DONNEES CLEES

198,889 Personnes Déplacées Internes.

36,068 ** Retournés.

86,212 Réfugiés vérifiés et préenregistrés par le HCR depuis Mai 2013.

59,469 Réfugiés vivant au camp de Minawao.

7,112 Nouveaux arrivés enregistrés par le HCR depuis Janvier 2016.

** Il s’agit des déplacés internes retournés.

* Ce chiffre comprend 14,871 réfugiés identifiés hors camp à l’issue de l’exercice de profilage.

FINANCEMENT

USD 56, 361,252

Requis par les agences et les partenaires pour couvrir l’ensemble des besoins dans le cadre du « 2015 Refugee Response Plan

PRIORITES

• Projet d’adduction d’eau de Mokolo.

• Monitoring de la frontière.

• Vérification et enregistrement des arrivées spontanées.

• Réponse aux besoins des Personnes Déplacées Internes et des communautés hôtes.

DEVELOPPEMENTS MAJEURS

• A l’occasion de sa visite dans la Région de l’Extrême Nord le 13 octobre, le nouvel Ambassadeur de France au Cameroun, S.E Gilles Thibault, s’est rendu au camp des réfugiés de Minawao. Il a visité quelques infrastructures du camp dont le centre de santé tenu par IMC et l’entrepôt des vivres du PAM, et a apprécié les efforts déployés par le HCR et ses partenaires dans l’assistance fournie aux réfugiés. Il a également eu des échanges avec les leaders communautaires réfugiés.

Depuis cinq ans, le Ministère de la Santé Publique du Cameroun et l’UNICEF, avec le soutien financier d’ECHO, organisent chaque année des enquêtes nutritionnelles (avec la méthodologie SMART) afin de suivre l’évolution de la situation nutritionnelle. L’enquête de cette année a été conduite du 28 septembre au 15 octobre 2016 dans les 4 régions vulnérables du pays (Extrême Nord, Nord,
Adamaoua et Est). Elle visait à évaluer l’état nutritionnel des enfants de moins de 5 ans et des femmes âgées de 15 à 49 ans ainsi que la mortalité rétrospective au sein de la population.

Highlights

• 9,275 individuals (2,448 households) have been registered in Bakassi Camp in Maiduguri (Borno State) to support the reallocation from the schools to the IDP camp. IOM has started with the biometric registration in the newly accessible area of Monguno.
• IOM has completed the construction of more than 760 emergency shelters in Gwoza (15), Benisheik, (61) and Banki (700) for more than 4,000 affected people. To date, IOM has built 4,770 emergency shelters in Borno or distributed them as kits in Adamawa
• IOM has built four MHPSS resource centres in four IDP camps in Maiduguri. The resource centres are utilized for group and livelihood activities, for counselling, and as a point for the community to access information about services and to seek referral.

Situation Overview

In North–East Nigeria, as well as in the surrounding regions of Niger, Chad and Cameroon, security and humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate as populations flee violence and conflict. There are nearly 1.9 million people displaced by the conflict, with the largest IDP populations located in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States, corresponding to 93 per cent of the total IDP population. The vast majority of IDPs identified during the assessments live in host communities (78.12%)

In the last few months, IOM has been able to access over 15 newly accessible areas in Borno State with 300,000 additional people in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. The last Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) assessments show that food is the biggest unmet need by nearly half the surveyed people (49.5%). Non‐food items (NFIs) came in at second place with 20 per cent citing it as their most unmet need. Other urgent unmet needs included shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene and security.

Moreover, the security situation has deteriorated in Maiduguri and surrounding areas. There was a resurgence of suicide bombing/attacks during the past weeks, with three attacks and one attempt to detonate a bomb, which resulted in several deaths and injuries of civilians. Of particular concern are the attacks at the entrance of IDP camps where the humanitarian community provides humanitarian assistance to IDPs.

N’DJAMENA – Les réfugiés qui vivent au Tchad, parfois depuis plus de dix ans, ont toujours besoin d’assistance alimentaire et leur sécurité alimentaire reste précaire : c’est le constat d’une mission d’évaluation conjointe menée par le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les Réfugiés (UNHCR) et le Programme Alimentaire Mondial (PAM).

Les camps au Tchad accueillent près de 400 000 réfugiés, dont 310 000 dans l’est du pays, originaires de la région soudanaise du Darfour, et 70 000 dans le sud, venant de la République Centrafricaine (RCA). Les réfugiés centrafricains sont arrivés par vagues depuis 2002 ; les Soudanais ont fui leur pays il y a plus de dix ans. Ces dernières années, la région du Lac Tchad a accueilli 5 000 Nigérians qui ont fui les violences perpétrées par Boko Haram. Plus de 100 000 déplacés se sont par ailleurs rassemblés sur une quarantaine de sites. La capitale N’Djamena compte également 5 000 réfugiés urbains, sans assistance.

Selon le rapport, 43% des ménages dans les camps de réfugiés sont en situation d’insécurité alimentaire. La malnutrition chronique est supérieure au seuil critique de 40% et la majorité des enfants de moins de cinq ans souffre d’anémie.

«Le manque de ressources financières nous a contraints à réduire les rations alimentaires pour les réfugiés de moitié, voire plus – même s’il est vrai que nous avons pu atténuer l’impact de ces réductions par l’enregistrement biométrique et un ciblage basé sur la vulnérabilité et les besoins. Nous explorons aussi, avec nos collègues du HCR, les moyens de lier l’assistance alimentaire et non alimentaire pour mettre en œuvre des projets de résilience sur le long terme au bénéfice des réfugiés comme des communautés locales, » a déclaré Mary-Ellen McGroarty, directrice du PAM au Tchad.

Le PAM réfléchit également à l’introduction de transferts monétaires directs pour permettre aux réfugiés de diversifier leurs repas tout en stimulant les marchés locaux. Dans l’immédiat, la mission d’évaluation conjointe met en lumière la nécessité de ressources supplémentaires pour éviter une aggravation de la situation nutritionnelle dans les camps. Il est également important d’investir dans la formation, le petit commerce, la microfinance ou les projets agricoles. Les retours volontaires doivent également être envisagés quand la situation dans les pays d’origine des réfugiés le permet.

« Nous devons conserver la dimension de protection sociale de notre opération et le contrat social qui lie le HCR et le gouvernement, a affirmé le représentant du HCR au Tchad, Jose Antonio Canhandula. Mais nous devons également évoluer de l’assistance vers le renforcement des capacités humaines et intégrer le programme destiné aux réfugiés dans un programme de développement de plus grande envergure. Notre mandat international de protection ne peut pas être accompli sans assurer la sécurité alimentaire pour les réfugiés et les communautés d’accueil, » a ajouté Canhandula.

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Le PAM est la plus grande agence humanitaire qui lutte contre la faim dans le monde en distribuant une assistance alimentaire dans les situations d'urgence et en travaillant avec les communautés pour améliorer leur état nutritionnel et renforcer leur résilience. Chaque année, le PAM apporte une assistance à quelque 80 millions de personnes dans près de 75 pays.

Suivez-nous sur Twitter: @wfp_fr ; @wfp_mena ; @WFP_WAfrica; @wfp_media

Le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les Réfugiés, le HCR, travaille sur les questions de protection des déracinés et apatrides, la réponse aux situations d’urgence, l’assistance au rapatriement, à l’intégration locale et à la réinstallation et l’environnement.

Suivez-nous sur Twitter : @UNHCRTchad ; @Refugees

Pour plus d’informations contacter :

Nathalie Magnien, WFP/Tchad, Mob. +235 66 99 30 40

Ibrahima Diane, UNHCR/Tchad, Mob. +235 65 27 47 75

L’Ambassadeur du Japon en Mauritanie, S.E.M. Hisatsugu Shimizu, a visité le camp de Mbera du 21 au 23 novembre pour établir un premier compte rendu des interventions d’assistance aux réfugiés maliens en Mauritanie, financées par le Japon et menées par le Haut-Commissariat des Nations unies pour les réfugiés (UNHCR) et le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM).

L’Ambassadeur a également assisté à la cérémonie d’inauguration du poste frontière mauritanien-malien, récemment construit à Fassala (Néré) par l’Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM) avec des fonds du Gouvernement du Japon pour le renforcement de la sécurité dans cette région.

Depuis 2012, l’UNHCR, le PAM et l’OIM travaillent étroitement avec le Japon, le Gouvernement de la Mauritanie et plusieurs organisations non-gouvernementales pour porter assistance à plus de 42 000 réfugiés maliens qui ont fui le conflit au nord du Mali et continuent de dépendre d’un soutien vital externe, ainsi qu’à 20 000 Mauritaniens vulnérables qui vivent aux alentours du camp et qui ont généreusement partagé leurs ressources avec les réfugiés.

« Pendant cette visite, j’ai réalisé à quel point les réfugiés et les résidents du Hodh ech Chargui sont dépendants d’un soutien vital », a dit l’Ambassadeur. « Les installations pour les enfants, comme les postes de soins, les centres d’alimentation thérapeutique et les écoles m’ont laissé une impression indélébile. J’ai également été très impressionné par la coordination dans le camp et la très bonne coopération entre les agences des Nations unies, le Gouvernement de Mauritanie et les ONG, qui travaillent dans des conditions environnementales particulièrement difficiles. »

Depuis 2013, les contributions du Japon ont permis à l’UNHCR de fournir aux réfugiés un accès aux services essentiels tels que la protection, l’eau et l’assainissement, la santé et l’éducation.

« Durant les dernières années, le Gouvernement du Japon a généreusement financé la fourniture et la distribution de kits d’abri d’urgence et d’autres besoins essentiels, avec une attention particulière aux besoins spécifiques des réfugiés, comme les mineurs non-accompagnés ou les personnes avec un handicap dans le camp. Ce soutien a joué un rôle crucial dans l’amélioration des conditions de vie dans le camp de Mbera », a expliqué Mohamed Alwash, représentant de l’UNHCR en Mauritanie. « Pendant que l’UNHCR et ses partenaires continuent de renforcer l’autonomie des réfugiés et s’orientent progressivement d’une assistance générale à un soutien plus ciblé, le financement japonais est essentiel pour maintenir un accès aux services vitaux » a conclu M. Alwash.

« Le soutien du Gouvernement du Japon a joué un rôle crucial dans l’amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle des réfugiés. Nous avons réussi à réduire le nombre de réfugiés souffrant d’insécurité alimentaire dans le camp », a dit Jean-Noel Gentile, Directeur du PAM en Mauritanie. “Néanmoins, il y a encore beaucoup à faire pour améliorer l’autonomie des réfugiés et s’assurer qu’aucun Malien ou Mauritanien ne va au lit en ayant faim. Nous devons continuer à travailler ensemble pour réussir le défi Faim Zéro.” a ajouté M. Gentile.

Comme la situation sécuritaire au nord du Mali demeure fragile et le nouvel afflux vers la Mauritanie excède largement les retours volontaires, l’inquiétude est grandissante concernant la pression sur les ressources limitées du Hodh ech Chargui. La région semi-aride a été la principale cible de trois projets de coopération technique mis en œuvre par l’OIM – parmi lesquels la construction et l’équipement d’un poste frontière à Fassala (Néré) dans la localité stratégique du village de Doueinkara.

A l’inauguration du poste frontière – où les autorités locales, les villageois et les représentants de la société civile étaient présents – Anke Strauss, Chef de Mission de l’OIM en Mauritanie, a souligné que les populations mauritaniennes vulnérables ont également bénéficié de deux projets de stabilisation des communautés financés par le Japon. “Ces projets visent à améliorer la résilience et à fournir aux foyers des moyens de subsistance durables et diversifiés » a précisé Mme. Strauss.

Les trois agences des Nations unies se réjouissent de continuer leur collaboration avec le Gouvernement du Japon et d’autres bailleurs afin d’apporter une assistance vitale et durable à travers des programmes d’autonomisation des réfugiés et communautés hôtes en Mauritanie.

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L’UNHCR coordonne la réponse humanitaire à la situation des réfugiés pour assurer leur protection et l’accès à l’éducation primaire, aux services de santé, aux abris d’urgence, à l’eau, l’assainissement et l’hygiène ainsi qu’aux éléments vitaux dans le camp de Mbera. L’organisation travaille pour promouvoir l’autonomie et la coexistence pacifique entre les habitants du camp et des alentours.

Le PAM fournit des distributions mensuelles et générales de nourriture et travaille pour traiter et prévenir la malnutrition modérée et aigue par la distribution de compléments nutritionnels et fortifiants pour les enfants en dessous de 5 ans, les femmes enceintes et allaitantes. Les enfants qui vont à l’école dans le camp de Mbera reçoivent également un repas chaud par jour. De plus, le PAM assiste la population mauritanienne avec une assistance alimentaire et nutritionnelle par des filets de sécurité et des programmes de résilience dans les régions où l’insécurité alimentaire est la plus grande.

L’OIM en Mauritanie travaille en étroite collaboration avec le gouvernement et d'autres partenaires pour renforcer la capacité nationale de gestion de la migration et soutenir les migrants dans le pays. Depuis le début du conflit dans le nord du Mali en 2012 et l’afflux de réfugiés en Mauritanie, l’OIM soutient les communautés locales des villages environnant le camp de réfugiés de Mbera.

Suivez le PAM sur Twitter @wfp_fr @wfp_media, @wfp_mena

Pour plus d’information, veuillez contacter:

UNHCR Mauritanie: Helena B. Pes, Associate Public Information Officer, pes@unhcr.org, Tel: +222 22 887 904 Twitter: @helena_pes

UNHCR Afrique de l’Ouest: Senior Regional Public Information Officer, caux@unhcr.org, Tel: + 221 77 333 1291 Twitter: @helenecaux

PAM: Vanessa Rizzi, Reporting and Donor Relations Officer, WFP/Mauritania, vanessa.rizzi@wfp.org; +222 44 40 00 05

Adel Sarkozi, Regional Communications Officer, WFP/Dakar, adel.sarkozi@wfp.org,+ 221 77 637 59 64

OIM: Momme Ducros, Media Focal Point, mducros@iom.int, tel +222 45 24 40 81

Thousands of Nigerian refugees are living in difficult conditions in isolated and insecure border areas of northernmost Cameroon and urgently need assistance. UNHCR is keen to help, but the continuing Boko Haram threat is a hindrance to regular access.

A UNHCR team was earlier this month able to visit previously inaccessible border areas of Far North Region, including Fotokol, Makary and Mogode districts, where they helped pre-register more than 21,000 refugees who have been living for months with host families after fleeing deadly Boko Haram attacks in north-east Nigeria. It was the first time we have been able to visit these people and there are believed to be more. Latest UN figures put the number of out of camp refugees there at 27,000.

The team found refugees were living under tough conditions. Some are staying with destitute host families but most were sleeping in the open under trees, in makeshift shelters or on the dirt floors of dilapidated classrooms. Others were staying in abandoned villages whose residents had fled Boko Haram assaults. A number of families were separated while crossing the border to Cameroon. Many of the out of camp refugees said they longed for security to improve in northern Nigeria so that they can return home after living with their hosts for so long in cramped conditions, and with no privacy. Some feared being sent back across the border.

In some villages, lack of health care and sanitation as well as potable water is a major concern as infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged. Basic services are non-existent in many areas. In Fotokol, for example, 25 schools were closed because of Boko Haram attacks, denying children an education.

The refugees have been almost totally dependent on the local community and many have been helping local farmers for money. Others sell goods at weekly markets. World Food Programme is distributing food in areas it can reach.

Because of the insecurity and tough conditions, UNHCR is encouraging people to relocate to Minawao camp deeper inside the region, where they can access assistance in safety. Those who do not wish to go to the camp will be given shelter and household assistance. Security permitting, hopes to return to formally register those who stay.

We would like to register all the refugees but security remains an issue in a region where Boko Haram attacks and killings continue to be reported. As a result, humanitarian access to those in need, remains difficult. The prevailing security situation has impacted UNHCR’s intervention in the north of the country, where there are also some 199,000 internally displaced people.

In the past, UNHCR has encouraged refugees to head to Minawao, which is home to almost 60,000 of the 87,000 Nigerian refugees in the Far North Region of Cameroon. In October, IOM estimated the number of out-of-camp refugees to be around 27,000. Following the pre-registration exercise recently carried-out in some districts of the region, UNHCR believes that their number may be considerably higher. Those who stayed in the border area did so in the hope that they could go home soon, but they were at risk of being picked up and returned home.

UNHCR has reminded the government of its obligations under international law to provide asylum to those in need and encouraged it to maintain an open door policy for refugees. We have also offered our expertise to help screen refugee returnees to ensure they are going back voluntarily.

In Cameroon, UNHCR ensures protection and assistance to some 370,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including the Nigerians and 259,145 Central African Republic refugees. UNHCR programmes also target the internally displaced as well as host communities.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
- In Geneva: Leo Dobbs, dobbs@unhcr.org, +41 79 883 6347
- In Cameroon: Djerassem MBAIOREM, mbaiorem@unhcr.org, +237 70 40 18 41 or +237 69 11 41 218

N’DJAMENA – Refugees who have been finding shelter in Chad for the past ten years or more continue to require food assistance and their food security situation remains precarious, a joint assessment by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) has found.

Chad’s camps host nearly 400,000 refugees: some 310,000 people from Sudan’s Darfur region in the east, and another 70,000 from the Central African Republic (CAR) in the south. The CAR refugees have been coming in waves since 2002; the Sudanese have been displaced for more than a decade. For the past few years, the Lake Chad region has separately hosted some 5,000 Nigerians fleeing Boko Haram’s violence. More than 100,000 internally displaced people live at makeshift sites. Some 5,000 urban refugees are living in the capital, and receive no assistance.

About 43% of refugee households in the camps are food insecure. The global chronic malnutrition rate exceeds the critical threshold of 40%, and the majority of children under five suffer from anaemia, the report reveals.

"Lack of resources has forced us to reduce food rations for refugees to less than half – although biometric registration, and careful targeting according to vulnerability and needs, have somewhat lessened the impact of the cuts. And we are exploring with our colleagues at UNHCR ways to link food and non-food assistance to longer-term resilience projects that would benefit both refugees and local communities,” said Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP Chad Country Director.

WFP is also reviewing the option of introducing cash assistance, which would help diversify refugees’ meals and stimulate local markets. But in the short term, the joint assessment highlights the need for additional resources to restore the basic food basket that will ensure the refugees’ physical wellbeing and prevent their nutritional situation form deteriorating further. There is also a need to invest in training, small trade, and micro-finance schemes or farming projects. Finally, voluntary returns should be considered when the situation in the refugees’ country of origin allows.

“We must retain the protection character of our refugee operation and the social contract between UNHCR and the Government,” said UNHCR Representative in Chad Jose Antonio Canhandula. “But we should also move on from offering assistance to investing in human capacities, and integrate the refugee programme into a broader development programme. Our international protection mandate cannot be fully achieved without ensuring food security for refugees and for their host communities,” Canhandula added.

The joint assessment can be downloaded here (in French).

For more informations please contact:
Nathalie Magnien, WFP/Tchad, Mob. +235 66 99 30 40
Ibrahima Diane, UNHCR/Tchad, Mob. +235 65 27 47 75

The security situation in south-eastern Niger continues to deteriorate due to repeated attacks by Boko Haram. Since the first Boko Haram attack on the Nigerien territory in February 2015 to date, several other incursions have been reported in the region. These attacks have caused the displacement of thousands of people. As a consequence, the humanitarian needs in the region have increased, in a context characterized by limited resources for an adequate response and by localized access challenges.

Crisis overview

Context

Borno state is the most affected by the Boko Haram (BH) insurgency and military counterinsurgency operations. The insurgency began in 2009, and conflict escalated in 2013. Since 2015, security forces have recaptured large areas from BH control, however BH still controls territory and military operations continue. While access for humanitarian actors has improved in 2016, the majority of Borno state remains inaccessible to humanitarian actors, with humanitarian operations focusing on Maiduguri city and LGA headquarters in newly accessible areas.

Large-scale severe humanitarian needs persist, and are expected to continue to increase.
Of highest concern are the inaccessible areas in northern Borno, where food security levels are likely to have reached famine levels. Both displaced and host communities are experiencing critical needs across all sectors. Borno hosts almost two million IDPs and returnees.

Priority needs

Food is overwhelmingly the highest priority, in both formal and informal camps, and in host communities.

Malnutrition rates are critical, with deaths linked to starvation expected to continue to increase.

WASH infrastructure is severely limited, and lack of access exacerbates nutrition and health concerns

Health: malaria, measles, cholera, and polio outbreaks are of particular concern .

Protection concerns include indiscriminate killing of civilians, SGBV, and arbitrary detention of suspected BH members, including children.

Conflict developments

Operations by the Nigerian military, the regional Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) over 2016 have weakened Boko Haram (BH) capacity to hold territory, but various factions of the group continue to have a significant presence, particularly in northern Borno, along Lake Chad and the Niger border, and in areas around the Sambisa forest in eastern Borno.

BH is currently separated into two major factions: the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the north, led by Abu Musab al Barnawi, and the Abubakar Shekau-led faction along the Sambisa forest in the east. Shekau was BH leader from 2009 until August 2016, when he was replaced by al Barnawi. Al Barnawi has rejected Shekau’s strategies of indiscriminate targeting of the Muslim civilian population, and has stated that attacks should target security forces and Christians (Daily Post 05/08/2016; AP 04/08/2016).

According to the Institute for Security Studies, BH has launched almost 60 strikes on military targets since August (The Guardian 20/11/2016). With the end of the rainy season in September, attacks and armed clashes have escalated, and are likely to continue to increase in the coming months. In October, suicide bombers attacked Bakassi IDP camp in Maiduguri, following reports of other attempted attacks on IDP camps in recent months (ACLED 05/11/2016). Further attacks on IDP camps are likely.

• Las encuestas nutricionales de Acción contra el Hambre en territorios recién recuperados al control de Boko Haram apuntan a un 27% de desnutrición aguda y un 8% de desnutrición severa (12 y 6 puntos respectivamente por encima de los umbrales de emergencia)

• Solo el 30% de los fondos necesarios del llamamiento humanitario de Naciones Unidas está cubierto Madrid, 25 de noviembre de 2016

“El Gobierno nigeriano ha declarado ya el estado de emergencia por desnutrición en el estado de Borno, en el noreste de Nigeria. La cifra de civiles desplazados a Monguno sigue aumentando y es ya de 65.000 personas. Todas las casas han sido afectadas por la violencia de Boko Haram, los hospitales devastados, los puntos de agua destruidos y no hay accesos a agua segura. Se requiere asistencia humanitaria urgente en seguridad alimentaria, de agua e higiene pero también es urgente el apoyo psicológico ya que muchas personas, entre ellas muchos niños, han visto cadáveres y otros signos de violencia extrema”, señala Anaïs Ritter, coordinadora de recursos humanos del Equipo de Emergencia de Acción contra el Hambre. Ritter volvió hace unas semanas de Borno, en el corazón de la crisis alimentaria, donde coordinó el refuerzo de un equipo de 107 personas para responder a la emergencia.

Nivel 4 (sobre 5) de emergencia: solo la punta del iceberg

Acción contra el Hambre ha llevado a cabo un estudio sobre evaluaciones nutricionales y los resultados son alarmantes. El 27’8% de la población sufre desnutrición aguda global, cuando el porcentaje establecido para emergencias es del 15%. El dato de la desnutrición aguda severa es del 8%, siendo el umbral de crisis de un 2% y de un 5% el de catástrofe. Según Naciones Unidas, sin ayuda humanitaria siete niños podrían morir cada hora debido a la falta de alimentos, un total de 184 al día.

“La población desplazada ha sido víctima de secuestros, violaciones a mujeres, muertes, robo de ganado y quema de casas y campos por parte de Boko Haram. La imposibilidad de acceso a territorios que antes eran fuente de cultivo para la población y ahora se encuentran ocupados agrava aún más la inseguridad alimentaria”, explica la responsable del Equipo de Emergencia de la organización, Chiara Saccardi. “Todo esto no es más que la punta del iceberg, hay muchísimas zonas a las que las organizaciones aún no podemos acceder y nos tememos encontrar el peor escenario posible cuando sean recuperadas al control de la secta”, añade Saccardi.

El país más pobre del mundo acoge a 302.000 refugiados, retornados y desplazados Estamos hablando de 21 millones de personas afectadas por esta crisis regional y de 2,6 millones de desplazados. Chiara Saccardi acaba de volver de Níger, donde Acción contra el Hambre está reforzando su intervención: “estamos redoblando esfuerzos en la región de Diffa, donde sigue habiendo ataques recurrentes y enormes retos de seguridad, para atender a los refugiados y desplazados evacuados de las islas del lago Chad por el Gobierno nigeriano hace unos meses, y a los retornados nigerinos que se estaban ganando la vida en Nigeria. Níger, el país más pobre del mundo, está acogiendo en este momento a 302.000 personas entre refugiados, retornados y desplazados”.

La cantidad necesaria estimada para poder operar íntegramente en el territorio es de 739 millones de dólares y sólo el 30% del presupuesto está cubierto hasta ahora.

La respuesta de de Acción contra el Hambre

Acción contra el Hambre cuenta con dos clínicas móviles que cubren tres campamentos en Monguno, destinados a tratar la desnutrición severa infantil. También estamos realizando distribuciones alimentarias (mijo, aceite, legumbres y sal) a más de 4.000 familias construyendo letrinas, rehabilitando puntos de agua y distribuyendo kits de higiene y aperos de cocina.

Acción contra el Hambre es una organización humanitaria internacional que lucha contra las causas y los efectos del hambre. Salvamos la vida de niños y niñas desnutridos. Garantizamos acceso a agua segura, alimentos, formación y cuidados básicos de salud. Trabajamos también para liberar niños, mujeres y hombres de la amenaza del hambre.

Más información y entrevistas con portavoces:

Departamento de Comunicación Acción contra el Hambre España
Alicia García I Carlos Riaza I Marina Betete
91 771 16 72 | 91 391 53 06 | 626 230 360 | 609 018 735 |

www.accioncontraelhambre.org

Highlights

• There are a growing number of refugees (approximately 26,000) in the Far North Region who have not been registered and who reside within communities. These refugees are unable to receive assistance, and are increasing the burden on already fragile state systems and community resources.

• The Representative of UNICEF with the deputy (Member of Parliament) from Lom and Djerem Department (Eastern region) visited the isolated areas of the East to meet with the refugee communities and raise awareness on the issue of early marriage.

• In the Far North, after the first month of the 2016-2017 academic year, 17,369 refugee children have been registered in the 6 primary schools, 2 preschools including TLPS, and 1 secondary school.

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

Over the past year, the ongoing Boko Haram conflict in the Lake Chad Basin has caused the continuous flow of refugees from Nigeria to the Far North. While the population within the camp has grown since January 2016 to 58,874 Nigerian refugees in Minawao camp, what is of even greater concern is that an estimated 26,000 refugees (registered and not registered) live within the host community (DTM 5, IOM, October 2016). Currently the number of IDPs in the Far North is around 193,000 (DTM 5, IOM October 2016) - 69% of whom are children.

Many of the refugees and IDPs are moving into areas with very limited resources, putting pressure on host communities that are already facing nutrition, WASH, health and education challenges.
The regions of East and Adamawa continue to face the presence of CAR refugees who are further settling into the host communities. The flow of refugees remains relatively small, but continuous, with approximately one hundred new arrivals per month. A total of 274,090 CAR refugees are identified in Cameroon with 75,815 refugees in the refugee sites and the majority, 183,330, in host communities in the East, Adamawa and North regions.

Although a more structured evaluation has not occurred to generate more evidence, reports indicate that the impoverishment of the refugees who remain in the community and their host families is becoming aggravated due to diminishing of their already limited resources and the gradual decrease in humanitarian assistance.

This has led to a movement of refugees from the host communities to UNHCR sites to escape food insecurity. However, this has not significantly reduced the socio-economic pressure on host communities, who continue to receive new refugees from CAR. This finding comes at a time when humanitarian actors face a low availability of financial resources to respond effectively to the crisis in both the East and Adamawa, to the point that some humanitarian actors are considering targeting their limited resources to the most vulnerable refugees.

Concern is growing in the field of Protection, Nutrition, Education and Health in terms of sectoral needs. In terms of Child Protection, cases of sexual violence observed among girls in host families, indicating a need for a more comprehensive assessment of the phenomenon in order to ensure an appropriate response. The limited health care services, particularly for vaccination and reproductive health, are further stretched due to the additional demand from the refugee populations.

Highlights

• 11 security incidents were registered in Diffa in October, including an attack on the health centers of N’Garwa and of Gueskerou, where people displaced from Niger and Nigeria receive care. No casualties were reported, but medical supplies, essential medicines and RUTF were looted.

• Niger was hit in October by a cholera outbreak in 2 health districts of the Dosso region. As of 31 October, 38 suspected cases have been reported with 11 deaths, out of which 5 were in health centers and 6 in the community. UNICEF with its partner CISP are implementing prevention and infectioncontrol activities, including home-based and water point disinfection, promotion of home-based water treatment and hand-washing with soap. UNICEF also has supported the MoH for case management through the provision of medical supplies.

• The 3rd round of a sub-regional vaccination campaign for wild polio virus (WPV) took place from 15 to 18 October. 2,797,138 under-5 children were reached in the Diffa, Maradi and Zinder regions out of a target of 2,731,470. As of the end of October 171 cases (31 deaths) of hemorrhagic Rift Valley Fever were registered in the Tahoua region, involving at least 7 health districts.

• As of October 23, 2016 (week 42), 286,348 under-5 children suffering from SAM have been admitted for therapeutic care across the country. This represents 71.4% of the expected 2016 caseload, and it includes 34,635 cases with medical complications (57.6%) for in-patient care (ITP) and 251,713 SAM children without complications admitted in out-patient care (OTP).

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

A number of simultaneous crises continue to have a major impact on the humanitarian situation in Niger. These include displacement caused by insecurity and increased attacks from Boko Haram particularly affecting the Diffa region, a cholera outbreak in the Dosso region, an epidemic of Rift Valley Fever in Tahoua region, as well as food insecurity and spikes in malnutrition.

The Diffa region currently hosts 221,790 displaced people (IDPs, refugees and returnees), including over 135,292 children, as a result of the ongoing conflict in northeast Nigeria. Community tensions have been observed in the region due to increasing competition over land and resources between pastoralists and crop farmers, and between host and displaced communities. 11 attacks were reported in October in Diffa, including 2 attacks on 2 health centres (N’Garwa and Gueskerou), where medical supplies including RUTF were looted.

In Agadez Region, UNICEF supported the Government in conducting a comprehensive assessment of damages caused by floods to schools. Overall, 57 classrooms have been damaged in 4 districts, as well as 7 latrines, 2 dormitory, and other structures. In the Tahoua Region, UNICEF contributed to awareness-raising activities and prevention of the rift valley fever through the development of a communication plan, design of communication tools, broadcasting of awareness messages through community radios, and advocacy.

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Favourable prospects for 2016 cereal harvests

• Humanitarian assistance continues to be needed

Cereal crops benefitted from favourable growing conditions

Harvesting of the 2016 cereal crops is underway across the country. Growing conditions for cereal crops and pastures have been adequate in most parts of the country and overall, crop prospects are favourable.

An above-average crop was already gathered in 2015, following the 2014 drought-reduced output. Aggregate cereal production in 2015 was estimated at about 239 000 tonnes, 37 percent higher than the 2014 harvest and 9 percent above the five‑year average. Production of groundnuts, the main cash crop, is estimated to have increased by about 13 percent compared to the previous year’s crop.

Access to food constrained by high prices of imported food commodities

The Gambia, in a normal year, relies on imports for nearly half of its cereal consumption requirements (mostly rice and wheat) and domestic cereal prices are strongly affected by world prices and the exchange rate of the Dalasi (GMD), the national currency. The Dalasi has depreciated significantly over the past few years, which has put an upward pressure on domestic prices of imported food commodities. As a result, access to food continues to be difficult for several segments of the population.

Continued assistance still needed, especially for vulnerable people

The combined effects of the recent Sahel food crises, localized heavy flooding in 2012 and 2013, and drought in 2014, have eroded vulnerable households’ coping mechanisms and resulted in protracted food insecurity in pockets of the country and persisting acute malnutrition.

About 96 280 people were estimated to be in Phase 3: “Crisis” and above between June and August, according to the last “Cadre Harmonisé” analysis conducted in the country. Child malnutrition is also a cause of concern. Chronic malnutrition ranges between 13.9 and 30.7 percent with the North Bank Region and the Central River Region surpassing the ’critical’ threshold of 30 percent.

Need Analysis

• Despite the security situation in northern Mali, which is still volatile, the total number of Malian who fled the conflict during 2012 has continued to decrease since the signing of peace agreements. According to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), in September 2016, the number of IDPs nationwide is estimated at 33,042 (13% less than the number reported in June 2016). This figure has decreased from a peak of 350,000 internally displaced people (IDP’s) in June 2012.
  
• The trend can be attributed to the improvement of the security situation in some of the areas in the northern regions and the signing of the peace agreement in June 2015, which has been the main reason for people to return home.
  
• To respond to the need, in the HRP 2016 (Humanitarian response plan), the shelter cluster estimates 450, 000 people in needs of NFI and 167,000 people in need of shelter assistance. The cluster has targeted 91,000 persons to receive NFI assistance and 17,000 vulnerable persons to receive shelter assistance.

Response

The shelter response focuses on three main topics:

• NFI: NFI distribution for vulnerable persons living in return area;
  
• Permanent shelter: Construction or rehabilitation of damaged houses for people who return in their area of origin;
  
• Traditional/Nomadic shelter: Provision of traditional shelter through distribution of shelter kits, composed of a tool kit and a construction material kit.

Gaps / Challenges

• Limited capacity of cluster partners to respond to the need of IDPs and returnees.
  
• Limited number of active shelter actors and donors;
  
• Humanitarian access still remains a challenge due to the security situation in some areas;
  
• Lack of Information management for the cluster.

Un appui français à la coopération transfrontalière au sahel (programme ‘’acts’’ organisé à niamey du 14 au 18 novembre 2016)

Dans le cadre de son programme d’appui à la coopération transfrontalière au Sahel (ACTS), le service de sécurité intérieure de l’ambassade de France au Niger a récemment organisé un séminaire réunissant 40 magistrats, policiers et douaniers venus du Niger, du Mali et du Burkina Faso.

• Cette série de rencontres s’est déroulée à Niamey, du 14 au 18 novembre 2016, sur le site de la ‘’Blue Zone Bolloré’’.

• La problématique de la coopération transfrontalière y a été abordée sous différents angles avec des interventions, notamment, de L’Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM), de l’Agence nationale de lutte contre la traite des personnes (ANLTP), d’EUCAP Sahel et des services des Douanes.

• Durant ces quatre jours, la présence d’éléments français précurseurs de l’équipe conjointe d’investigation (franco-hispano-nigérienne) a également permis d’assurer une formation aux modes d’enquêtes spécialisées en matière de trafic de migrants.

Source : http://www.ambafrance-ne.org/LUTTE-CONTRE-LE-TRAFIC-DE-MIGRANTS

Hunger follows displaced people around north-east Nigeria, as Boko Haram and climate change drive millions from their homes

As Ali Kawu eases his handcart to a halt on a recent morning in north-east Nigeria, it is the first time he has dared to stop walking in more than 24 hours.

A day earlier, at 8am, Boko Haram militants raided his village. Kawu, 25, escaped with what he could – his wife, their three children, and kindling for a fire. They left behind their papers, six sacks of beans, up to 15 dead neighbours, and 10 kidnapped villagers. Then they walked all day and all night.

Read the full article here