de tension sur le continent.

La présidente de la Commission de l'UA, la Sud-Africaine Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, élue lors du précédent sommet en juillet, lors d'un scrutin ayant tourné au psychodrame, a notamment évoqué cette semaine la "réémergence de conflits dans l'est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), en Guinée-Bissau et en République centrafricaine".

Plusieurs conflits en cours

Si les combats ont cessé dans la province du Nord-Kivu, dans l'est de la RDC, les pourparlers à Kampala entre gouvernement et rebelles du M23 avancent péniblement et la rébellion continue d'étendre son emprise, ont accusé lundi des ONG locales.

A Bissau, les autorités ont annoncé lundi qu'il serait "impossible" d'organiser les élections générales prévues en mai 2013, pour clore la période de transition ouverte par le coup d'Etat d'avril 2012.

En Centrafrique, le ministère de la Défense a accusé mercredi la rébellion qui menaçait Bangui en décembre, de continuer les hostilités malgré un accord signé avec le gouvernement en janvier.

Le peu de progrès dans la résolution des différends entre Soudan et Soudan du Sud seront également au programme des discussions. Une rencontre entre leurs présidents respectifs, Omar el-Béchir et Salva Kiir, est prévue vendredi afin de relancer la mise en oeuvre d'accords signés en septembre sur la sécurité, le tracé de la frontière et la reprise de la production pétrolière.

"Ce sont des choses qui nécessitent des compromis au plus haut niveau politique, donc on peut espérer qu'une rencontre entre les deux présidents aidera la médiation de l'UA", a estimé Alex Vines.

Outre les dirigeants des 54 pays membres de l'UA, le secrétaire-général de l'ONU Ban Ki-moon est également attendu pour ce sommet de l'organisation panafricaine qui donnera le coup d'envoi des célébrations du 50e anniversaire de la création de l'Organisation de l'Unité africaine (OUA), ancêtre de l'UA.

Lors du sommet, le président en exercice de l'UA, le chef de l'Etat béninois Thomas Boni Yayi, devrait passer le flambeau au Premier ministre éthiopien Hailemariam Desalegn.

jv/ayv/bb/aub/jlb

© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

24 January 2013 – Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a call of action to the international community to solve the crises in Syria and Mali, stressing that the world must come together to end the ongoing violence in the two countries and ensure assistance is available to those in need.

“People and policies are connected like never before. We must pull together because we are tied together. From Syria and Mali today, to the foundations for peace and prosperity tomorrow, that is my call to action to you and to the world at this time,” Mr. Ban said in his special address to the Forum. “Let not our inaction today lead to harsh judgement tomorrow.”

Mr. Ban stressed that military confrontation is having an unprecedented toll for people in Syria, where more than 60,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in early 2011.

Recent months have witnessed an escalation in the conflict, which is now in its 23rd month and has left more than 4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

“However difficult this situation is, we must push for a political solution,” Mr. Ban said. “Seemingly intractable divides have been bridged in other conflicts and contexts. As long as there is a possibility to end this crisis through talks, that is what we must keep doing.”

Mr. Ban reiterated his full support for the diplomatic efforts of the Joint Special Representative of the UN and the League of Arab States, Lakhdar Brahimi to establish a political process, while underscoring that it will be essential for the Security Council “to overcome the deadlock, and find unity that will make meaningful action possible.”

Mr. Ban added that inaction would be a resignation to Syria's destruction and would be too costly -- and unacceptable. “That would be an abdication of our collective responsibility to protect. The world, and above all the Security Council, must uphold its responsibilities.”

Despite restricted access due to insecurity and limitation imposed by the Syrian Government, humanitarian agencies are feeding 1.5 million people and providing relief supplies to some 400,000. However, Mr. Ban stressed that this is not enough, and added that the humanitarian community needs $1.5 billion to continue carrying out its work over the next six months, representing the largest ever short-term appeal.

Regarding Mali, Mr. Ban warned that the crisis is deepening, with increasing reports of sexual violence, recruitment of child soldiers and reprisals against civilian Tuareg and Arab populations.

“The country is under grave threat from extremist armed insurgents,” Mr. Ban said. “A toxic mix of poverty, extreme climatic conditions, weak institutions, drug smuggling, and the easy availability of deadly weapons is causing profound misery and dangerous insecurity in and beyond Mali.”

Fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels broke out in the northern part of the country last January, after which radical Islamists seized control of the area. The renewed clashes in the North, as well as the proliferation of armed groups in the region, drought and political instability in the wake of a military coup d'état in March have uprooted hundreds of thousands of civilians over the course of 2012.

Mr. Ban reaffirmed the UN's commitment to support the West African country in security efforts as well as humanitarian and political assistance. Last week, a UN team arrived in the capital, Bamako, to assist in building a process that would address both military and political concerns.

However, Mr. Ban underlined that the events in Mali are affecting the entire Sahel region, where some 18 million people have been affected by food shortages and the threat of insecurity, and called on the international community to support all governments there.

“We cannot expect to address the issues in Mali unless we confront the challenges affecting the broader region,” he said. “The governments and people of the Sahel need our full support […] I urge all leaders to do their part in the collective response to Mali's plight, and I reiterate the UN's strong commitment to do ours.”

While in Davos, Mr. Ban also met with the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmet Davutoglu, with whom he exchanged views on the crisis in Syria. He also met with the Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga, with whom he discussed preparations for the country's general election later this year, and the President of Guatemala, Otto Pérez Molina.

People living in the Dadaab refugee complex are nervous over Kenya's plans to relocate Somalis there from urban areas

Bishara Mohamed cradles her six-month-old son in a hospital in Dagahaley, one of five camps that make up the enormous Dadaab refugee complex in north-eastern Kenya.

Read the full report on the Guardian.