02/15/2013 15:38 GMT

GENEVE, 15 fév 2013 (AFP) - Le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM) de l'ONU a annoncé vendredi qu'il se fixait pour objectif de fournir une aide alimentaire d'urgence à quelque 564.000 Maliens cette année, en particulier dans le nord du pays.

Le PAM veut "toucher environ 564.000 personnes au Mali" dont "plus de 400.000 personnes" dans le Nord, repris aux groupes islamistes armés par les forces françaises et africaines, "à Tombouctou, Gao et Kidal", a déclaré à la presse la porte-parole Elisabeth Byrs.

Le plan de l'agence onusienne prévoit une aide alimentaire d'urgence pour 135.000 personnes déplacées en raison du conflit ou qui hébergent des déplacés dans le sud du pays, et pour "des communautés fragiles souffrant des conséquences de la crise", a-t-elle précisé.

Quarante-cinq millions de dollars sont nécessaires dans l'immédiat pour permettre au PAM d'acheter 30.000 tonnes de nourriture afin de nourrir les populations jusqu'en juin. Pour l'ensemble de l'année, le coût de l'aide s'élèvera à 137 millions de dollars, a précisé le PAM.

L'annonce de cette aide alimentaire survient alors que, selon une enquête de l'Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM) auprès de 836 familles qui ont fui Tombouctou et Gao pour se réfugier à Bamako et ses environs, quasiment toutes souhaitent regagner le Nord dès que possible.

Un quart d'entre elles disent avoir l'intention d'y retourner en février et un tiers d'ici la fin de l'année, a indiqué vendredi le porte-parole de l'OIM Jean-Philippe Chauzy.

Il y a au total plus de 150.000 réfugiés maliens dans les pays voisins et 227.000 déplacés à l'intérieur du Mali, d'après les Nations unies.

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JOHANNESBURG, 15 February 2013 (IRIN) - Who or what do you blame when the price of maize seems to keep going through the roof? If you didn’t mention fuel subsidies, then you need to read this list of emerging food issues in Africa.

Weather holds the balance: Global supplies of wheat and maize remain tight, increasing the food supply’s vulnerability to weather disasters, says Abdolreza Abbassian, secretary of the Intergovernmental Group on Grains at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“The current low stocks for both wheat and maize are a reason for concern because even small shocks could cause panic and speculation in international markets and contribute to price volatility,” said Gary Eilerts, programme manager of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).

Maize supplies are tight because of the 2012 drought in the US, the world’s largest maize exporter. Drought in Russia in 2012 has also affected the global wheat supply. “Prices will remain high in the coming months and [are] vulnerable to evolving global market conditions,” said Eilerts.

Regionally, Southern Africa - where maize is the main staple - is the most dependent on maize imports, says Liliana Balbi, team leader of FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS). "Several countries rely on imports from the sub-region’s main producer and exporter, South Africa, where prices reflect trends in the international market in addition to internal supply/demand conditions."

Expensive maize in South Africa in the second half of 2012 has led to high prices, particularly in Lesotho and Swaziland. But "rising maize price trends in other countries, such as Malawi and Mozambique mainly reflect domestic dynamics," she said.

"North African countries, highly dependent on maize imports for the feed industry, have also faced higher import bills… However, extensive food subsidies in place limit the price transmission to consumers," said Balbi.

In Eastern Africa, Kenya and Somalia rely mostly on the regional export markets, such as Uganda and Tanzania, Balbi explained, so they are unaffected by the international markets.

Wheat exports from the US have also been affected, as some of its wheat has been locally diverted as a substitute for maize to feed animals.

Though high, global maize and wheat prices have remained stable thanks to increased supplies from southern hemisphere countries, like Argentina, Brazil and South Africa, which harvest in the second half of the year.

Emergence of the south: The future of cereal prices is not necessarily bleak. “I am very excited about the resumption of large wheat exports from India - which is about 6.5 million tons - and record maize shipments from Brazil of 22 million tons that are easing the global grain supply/demand situation,” said Abbassian.

“India and Brazil have played pretty important roles in international commodity markets as net exporters this year. It will definitely be interesting to see how their export position evolves in global staple food markets,” said Eilerts.

Lower global stocks of wheat have also been offset by higher stocks in Iran, South Korea and Ukraine, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Phasing out fuel subsidies: Eilerts added that he is keeping an eye on countries phasing out fuel subsidies, such as Malawi, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

Malawi is already dealing with the repercussions of replacing its fuel price subsidies with “automatic fuel price adjustments”, in which prices automatically reflect changes in global fossil fuel prices, explains economist Charles Jumbe, of the Centre for Agricultural Research and Development in Malawi.

Private traders of maize, the country’s staple, are transferring the now-record high costs of fuel to consumers.

There is considerable global pressure on indebted developing countries, from both financial institutions and development bodies, to remove fossil fuel subsidies. More than US$500 billion worth of fossil fuel subsidies are provided by governments every year, [according to the UN](. “Fossil fuel subsidies drain public resources, drive global warming and make it harder for clean energy to compete. In fact, fossil fuel subsidies are 500 percent larger than the subsidies provided for clean energy,” said the UN.

Cameroon, Chad, Guinea and Nigeria have all moved towards cutting fuel subsidies. There is increasing pressure on Ghana from its own central bank to remove subsidies.

Malawi: The price of maize in Malawi is up by an average of 20 percent from December 2012 to January 2013. The prices are 69 percent “higher, on average, than their respective January 2012 levels,” said Eilerts.

"In Malawi, prices of maize, in nominal terms, reached new records in January 2013 that were 25 percent higher than the previous record in February 2009," said FAO's Balbi.

These prices have been driven up by a variety of factors. The Malawian economy experienced two major shocks in 2012, Eilerts points out: an initial 50 percent devaluation and subsequent depreciation of the Malawian currency, the kwacha, and a production shortfall in the southern region of the country. These increased the costs of imported fuel and fertilizers, decreasing the cost of locally produced commodities like maize.

The kwacha, which had depreciated by almost 100 percent against the US dollar by the end of 2012, made Malawi’s maize attractive to buyers in neighbouring Tanzania and Mozambique, which had poor experienced harvests. The high demand has caused the maize price to skyrocket in Malawi, even in spite of an export ban. (The removal of the country’s fuel subsidies has also had an impact on maize prices.)

Government regulations have helped keep maize in the country, but efforts to control prices do not work, said economist Jumbe: “In theory, the government sets producer prices, but on the ground, supply and demand forces play a major role. “

The flow of maize from the country’s National Food Reserve Agency also does “not appear to provide a cushion from the high-flying maize prices as expected,” he says.

Rains in the next cropping season, from October 2013 to May 2014, will be critical to help the country’s stocks. But cash transfers and targeted food assistance by the government, the UN and partners are helping to ease the situation.

Rice in the Sahel: Global rice stocks are adequate, and prices in the major exporting countries are either stable or declining, says Eilerts. This has helped markets in the Sahel, where rice is consumed in larger quantities than the rest of Africa. Governments, particularly in Niger and Senegal, are also providing input subsidies to boost local rice production and enabling periods of duty-free rice imports, he added.

"With that said, imported rice prices have gradually increased in Mauritania and Ghana since 2011, due to the persistent depreciation of the Mauritanian ouguiya and the Ghanaian cedi between July 2011 and December 2012. Some price increases of imported goods, such as rice, occurred in Mauritania, also as a result of continued increases in fuel prices, which make transport of foodstuff costly."

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Executive Summary

Background

This is a synthesis of the main findings and common lessons emerging from a series of mixed-method impact evaluations assessing the contribution of food assistance to durable solutions in protracted refugee situations. The evaluations, conducted jointly with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) through 2011–2012 in Bangladesh, Chad, Ethiopia and Rwanda, tested the validity of an intervention logic derived from UNHCR and WFP policies and programme guidance, which posited that the two agencies’ combined work would contribute to increased self-reliance over three stages following refugee arrival.

Results

Food security and nutrition: Unacceptably high numbers of refugee households remained food-insecure, especially in the second half of the period between food distributions. Women were more food-insecure than men, often because they had more dependants Rates of chronic malnutrition reached or exceeded the high severity threshold in all four contexts, and anaemia prevalence was high, but similar to national rates.

Global acute malnutrition rates ranged from acceptable to serious, and were higher in Bangladesh. Trends were mixed, but rates were better among refugees than among the host population in all four contexts, suggesting that food assistance had a positive impact. Severe acute malnutrition rates were also mixed.

In some programmes, funding shortfalls, pipeline breaks and irregular updating of refugee registers resulted in general food distribution rations being less than the 2,100 kcal per day standard and deficient in proteins and micronutrients.

Livelihoods: Livelihood options for refugees were very limited and livelihood support was generally weak. Refugees did not have access to formal labour markets, except for in Rwanda, or adequate land for agriculture, except for in Chad. As a result, the most common type of work for refugees was unskilled day labour in poor conditions, competing with local populations.

The main source of refugee income and collateral was food rations and non-food items, which were sold and exchanged primarily to meet unmet basic needs, such as clothing, and to pay for milling, health services and school expenses. Women were generally the managers of household food supplies and bore the burden and risks of indebtedness. However, except for in Rwanda, women’s participation in camp committees remained limited.

In all four contexts, women’s livelihood activities were especially precarious and often exposed them to risk. Many women and adolescent girls relied on activities such as collecting fuelwood, begging and domestic service; transactional and survival sex were common.

15 February 2013 – There is an urgent need to help displaced Malian farmers return to their lands before the start of the planting season in May, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said today, stressing that the communities’ resilience must be improved to ensure the agricultural sector’s safety.

“As the security situation continues to evolve, FAO, our partner agencies and the international community must do everything we can to help the Government support farmers returning to their land, where it is safe to do so, and get back to growing food,” FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said today, following talks with Mali’s Minister for Agriculture, Baba Berthé.

“Mali simply cannot afford to write off the next growing season,” he stressed.

Northern Mali was occupied by radical Islamists after fighting broke out in January 2012 between Government forces and Tuareg rebels. The conflict uprooted hundreds of thousands of people and prompted the Malian Government to request assistance from France to stop the military advance of extremist groups.

Despite improvements in the security situation in the north, conditions remain precarious with many markets and shops still closed and an estimated 2 million people facing food insecurity across the country due to the pre-existing nutrition crisis brought on by a combination of drought, high grain prices and environmental degradation, FAO said in a news release.

Many of the displaced are farmers, who are living in refugee camps or staying with host families in neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger. Other smallholders have temporarily relocated to southern Mali, placing strains on local food resources. Other farmers have returned home but have not been able to cultivate their land as they have little or no access to the tools, seeds and animals necessary to begin production.

Currently, many families are relying on household food stocks, but they will be forced to turn to markets as the lean season starts. To get by, they can consume or sell seed stock intended for planting or other farming tools and supplies, said FAO.

UN agencies are also assisting those displaced through food distributions. At a press briefing today in Geneva, the World Food Programme (WFP) said it has sent over 1,000 metric tons of mixed food commodities to the Timbuktu region since it resumed activities in the country earlier this month.

In addition to Timbuktu, the agency has ongoing food distributions for more than 76,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Bamako, Mopti, Ségou, and Kayes regions, and is aiming to deliver emergency food supplies for 564,000 in and around the country. To reach this target, some $45 million is urgently required to purchase supplies that will last up until June.

During their meeting, Mr. Graziano da Silva and Mr. Berthé stressed that in addition to emergency relief, jump-starting local food production ahead of the planting season is a critical need.

FAO has requested nearly $12 million in humanitarian support aimed at helping 490,000 families to cope with the impacts of past droughts and build more resilient agricultural systems through a wide range of farming and livestock support. An additional $10 million is needed to assist new IDPs, returnees and host families in Mali, by providing them with quality seeds, farming tools and supplies and veterinary health services, the agency said.

The two men underlined that restoring security throughout the country will be essential to improving Mali’s food security in the long term.

The conflict has not only affected food security but also the human rights situation. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it would deploy human rights experts to monitor the situation on the ground.

OHCHR spokesperson Cécile Pouilly told reporters in Geneva that three experts have already arrived in the capital to support human rights activities undertaken by the UN Office in Mali (UNOM), and a four-person team will be sent on a fact-finding mission on Sunday.

“We reiterate our call on all parties to the conflict to abide by humanitarian law and international human rights, and to prevent acts of revenge and retaliation,” Ms. Pouilly said.

In 2011, East Africa suffered from one of the worst droughts in 60 years which left more than 13 million people in need of food, water and emergency healthcare.

Canadian donors contributed $14 million to the Humanitarian Coalition’s joint appeal for East Africa's drought of 2011. These funds helped to set up activities such as the delivery of emergency food, basic healthcare, and water sanitation kits. Nutrition centres and child education programs also played a significant role in the response.

As part of its commitment to transparency and accountability, the Humanitarian Coalition conducts a series of evaluations both to measure impact and identify lessons learned.

This report represents a summary of the learning from the Final Evaluation related specifically to the cash transfer projects implemented by the member agencies of the Canadian Humanitarian Coalition and CIDA East Africa Drought Response. Detailed and specific recommendations have been provided on cash transfers to each of the agencies in country level agency specific reports, and this report concentrates on the wider lessons learned and regional recommendations.

Généralités

Le présent document fait la synthèse des principales constatations et leçons communes tirées d'une série d’évaluations d'impact, réalisées selon une méthode mixte, qui examinent la contribution de l'assistance alimentaire aux solutions durables dans les situations de réfugiés prolongées. Ces évaluations, effectuées conjointement avec le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés pendant la période 2011-2012 au Bangladesh, en Éthiopie, au Rwanda et au Tchad, visaient à s'assurer de la validité de la logique d'intervention, fondée sur les politiques et les directives relatives aux programmes du Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés et du PAM, qui postule que les efforts conjoints des deux organismes contribueraient à renforcer l'autosuffisance des réfugiés, suivant une progression en trois étapes à compter de leur arrivée.

Résultats

 Sécurité alimentaire et nutrition

Un nombre inacceptable de ménages de réfugiés demeuraient exposés à l'insécurité alimentaire, surtout pendant la seconde moitié de la période qui s'écoulait entre deux distributions de vivres. Les femmes étaient plus exposées que les hommes car elles avaient souvent un plus grand nombre de personnes à charge. Dans les quatre contextes, le taux de malnutrition chronique atteignait ou dépassait le seuil de gravité élevée; la prévalence de l'anémie était élevée mais reflétait les taux nationaux.

Le taux de malnutrition aiguë globale variait entre "acceptable" et "grave" et il était plus élevé au Bangladesh. Les tendances étaient hétérogènes mais, dans les quatre contextes, le taux était meilleur parmi les réfugiés que dans la population d'accueil, ce qui suggère que l'assistance alimentaire avait un impact positif. Les taux de malnutrition aiguë grave étaient également variables.

Dans certains programmes, en raison de la pénurie de ressources, des ruptures de la filière d'approvisionnement et de la mise à jour irrégulière des registres de réfugiés, les rations fournies lors des distributions générales n'apportaient pas les 2 100 kilocalories par jour prévues au départ et avaient une teneur réduite en protéines et micronutriments.

 Moyens de subsistance

Pour les réfugiés, les options en matière de moyens de subsistance étaient très limitées et, à cet égard, l'appui était généralement insuffisant. Ils n'avaient pas accès aux marchés officiels du travail, à l'exception du Rwanda, ni à des terres adaptées à l'agriculture, sauf au Tchad. Par conséquent les réfugiés occupaient, le plus souvent, des emplois journaliers non qualifiés, dans de mauvaises conditions et en concurrence avec la population locale.

FACTS

• The total number of children admitted for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in 2012 was 146, 963, far beyond the 127, 300 forecast.

• The vaccination campaign against yellow fever in eastern Chad to be kicked off on 22 February 2013.

• Chad’s 2012 floods affected up to 700,000 people.

Staple food production decreases in Nigeria; regional prices likely to rise unseasonably

A recent assessment by FEWS NET and partners indicates that crop damage from 2012 flooding in Nigeria was more severe than initially reported. As a result, 2012/13 staple food production may be as much as 12 percent lower than November 2012 estimates.
Food availability in Nigeria is further limited by an increase in security checkpoints along key trade corridors, restrictions on international imports through the port of Lagos, and rising fuel prices. As the region’s largest staple food producer, Nigeria’s anticipated decline in production is expected to affect both local and regional markets. For example, staple food prices across West Africa are likely to be higher than would have otherwise been anticipated following the above‐average Sahelian cereal production this year. Emergency assistance needs may be higher than previously anticipated in the region’s structurally‐deficit zones and in localized areas that experienced production shortfalls, especially during the July‐September 2013 lean season.

FEWS NET, OCHA, WFP, CILSS, and NEMA conducted a joint field assessment in late January 2013 to the Niger, Kebbi, Kano, and Jigawa states of Nigeria. Significant flood‐related crop losses, infrastructure damage, and atypical trade flows were observed. Cassava, yam, maize, and sorghum losses were particularly high. Remaining tuber harvests are not expected to store well due to decreased quality from excessive soil moisture. Damage to dams and irrigation systems will likely reduce dry season production. Detailed assessment findings will be available later this month in the Nigeria Food Security Outlook.

By most estimates, staple food production was average to above‐average across West Africa during the 2012/13 cropping season. According to AGRYHMET, total cereal and tuber production in the West African Monetary Union (UEMOA) was more than 16 percent above the five‐year average. Initial production estimates for Nigeria, which produces two‐thirds to three‐quarters of West Africa’s local food supply, indicated that production would be 2 percent greater than 2011 levels (a bumper year) and 6 percent greater than the five‐year average. However, once these figures are adjusted for the flood losses observed in recent weeks, regional market supplies for the rest of the marketing year are likely to be much tighter than previously expected. Despite some uncertainty about Nigeria’s agricultural production in 2012/13, FEWS NET estimates that the magnitude of the 2012 crop losses nearly offsets the above‐average 2012 production in the rest of the region (Figure 1). Current market conditions in Nigeria are characterized by a great deal of uncertainty due to reduced market supplies, marketing restrictions related to insecurity, prohibitively high import tariffs, and fuel price policies that could change drastically in the coming months.

Until December 2012, FEWS NET anticipated that cereal prices would remain high compared to their five‐year average levels but generally follow seasonal trends, increasing moderately by 1 to 4 percent per month through September 2013. However, the current marketing conditions in Nigeria are expected to put upward pressure on staple food prices across West Africa between March and the end of the 2013 lean season in August/September, particularly for maize, millet, and tubers. Exacerbating factors include: increased demand for cereals from populations usually reliant on tubers, growing demand for maize by the Nigerian industrial and poultry sectors (though this demand is not likely to achieve the high levels experienced in 2005); and structurally high millet prices across the region, likely due to significant declines in Nigerian millet production since 2007/08. Markets that rely heavily on cross‐border trade from Nigeria, such as those in south‐eastern Niger, may be most affected.

Preliminary analysis suggests that these price increases could drive widespread food security Stress (IPC Phase 2) in the region’s structurally‐deficit zones and localized Crisis (IPC Phase 3) in areas that experienced production shortfalls, especially during the July‐September 2013 lean season. Wide‐spread Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or Emergency (IPC Phase 4) is not anticipated as better than usual household stocks, favorable cash crop production and marketing conditions, and humanitarian assistance during the post‐harvest period will partially offset the expected price increases.

Even so, emergency assistance needs could be higher than anticipated previously. National governments and humanitarian agencies should plan for this possibility, especially in the region’s structurally deficit pastoral and agro‐pastoral zones, where households rely heavily on markets as early as March, and in areas where the agricultural production season was less successful. The possibility of much tighter cereal market supplies across the Sahel also suggests that institutions should exercise prudence when purchasing local cereals, particularly for millet and maize in Chad, Benin, Nigeria, and Niger.

Millet, maize, and sorghum are the most important food commodities for household consumption. Millet is the staple of the most vulnerable households, while maize and sorghum also contribute to the food basket of a majority of all households. Sankaryare market is the largest and most important market in Ouagadougou and supplies other markets within the country and region. Koudougou is located in one of the most populated areas in the country, where a majority of households depend on the market for their food needs. Djibo is in the highly vulnerable Sahelian zone.
Pouytenga is an assembly market for products from Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, and Togo. Solenzo is a rural market located in the middle of a surplus production zone. Bobo Dioulasso is important center for both consumption and production – it functions as both the economic capital of Burkina Faso and is located in an important cereal production zone.

Le Directeur général de la FAO et le Ministre malien de l’agriculture soulignent la double nécessité de redémarrer la production alimentaire locale et de renforcer la résilience des communautés

15 février 2013, Rome - Au Mali, à l'approche de la prochaine saison des semailles qui démarre en mai, il convient d'aider d'urgence les agriculteurs déplacés à retourner sur leurs terres et reprendre la production alimentaire immédiatement là où la situation au plan de la sécurité le permet, indique-t-on aujourd'hui à la FAO à l'issue d'un long entretien du Ministre de l'agriculture du Mali, M. Baba Berthé, avec le Directeur général de l'Organisation, M. José Graziano da Silva.

M. Berthé a souligné qu'il convenait en priorité de cibler l'aide aux agriculteurs qui ont réintégré les zones où la situation au plan de la sécurité s'est améliorée. Il a ajouté qu'il convenait aussi de renforcer la résilience des petits exploitants agricoles sur l'ensemble du pays.

«La saison des semis principale doit débuter en mai au Mali. A l'heure où la situation continue d'évoluer, la FAO, nos agences partenaires et la communauté internationale doivent faire tout leur possible pour aider, là où la situation sécuritaire le permet, le gouvernement à soutenir les agriculteurs qui ont regagné leurs terres et assurer le redémarrage de la production alimentaire», a déclaré notamment M. Graziano da Silva. «Le Mali ne peut tout simplement pas se permettre de perdre la prochaine saison des semailles».

On estime à quelque 2 millions le nombre de personnes qui souffrent d'insécurité alimentaire dans ce pays d'Afrique subsaharienne. La moitié vivent dans le nord du pays, mais les effets persistants de la crise alimentaire et nutritionnelle de 2011-12, engendrée à la fois par la sécheresse, les prix élevés des céréales et la dégradation de l'environnement, ainsi que les déplacements internes de population, ont plongé un autre million de personnes dans l'insécurité alimentaire dans la partie sud du Mali.

Une situation en évolution

Plus de 400 000 personnes ont fui leur maison depuis le début du conflit qui a éclaté dans le nord du Mali l'an dernier, aggravant ainsi la crise alimentaire qui y prévalait.

De nombreuses personnes déplacées sont des agriculteurs qui résident provisoirement dans des camps de réfugiés ou dans des familles d'accueil dans les pays voisins (Burkina Faso, Mauritanie, Niger). D'autres petits exploitants agricoles ont trouvé refuge dans la partie sud du Mali, ce qui a eu pour effet d'accentuer la pression sur les ressources alimentaires locales.

Bien que certaines personnes aient commencé à rentrer chez elles pour reprendre leurs activités agricoles, elles n'ont pas été en mesure de cultiver leurs terres en raison d'un problème d'accès aux outils agricoles et aux intrants ainsi qu'aux animaux nécessaires pour la reprise de l'élevage - parfois en raison de l'absence de ces outils et intrants.

En outre, la plupart des marchés dans le nord du pays restent fermés en dépit de l'amélioration de la situation sécuritaire.

Les familles comptent encore sur leurs propres stocks alimentaires pour s'alimenter, mais elles seront bientôt contraintes de s'approvisionner sur les marchés alors que débutera la période de soudure et que les prix seront au plus haut. Les ménages pourraient être obligés de consommer ou de vendre les graines au lieu de les planter. Ils pourraient aussi être contraints de vendre leurs biens (outils agricoles, fournitures, etc.).

Rappelons que le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM) s'emploie à distribuer des secours alimentaires d'urgence aux personnes déplacées, notamment de l'aide alimentaire vitale à quelque 564 000 personnes au Mali et dans les pays voisins.

Au cours de leur entretien, MM. Berthé et Graziano da Silva ont souligné qu'en plus de cette aide d'urgence vitale, il convenait absolument d'assurer le redémarrage immédiat de la production alimentaire locale sans attendre la prochaine saison des plantations qui va de mai à juillet.

A plus long terme, la résolution du conflit en cours et le rétablissement de la sécurité sur l'ensemble du pays sont les conditions indispensables de l'amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire au Mali.

Renforcer la résilience et restaurer les moyens de subsistance

La FAO a demandé environ 12 millions de dollars d'aide humanitaire pour aider 490 000 familles non seulement à faire face aux effets néfastes des sécheresses des années précédentes, mais aussi à renforcer leurs moyens de subsistance et rendre plus résilients les systèmes agricoles. A cet égard, la FAO entend mettre en œuvre un large éventail d'initiatives destinées à soutenir l'agriculture, sans oublier l'élevage.

Un montant supplémentaire de 10 millions de dollars est nécessaire pour aider les personnes déplacées, les personnes qui sont rentrées chez elles et les familles d'accueil au Mali, indique-t-on à la FAO.

L'aide de la FAO inclut la délivrance de semences de qualité, d'outils agricoles, de fournitures diverses et de services vétérinaires, ainsi que de programmes de vulgarisation visant à offrir aux agriculteurs les moyens d'améliorer la production, le traitement et la conservation de leurs produits agricoles.

A signaler aussi qu'au cours de son entretien avec M. Graziano da Silva, le Ministre malien de l'agriculture a souligné l'importance que son pays attache au renforcement des projets d'irrigation existants, qui ont été d'une grande efficacité contre les sécheresses. Les éleveurs ont, eux aussi, besoin d'assistance pour reconstituer leurs stocks, a indiqué M. Berthé.

Enfin, il convient de mentionner que le conflit au Mali a perturbé la capacité de la FAO à surveiller les mouvements de criquets dans les zones de reproduction habituelles de ces insectes ravageurs des cultures. MM. Berthé et Graziano da Silva sont d'accord pour que la reprise de la surveillance acridienne intervienne le plus rapidement possible afin d'éviter toute pullulation éventuelle à la suite des pluies d'été.

The humanitarian situation in Somalia has continued to improve since the famine, but 1 million people are still in crisis. Continued humanitarian assistance is required to help these most vulnerable people and consolidate the gains to prevent future crises.

• According to data released at the end of the harvest in January, the number of people who can not meet their basic needs without assistance has reduced by half to 1 million. This shows that our innovative approaches to aid delivery, coupled with relatively favorable rains, has made a profound difference in the lives of people. However, the situation remains fragile. A further 1.7 million people who emerged from crisis in the past year could fall back without continued support to build up their livelihoods.

• Malnutrition rates remain among the highest in the world. An estimated 215,000 children under five years of age are acutely malnourished (14 per cent of all children under 5) of which 45,000 are severely malnourished. In southern Somalia and parts of the North and Central regions, the nutrition situation is likely to remain critical in the first half of the year due to the lack of health infrastructure, poor feeding practices and outbreaks of acute watery diarrhea and measles during the April to June rainy season.

• An estimated 1.1 million Somalis are internally displaced, often living in deplorable conditions. Another one million Somalis are refugees in neighbouring countries.

The progress made in the food security situation over the past year and the changing security and political landscape present opportunities to break the cycle of recurring crises brought on by drought and conflict.

• While the humanitarian situation in Somalia remains critical, we now have the best opportunity in the past 20 years to break the cycle of repeated crises.

• Access continues to gradually improve, although Somalia remains one of the most challenging and dangerous environments in the world for humanitarians. Nine aid workers were killed in Somalia in 2012.

• Humanitarian efforts have been given a boost by the good harvest in January and we expect the number of people in crisis to rise only marginally between now and June, a period when food stocks begin to run low and rains increase the risk of disease. By building up Somalis’ ability to cope with drought and other shocks, we can prevent future shocks from developing into humanitarian catastrophe.

Humanitarians have an innovative three-year strategy that addresses the protracted nature of crisis in Somalia

• The Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) strategy, which was launched in Somalia for the first time in December and is also the first multi-year CAP, allows for far greater continuity in programming, which enhances resilience that ultimately addresses the protracted nature of the crisis.

• The $1.33 billion required in the first year of the three-year CAP will fund projects that address the needs of 3.8 million Somalis. The funding appeal will allow humanitarian organizations to scale up their presence in Somalia to increase programming and enhance monitoring to ensure donor funds are properly spent. The CAP in 2013 also includes multi-sector projects for 60,000 Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees in Somalia, as well as increased programming to ensure returns are durable.

• Famine conditions developed in 2011 and tens of thousands of lives were lost because impoverished people were unable to withstand the drought and massive rise in food prices. Without the generous support of donors, many more lives would have been lost. Support for the resilience programming in the CAP is an investment that will help Somalis move from crisis towards a sustainable situation.

We remain deeply concerned about the effects of ongoing conflict on civilians

• For decades, civilians, especially women and children, have borne the brunt of conflict in Somalia. This is unacceptable. All parties to the conflict should make every effort to protect civilians and allow full humanitarian access to people in need. When put in place, measures to minimize civilian casualties have proven to be successful in the past year.

• Humanitarian actors remain strictly neutral and independent of the political and military processes. Our aim is always to help those most in need.

• We call on all parties to the conflict to cease the illegal recruitment or use of children in armed conflict.

02/16/2013 16:43 GMT

Par Martin ZOUTANE

N'DJAMENA, 16 fév 2013 (AFP) - Les dirigeants des pays sahélo-sahariens réunis samedi à N'Djaména ont appelé à "la solidarité" avec le Mali en guerre contre des groupes islamistes armés, afin de combattre plus largement "le terrorisme et assurer la sécurité" de la région.

"Je voudrais demander à la CEN-SAD (Communauté des Etats sahélo-sahariens) d'exprimer sa solidarité et son soutien au Mali et aux nouvelles autorités de transition en République centrafricaine", a déclaré le chef de l'Etat tchadien Idriss Déby Itno.

Président en exercice de la CEN-SAD, M. Déby s'exprimait à l'ouverture d'un sommet extraordinaire qui devait se focaliser sur la crise malienne et la sécurité dans l'espace sahélo-saharien.

Dix chefs d'Etats participent à cette rencontre, parmi lesquels le Malien Dioncounda Traoré, l'Ivoirien Alassane Ouattara, le Burkinabè Blaise Compaoré et le Soudanais Omar el-Béchir.

La Cour pénale internationale, qui recherche Béchir pour crimes de guerre, crimes contre l'humanité et génocide au Darfour (ouest du Soudan), a lancé samedi un appel au Tchad pour faire arrêter le président soudanais.

Mais depuis le rapprochement politique amorcé en janvier 2010 entre le Tchad et le Soudan, N'Djamena a régulièrement ignoré les appels de la CPI en vue de l'arrestation d'Omar el-Béchir, qui s'est notamment rendu au Tchad pour le dernier sommet de la CEN-SAD en 2010.

"Le cas malien doit nous interpeller tous et nous inciter à accélérer les mesures qui s'imposent pour l'avenir, c'est-à-dire l'activation des forces africaines en attente", a indiqué le président tchadien. L'Union africaine a décidé la création dans les grandes régions du continent de forces armées en attente pour s'interposer dans les conflits, mais leur mise en place n'est pas encore effective.

Le Tchad, qui ne fait pas partie de la force régionale ouest-africaine, la Mission internationale de soutien au Mali (Misma), mandatée pour aider le Mali à reprendre le contrôle du nord du pays occupé depuis plus de neuf mois par des groupes armés islamistes, a promis l'envoi au Mali de 2.000 soldats.

Le président ivoirien Ouattara, président en exercice de la Communauté économique de Etats d'Afrique de l'Ouest (Cédéao), a lui aussi plaidé pour une mobilisation collective face aux crises qui secouent la zone sahélo-saharienne.

"C'est ensemble que nous devons agir pour combattre le terrorisme et assurer la sécurité dans notre espace commun", a affirmé M. Ouattara.

Le président tchadien a ensuite exprimé sa gratitude envers la France, engagée militairement au Mali depuis le 11 janvier.

"C'est le lieu de réitérer nos remerciements à la France dont la réaction salvatrice a servi de déclic à l'élan de solidarité en Afrique", a déclaré M. Déby.

Les forces africaines comptent actuellement environ 4.300 hommes sur le terrain, dont quelque 1.800 Tchadiens.

La menace jihadiste reste bien présente dans le nord du Mali notamment à Gao, ville reprise aux islamistes le 26 janvier, devenue entre-temps le théâtre des premiers attentats suicides de l'histoire du Mali et de violents combats de rue avec des combattants jihadistes infiltrés dans la ville.

Au cours de ce sommet, les participants devraient adopter "une résolution de la CEN-SAD sur la crise malienne" ainsi qu'une "déclaration sur l'aspect sécuritaire dans l'espace sahélo-saharien", a indiqué à l'AFP un diplomate sous couvert d'anonymat.

Le conflit au Mali, la crise qui a conduit à la formation d'un gouvernement d'union nationale avec les rebelles du Séléka en Centrafrique, et les menaces terroristes qui pèsent sur plusieurs pays de la région incitent aujourd'hui les pays sahélo-sahariens à parler d'une même voix sur les questions sécuritaires.

La CEN-SAD a été créée en Libye le 4 février 1998 à l'initiative de l'ancien guide Mouammar Kadhafi aujourd'hui et regroupe 28 pays.

Les chefs d'Etat, qui se sont réunis pour des travaux à huit clos après la cérémonie d'ouverture, devaient publier une déclaration finale samedi soir.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

Introduction

On January 10, 2013, the armed groups in control of the North of Mali moved towards the south to conquer the strategic town of Konna. In response to the appeal by the Malian President, the French army has been intervening since January 11, 2013 (Operation Serval). Using air support from the French Army, the Malian army were able to regain Konna.

Following the French Intervention, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) began to deploy troops consisting of soldiers from Senegal, Niger, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. Chad equally participated in the operation. The intervention was initially designed to stop the progression of the armed groups to the south past Mopti, the de facto border between the north, under the control of the Islamists, and the south, controlled by the Malian governmental authorities. The Interim president of Mali, Dioncounda Traore, declared a state of emergency across the whole country on January 11 and called for a “general mobilization” to defend against the progress of the radical Islamists.

On January 16, ECOWAS regrouped at Bamako to start discussions to speed up the deployment of the International Mission for Mali Assistance (MISMA), the force authorized under resolution 2085 to support the Malian authorities.

On January 18, the Malian army regained control of Konna and Diabaly. Certain neighboring countries of Mali have taken precautionary measures – including closing or reinforcing the borders with Algeria and Niger.
The city of Timbuktu, following 10 months under the control of the Islamists was regained on January 28, 2013. The period under the control of Islamists was marked by disruption of public services (schools were closed, difficulty in maintaining minimal health services), the imposition of strict interpretation of Sharia Law by the fundamentalists (executions, amputations, wearing of the hijab/veil, banning of music), the recruitment of child soldiers, the reinforcement of ethnic tensions (Bambaras versus the Arabs/Touaregs).

The region of Timbuktu, an area of 497,926 KM2, represents 40% of the national territory and is the biggest region in Mali. It is divided into 5 districts: Timbuktu, Goundam, Gourma, Rharous, Niafunké and Diré. The main ethnicities are the Sonrhais (35%), the Tamasheq and Arabs (30%), the Peulhs (20%) and the Bambaras (15%). The main industries are agriculture, herding, fishing, trade and craft.

It is difficult to estimate the number of current inhabitants at the time of the evaluation due to the number of the displaced population, and the nomadic lifestyles of certain groups who are only occasionally in town. Some of outlying households are also inhabitants of Timbuktu city. The key informants interviewed during the evaluation estimated that the number of inhabitants of Timbuktu city is 60,000, and that 20% of the population (12,000 people) has left the area.

The risks for children and women are far from over in Mali. UNICEF’s scale-up must continue in order to improve response to the humanitarian emergency and ensure a sustainable future.

By Rachel Warden

15 February 2013 – Since last year, Mali has been facing a serious food and nutrition crisis, aggravated by political instability and conflict in the North. Nearly 400,000 people have been forced out of their homes by the conflict in Mali, including some 227,206 internally displaced people and 167,245 refugees who have crossed into Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and the Niger.

Schools have been closed, health centres have been looted and vandalized and serious child rights violations have taken place.

With the recent military intervention to regain control of Mali’s vast desert North, the humanitarian situation, exacerbated by insecurity, has become even more serious for the most vulnerable populations – children and women.

To give an inside look at what it takes to respond to a complex emergency on the ground, UNICEF has published a special report, Supporting Women and Children through an Emergency. The report chronicles the scale-up of UNICEF operations in Mali, a country already struggling from poverty, inadequate education and a weakened health system.

Supporting Women and Children through an Emergency details the response of UNICEF Child Survival, Protection, Education and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programmes. Highlighted by photographs and personal stories of children and women who have benefitted from the work of UNICEF, the report emphasises the need to build resilience for the future of Mali.

Massive scale-up

The scale-up of UNICEF operations has been multifaceted and, sometimes, unprecedented in Mali. Surge staff – experts in emergency situations – have been deployed. New and better protocols for the screening and treatment of malnutrition have been put in place. An increase in emergency supplies has been made possible by air shipments and the procurement of additional, strategically located warehouses.

Throughout the conflict, life-saving nutritional foods for children and water and sanitation kits for families have continued to be delivered by truck to local partners, and, ultimately, by boat, along the Niger River. Programmes have been fast-tracked to protect children and women from violence. Children who missed out on education when they fled their homes have been taken in by schools in the South and given catch-up classes and school supplies.

Risks continue

But the risks for children and women are far from over.

While control of the North has been restored, new threats must be addressed. In retaliation to the military intervention, rebel forces have engaged in suicide bombings and guerrilla fighting.

Information needs to be gathered on new and returning displaced persons. The displaced persons who plan to return to their homes in the North will face dangers from ongoing conflict and remnants of war. Landmines and other unexploded ordnance pose risks, especially for children who may accidentally come across them. If children are unaware of the dangers, they may even try to play with them.

Women and girls who have been victims of gender-based violence will need counseling. Health centres in the North need to be assessed and rebuilt.

Children who have been associated with armed groups and forces will need help. UNICEF is already working to identify these children, provide rehabilitation and help reunite them with their families and communities.

Preparing for new risks

It is not just the children from the North of Mali who urgently need help. Throughout the country, nutrition crisis rages on. An estimated 660,000 children under 5 years old will suffer from malnutrition in the coming year, including 210,000 who will suffer from the most severe form of malnutrition, leading to wasting and threatening their young lives.

Building on gains and results over the past year, UNICEF is poised to respond to the new risks that Mali’s children and women face. The scale-up must continue in order to improve the response and ensure a sustainable future.

To scale up, more support is needed. For the short run, UNICEF has put out an urgent appeal for funding, seeking US$15.2 million to address the basic needs of children and women affected by conflict in Mali, for the next three months.

To address the overall humanitarian needs across all sectors, UNICEF is seeking US$82 million in 2013. Without funding, UNICEF Mali will be unable to continue its support of life-saving interventions for internally displaced people, their host families and all children and women throughout Mali.

02/16/2013 20:11 GMT

N'DJAMENA, Feb 16, 2013 (AFP) - Leaders in Africa's Sahel region called on Saturday for further efforts to support Mali as they announced new funds to back a West African force in the country.

Gathered in Chad, leaders from the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) called in a statement for "support for the ongoing political, diplomatic and military process in order to achieve final stability in Mali."

They also announced 500 million CFA Francs (760,000 euros/$1 million) in support for the West African AFISMA mission deploying to help Malian forces re-establish control of the country after swathes of the north were seized last year by Islamist rebels.

Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno, whose country has agreed to send 1,800 troops to Mali, called for the creation of an African reaction force to deal with future regional conflicts.

"The Malian case should concern us all and encourage us to speed up measures needed for the future, in other words the activation of the African standby force," he said.

A French-led military intervention launched on January 11 has driven the Islamist rebels in Mali from the towns they controlled, but concerns remain over stability amid suicide attacks and guerrilla fighting.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

02/17/2013 09:46 GMT

Par Marc BASTIAN

GAO (Mali), 17 fév 2013 (AFP) - Dans le Nord du Mali, l'armée malienne a régulièrement recours à la torture et au meurtre contre les suspects de soutien aux groupes islamistes armés au temps de leur domination, ont constaté des médecins et militaires maliens, des soldats français et un journaliste de l'AFP.

L'ampleur du phénomène reste difficilement quantifiable: s'agit-il d'une stratégie de contre-insurrection dans une région plus favorable aux islamistes qu'ailleurs au Mali, ou de dérapages d'esprits échauffés?

Le colonel Saliou Maïga dirige la gendarmerie de Gao, à 1.200 km au nord-est de Bamako. Il a recensé plusieurs cas de torture et penche pour la deuxième hypothèse: "les soldats, s'ils ne sont pas contrôlés par leurs chefs, peuvent faire n'importe quoi".

Certains de ces militaires, souvent mal encadrés, sont portés sur l'alcool, voire la drogue. Et si les islamistes ont commis de nombreuses exactions (amputations, lapidations...) au nom de la loi islamique, ces soldats semblent également avoir peu de respect pour la vie humaine.

Plusieurs ont ainsi tiré sur des personnes désarmées passant à proximité lors d'affrontements avec un petit groupe de jihadistes, le 10 février dans le centre de Gao, a constaté un journaliste de l'AFP.

Des militaires maliens et français estiment que les victimes civiles ce jour-là (au moins trois morts et 15 blessés) étaient "essentiellement" dues à l'armée malienne.

Les accusations d'exactions contre cette dernière se multiplient depuis le début de l'opération française Serval le 11 janvier, dans la presse, de la part d'ONG (Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Fédération internationale des droits de l'Homme) et des communautés arabes et touareg.

Ces deux ethnies sont surnommées "peaux blanches" par la population noire majoritaire, qui les accuse souvent d'être "tous des terroristes" et mène aussi, par endroits, des représailles ethniques sans discrimination.

Acide dans les narines

Les ONG parlent de "graves abus", dont des meurtres, dans et autour de la ville de Niono (ouest), d'"une série d'exécutions sommaires" près de Mopti et Sévaré (centre), où sont également rapportées des "violences sexuelles contre des femmes", et dans d'autres localités dans "les zones d'affrontements".

Un journaliste de l'AFP a pu voir quatre "peaux blanches", à Gao et Tombouctou, à 9OO km au nord-est de Bamako, portant des traces de torture: brûlures de cigarettes, à l'électricité, à l'acide, os brisés, marques de coups et de strangulation, balles dans le corps, violences sexuelles.

Dans l'une des villes (à leur demande, l'AFP ne nomme ni ne localise les victimes), un homme affirme qu'après l'avoir tabassé et brûlé à la cigarette, des soldats maliens lui ont versé de l'acide dans les narines.

"C'est peut-être parce que je suis Tamashek (Touareg), je ne vois pas d'autre raison", juge-t-il. "Je sais qu'il n'est pas un islamiste", assure son médecin, qui lui prédit une courte existence: "l'acide va entraîner un rétrécissement de l'oesophage, voire un cancer".

Ailleurs, une "peau blanche" gît sur son lit de douleur, des os brisés, plusieurs balles dans le corps. Là encore, l'armée a sévi, dit le jeune blessé à l'AFP. Son médecin précise qu'il a été violé.

A Tombouctou, des journalistes de l'agence américaine Associated Press (AP) ont également affirmé avoir découvert deux Arabes enterrés dans le sable, près de la ville.

La famille de l'un d'eux a expliqué que la victime avait été arrêtée par les forces maliennes deux semaines auparavant. Plus de nouvelles ensuite, jusqu'à la découverte de son cadavre.

Depuis, des soldats maliens sont venus plusieurs fois voir les journalistes d'AP, selon une source militaire française et un journaliste sur place. Pas de menaces physiques, selon ces sources, mais une insistante pression psychologique. L'agence n'a pas souhaité s'exprimer.

A Gao et Tombouctou, des soldats français ayant vu agir leurs homologues maliens confient leur écoeurement.

"Ils traitent leurs prisonniers comme des chiens", dit l'un. Un autre explique: "la hiérarchie (de l'armée française) a semblé inquiète, mais ensuite ça se joue à Paris".

Le porte-parole de l'opération Serval à Bamako, le lieutenant-colonel Emmanuel Dosseur, n'a pas souhaité faire de commentaire sur le sujet.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

02/17/2013 10:30 GMT

BOUREM (Mali), 17 fév 2013 (AFP) - Des soldats français, maliens et nigériens sont entrés dimanche matin dans la ville de Bourem, située entre Gao et Kidal, dans le nord du Mali, a constaté un photographe de l'AFP.

Les soldats des trois armées sont arrivés par voie terrestre en provenance de Gao, située à environ 80 km au sud. Bourem se trouve sur la route de Kidal, située à quelque 150 km au nord-est, et constitue aussi un point de passage pour se rendre à Kidal depuis Tombouctou (nord-ouest).

Les militaires ont été chaleureusement accueillis par la population de Bourem qui brandissait des petits drapeaux français et maliens.

Les villes de Gao, Tombouctou et Kidal, les trois principales du nord du Mali, ont été reprises par les armées française et malienne en quatre jours fin janvier, mettant fin à leur occupation pendant neuf mois par les groupes islamistes armés liés à Al-Qaïda.

Ces islamistes avaient fui sans combattre, mais certains avaient ensuite réussi à s'infiltrer dans Gao, y commttant il y a neuf jours les premiers attantats-suicides de l'histoire du Mali, suivis il y a un semaine de combats de rue en centre-ville avec des soldats maliens et français.

D'autres se sont retranchés dans les régions de Kidal et Tessalit, dans la région des Ifhogas, un massif montagneux proche de la frontière avec l'Algérie.

Jeudi, l'armée française avait indiqué qu'elle était "dans une phase de sécurisation" de ces zones, en particulier vers Tessalit, où elle traque les combattants jihadistes.

L'armée française a débuté son intervention au Mali le 11 janvier pour empêcher une offensive des groupes islamistes armés vers le Sud et la capitale Bamako.

Les 4.000 militaires français de l'opération Serval sont appuyés par quelque 4.300 soldats africains, dont 1.800 Tchadiens.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

1. SYNTHESE DES RESULTATS

A. MOUVEMENTS DE POPULATION

Selon les informations recueillies auprès des chefs de quartier et des personnes déplacées, au total plus de 526 familles déplacées seraient récemment arrivées dans ces quartiers (entre le 9 et le 20 janvier 2013). La répartition de la population déplacée nouvellement arrivée sur Ségou est détaillée par quartier dans le tableau ci-dessous.

La principale cause de déplacement évoquée par les personnes enquêtées est le conflit de manière générale, et plus précisément l’intervention militaire en cours. Il convient de signaler que les personnes enquêtées ont mis en avant différentes difficultés liées à leur déplacement, telles que le manque de moyens de transport (bus) en provenance du nord Mali et les restrictions en termes d’accès.

Les personnes déplacées nouvellement arrivées à Ségou et enquêtées par les agents ACTED sont pour la plupart originaires des communes urbaines de Tombouctou, Gao, Konna, mais aussi de la commune de Diabali.

Il convient d’ajouter qu’aucun camp de déplacés dans la ville de Ségou n’a été reporté au cours des enquêtes de l’évaluation rapide.

La quasi-totalité des personnes interrogées ainsi que les chefs de quartiers ont déclaré s’attendre à de nouvelles arrivées de familles déplacées en raison des affrontements liés à l’intervention militaire en cours. Toutefois, l’évolution récente de la situation de plusieurs villes dont le contrôle a été repris par les armées françaises et maliennes permet de penser qu’au contraire, les familles déplacées nouvellement arrivées pourraient prochainement retourner dans leurs villages d’origine si la situation sécuritaire le permet.