Famine Headlines Worldwide 2000/2001

-zaphod2001: June 10, 2001

Ethiopia/Eritrea

Action Contre la Faim (ACF), in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) has just issued the findings of their nutritional survey of Mazar City in Balkh Province, northern Afghanistan which indicated a mortality rate among children under five of 5.2 per 10,000 per day.

Annual food aid needs for 2001 have been projected at around 900,000 tons, in order to counter the effects of the drought on up to 7.5 million people.

WFP surveys show that food aid will be needed by 1,761,854 people in Eritrea this year, an increase on last year.

The Canadian government has effected a moratorium on debt repayments owed to it by Ethiopia and other heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), and will stop collecting debt repayments from Ethiopia as of January 1, 2001.

Total emergency food aid requirements for 2001 are forecast at about 870 000 tons of cereals and 70 000 tons of other commodities, based on the most likely scenario of 6.5 million people affected by natural disaster and an additional 350 000 people affected by the border war with Eritrea.

The combination of war and natural disaster will continue to take its toll in 2001, according to WFP, where the poorest nations are hit simultaneously by both natural and man-made emergencies, including in Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Tajikistan. In the Greater Horn of Africa alone, about 16 million who suffer from conflict and drought will continue to have the greatest need this year.

The food situation of nearly 1.5 million war-displaced and about 300 000 drought affected people gives cause for serious concern in Eritrea, while in Ethiopia, the overall food supply situation remains highly precarious. An estimated 10.2 million people are in need of food assistance.

Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a comprehensive peace agreement on 12 December, ending the two-year border conflict that claimed 100,000 lives and displaced more that 600,000 people in both countries. Recent reports from NGOs, Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) and UN field officers indicate the strong possibility of a good main season harvest due to an improvement in the rainfall pattern.

Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda

Zanzibari President Amani Abeid Karume has said that opposition leaders will be arrested after the weekend's violence which left at least 19 dead. At the weekend, opposition demonstrators fought running battles with police who say that 19 people were killed in the violence. The Tanzanian authorities' tactics have alarmed many of the country's main aid donors.

The IMF and the World Bank say that they are withholding financial aid due to be released to Kenya because the government has failed to keep its promise to implement anti-corruption measures.

WFP's drought response EMOP in Kenya was extended until the end of June and the beneficiary caseload increased by 1.1 million people (from 3.3 to 4.4 million).

Food distribution continues to refugees in Tanzania, where numbers are believed to be 509,265.

In Kenya, drought-induced food shortages persist with nearly 3.3 million people estimated to be in urgent need of food assistance. In Tanzania, rains have left an estimated 800 000 people in need of assistance. In Uganda, due to drought and civil strife 1.2 million people need assistance.

Angola

The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, is reported to be planning a UN conference to discuss the challenges of bringing peace to Angola. Mr Annan's spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said the secretary-general had initiated consultations with member states over the issue.

The WFP have reported that it has received only 58% of contributions towards the protracted relief and recover operations (PRRO) in Angola. As a result, WFP expects a major pipeline break for cereals at the beginning of March. WFP will most likely have to review distribution plans for February, to compensate for this break. WFP's food pipeline has also been facing shortfalls of CSB and pulses. To address theses shortfalls, WFP, implementing partners and donors have agreed to use CSB and sugar only in supplementary and therapeutic feeding centers and target only the most vulnerable.

WFP reported that the implementation of its proposed new country strategy will commence in May 2001. The new strategy will move away from current large-scale free food distributions towards a three-pronged approach: 1) emergency response through free distributions for newly arrived IDPs and returnees; 2) emergency and recovery assistance through safety nets; and 3) recovery and rehabilitation assistance through food-for-work programs.

On the 11th January the Angolan government announced the creation of a fund to help hundreds of rebels who have taken up an amnesty offer passed into law last November. Four members of the government and two top army officers will sit on a commission formed to manage the Peace and National Reconciliation Fund and oversee the process of socially reintegrating ex-rebels, a communiqué said. The commission will carry out studies to see how much it will need for the fund's budget, added the statement issued after a cabinet meeting. President Jose Eduardo dos Santos marked Angola's 40th anniversary of independence last year by proposing an amnesty to guerrillas of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and separatists in Cabinda. The army has said that more than 800 rebels have turned themselves since the amnesty was extended.

UN officials expect that the targeted food distribution for the upcoming year will not cover all those in need. So far, WFP has received only 58 percent of the resources needed, and the supplemental incomes for IDPs from harvests and other sources will not be enough to compensate. Donors must support and encourage the Angolan government's effective use of its resources. Refugees International therefore recommends that the government of Angola:

1. Increase humanitarian assistance to its war-affected population. Although its current expenditure for assistance is growing, it still falls short of what is needed, both in terms of financial resources as well as coordination.

2. Provide adequate land for the resettlement camps and provide the necessary inputs in a timely manner to decrease reliance on direct food assistance.

3. Increase transparency as to how money is allocated and disbursed and how land is distributed.

4. Increase capacity-building activities for local NGOs and provincial level government officials to carry out and coordinate humanitarian assistance activities. Currently only two percent of the consolidated appeal is targeted toward these activities.

5. Prioritize the registration of vulnerable populations, especially the newly displaced.

6. Support additional UN protection officers at the provincial level.

7. Fully fund the 2001 food pipeline for WFP. Current food stocks last through February.

8. Together with the Government of Angola, increase health, water and sanitation infrastructure in order to reduce child malnutrition and mortality.

Democratic Republic of Congo

New president Joseph Kabila initiates peace process and looks to meet US president.

ECHO has allocated $1 million to assist refugees recently arrived in the Republic of Congo from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The South African President has expressed optimism about the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo but the main rebel group RCD was unimpressed as the new leader had failed to acknowledge the opposition.

Refugees fear assassination will lengthen their exile: currently, there are nearly 110,000 Congolese refugees in Tanzania. UNHCR is concerned that a worsening of the security situation would hamper the aid effort benefiting 109,000 Angolan refugees in government-controlled areas of the DRC.

The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that up to two million people are at risk of malnutrition in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) appealed for $112 million for its relief operations to feed more than two million people in the increasingly volatile Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Limited access is making proper estimates difficult.

Guinea-Conakry

Two refugee camps in Guinea have been burned to the ground amid warnings of a growing risk of famine in the country. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that most refugees have fled the camps near the town of Gueckedou in the south-east of the country after fighting between the government and rebel forces. French ambassador Denis Gauer reported widespread devastation around Gueckedou, Kissidougou and Macenta and that most of the population appeared to have left the region. The area has been ravaged by fighting between government troops and rebels launching attacks from neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia. Mr. Gauer, who had been touring the forested regions near the borders with Liberia and Sierra Leone, said he had witnessed "great human suffering." In one case, Mr. Gauer said he witnessed more than 20,000 refugees crammed into the confined space of a school, where they had been staying for a week without any aid. "The risk of famine is enormous," he said. At least 900 people are thought to have been killed in the latest outbreak of fighting.

UNHCR is launching an information program for Sierra Leoneans still in Guinea about conditions in their homeland, should they choose to return . More refugees are emerging from the bush and surrounding villages into Nyaedou camp, 15 kms north of Gueckedou. Nyaedou now shelters some 23,000 refugees, up from the previous population of 15,000. Health and sanitation services in the camp are being expanded. Most of the health complaints are for malaria and respiratory infections, although three cases of dysentery have been confirmed in Massakoundou camp, which houses 35,000 refugees - 15,000 more than its planned capacity of 20,000. In Freetown, Sierra Leone, meanwhile, a growing problem is the refusal of returnees to move out of transit centers after the maximum five-day stay. On 29th Dec, about 1,000 new returnees who were scheduled to be transferred to alternative accommodation refused to move. UNHCR will now transport returnees originating from unsafe areas of Sierra Leone directly from the port to alternative temporary accommodation. During the past week, 238 returnees from Kambia and other unsafe areas in the northern districts were transferred to the Lungi Peninsula, north of Freetown for temporary settlement in host communities.

Thousands of Guineans fleeing hostilities in their country have sought refuge in border towns in Liberia, the pro-government New Liberia newspaper reported Tuesday. It said more than 15,000 Guineans had arrived in Bong county and northern Lofa county. The paper, quoting some of the refugees, said the movement began on the 5th January when rebels launched a fresh attack on Farrana about 29 miles (48 kilometers) south of the Guinean capital Conakry. The rebels, allegedly backed by Liberia, are seeking to destabilize the regime of President Lasana Conte. One refugee who arrived in Monrovia at the weekend, said the rebels allowed people to cross into Liberia but told them not to return to their homes until President Lasana Conte "stopped lying to the international community, and rampant killings of other nationals residing in Guinea stopped." Guinea has large populations of Liberians and Sierra Leoneans on its territory.

UNHCR is gravely concerned about the fate of radio operator Joseph Loua, who has been missing since a December 6 rebel attack on the town of Gueckedou in southern Guinea.

Aid agencies estimate there could be 70,000 internally displaced Guineans and 180,000 refugees in need of help. Many told the UNHCR security team last week that they were desperate to leave. Some complained they were blocked by Guinean troops from moving inland. Some refugees who have the resources have managed to make it as far as Conakry, where they signed up with UNHCR for sea transport home.

Sudan

Over 3.2 million Sudanese are facing serious food and water shortages due to the combined disruptions of civil war and drought.

UN says that nearly one million people could be at risk of starvation if food aid doesn't reach them over the next three months.

A major crisis looms as millions face food and water shortages due to the recent failure of rains and the ongoing civil war. Some 3.2 million people are estimated to be on the brink of disaster.

WFP have found that large numbers of displaced people around Upper Nile in southern Sudan were putting pressure on local populations whose food needs were not secure, and fears were growing of a humanitarian crisis, where food needs are up by about 20 percent compared to the year 2000. The crisis face mores than 3.2 million people in Sudan due to the combined effects of civil war and worsening drought.

Serious food shortages are emerging in several parts of Sudan due to late rains and prolonged dry spells, where some 900,000 people are most affected by the current poor season with 600,000 in need of urgent food assistance. In addition, some 2.4 million people affected by the ongoing civil strife in the south will need continued food assistance in 2001.

Somalia

The interim government in Somalia has said Ethiopian troops are continuing to occupy areas of southern Somalia, accusing Ethiopia of encouraging and supporting the secessionist movement, a charge denied by Ethiopia.

The town of Baidoa, 240 km southwest of Mogadishu, has been cut off from the rest of Somalia, since Monday 1 January by the Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA). There is fear now of a clan war within the Rahanwein.

Two faction leaders in Somalia on Monday expressed grave reservations over plans by the United Nations to reestablish a presence in the war-ravaged country six years after its humiliating withdrawal.

Crop production prospects are good in the agriculturally-important regions of southern Somalia, where the overall food security situation is considered good. FEWS on

East Africa is facing a humanitarian crisis due to a severe drought. The populations most at risk include pastoralists in southern Somalia, where drought has caused crops to fail, livestock to die, and food prices to rise. Conflicts in some areas of this region, inclement weather, and poor infrastructure have hindered the delivery of life-sustaining relief. The UN reports and 750,000 people are affected in Somalia.

The self-declared autonomous region of Puntland has complained to the UN about the current mayhem in Somalia, citing alleged warlike activities of what it called the "so-called interim government".

Sierra Leone

As of 9th January the IOM took over the safe and orderly emergency transportation of Sierra Leonean refugees from Conakry, Guinea to Freetown, Sierra Leone. The IOM Emergency team leader in Conakry, Davide Terzi said, "The refugees are desperate to return home after the ordeal they've been through. The fact that they will be able to leave and take some of their meagre belongings on the MV Overbeck, is the silver lining in this dark cloud." (IOM 9 Jan 2001) The border area of southern Guinea has long been home to 300,000 refugees from Sierra Leone, where peace has yet to be established and UN and British troops back the government after eight years of civil war. At present, however, refugees face mounting hostility from local people, after the President Lansana Conte accused Liberia and rebels from Sierra Leone of launching attacks which have claimed at least 900 lives since early September. (AFP 7 Jan 2001). Sierra Leonean refugees displaced in south-east Guinea continue to be repatriated to Freetown. Some will be able to go back as returnees to their areas of origin, if safety allows. People who are from rebel controlled territory will, however, come back as IDPs and be reinstalled on temporary settlement in areas of relative safety. WFP and the humanitarian community continue to increase contingency measure to deal with the possible large influx of returning refugees.

Peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) have held meetings with rebels from the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) over the past week as a way forward to the peace process in the region, a spokesman for the UN mission said today in Freetown. Briefing the press at the mission's Headquarters, UNAMSIL spokesman Hirut Befecadu said UN peacekeepers and military observers had held meetings with the RUF on 4 January in Mile 91, 5 January in Masiembu and 7 January in Dambu. The meetings aimed at in part to "maintain the relationship that existed between the RUF and UNAMSIL peacekeepers." During the meeting in Dambu, the RUF representatives expressed their commitment to peace and indicated that they had been authorised by their high command to open the Daru-Kailahun road, the spokesman said.

The head of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone has met the leader of the main rebel movement, to urge the rebels to withdraw from conflicts in the neighboring countries of Guinea and Liberia. Lieutenant-General Daniel Opande described the meeting as "a great leap forward towards the peace process". General Opande flew to the rebel-held town of Magburaka where he met Issa Sesay, leader of the Revolutionary United Front, and other rebel officials.

The interim leader of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone has reaffirmed his group's commitment to the Abuja ceasefire agreement and pledged to continue to return weapons and equipment stolen from United Nations peacekeepers, the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) said.

The Sierra Leone government said on Wednesday it was happy a cease-fire agreed with the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was holding and it now looked forward to U.N. peacekeepers deploying in RUF-held areas. A peace deal to end the West African country's civil war collapsed last May but a new ceasefire was agreed in November. Sierra Leone's Justice Minister and Attorney General Solomon Berewa told Reuters the ceasefire was "still going fine".

Amid ongoing discussions between the United Nations and the Government of Sierra Leone on the setting up of a tribunal to prosecute war crimes in that country, the UN Security Council has suggested that the court prosecute only the top leaders who played main roles in the commission of crimes, according to a document released today in New York. The recommendation came in a letter dated 22 December from the Security Council to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and follows the Council's review of a report from Mr. Annan on the establishment of the Special Court.

North Korea

According to the WFP temperatures in mid-January fell to the lowest levels recorded in the last 50 years. Road networks outside the capital are impassable, and humanitarian workers have reported that the country is "at a standstill" outside the capital. This poses serious problems for population weakened by years of food shortages, with inadequate heating and difficult access to fuel wood.

During household visits, WFP observed little fresh food available. The harvest from kitchen gardens is now consumed and the people are reliant on their "kimchi" stocks, or whatever they have preserved from the summer.December marked the beginning of a very cold period in DPR Korea. The preparations for the winter, which have occupied the people since the end of the harvest, were all but over. In the more temperate provinces in the south, WFP observed some field activities, mainly relating to land development .

UNOCHA reported that few homes in DPR Korea are sufficiently heated and hospitals and other public buildings such as schools, offices and factories have little or no heating at all. High levels of deforestation mean that people have to walk even further in sub-zero temperatures to collect firewood. At the same time the poor harvest of 2000 means that food provision through the Public Distribution System (PDS) will cease by the end of January in most parts of the country. Thus from February to late June, when the first 2001 harvest takes place, people will have to rely on alternative means of finding food. United Nations food-aid monitors report that food distributions via the (PDS) are currently at around 200 grammes of cereals per person per day, which translates into some 720 k/cal. The minimum requirement for an adult to survive is 2,200 k/cal per day. The onset of a winter of such severity has greatly added to the hardships the people of DPR Korea are already facing as a result of the shortages of food, power, basic services and ever more erratic weather conditions. A timely and balanced response can prevent many deaths among children, women and the elderly.

The WFP, the biggest food aid organization in DPR Korea, is appealing for 810,000 tons for distribution to vulnerable DPR Koreans, including children and the elderly.

A German doctor, thrown out of DPR Korea, said the people are suffering "burn-out syndrome" with widespread alcoholism adding to crippling food and power shortages."There is a lot of alcoholism. It is the only pleasure they have. The main sickness is a burn-out syndrome," said Norbert Vollersten, who worked for the Komittee Cap Anamur German Emergency Doctors. The doctor told a Seoul press conference he was thrown out of DPR Korea last week, after 18 months working in a hospital north of Pyongyang, for criticizing human rights abuses. Vollersten, 42, said DPR Koreans were "extremely fearful" of arbitrary detention and torture. He accused the DPR Korean leadership of using repression to control grievances and dissent. Food is reportedly more expensive than cheap liquor made from cereal, corn and potatoes.

He said that famine is still rampant in rural areas, requiring more help especially to stop children and poor people dying in the streets and hospital, he said. "I saw a lot of them dying. In the countryside the situation is the same, sometimes even worse than before." He raised concerns over whether food aid is being diverted. "Nobody knows, for sure, where the food is gone." But he urged the international community to continue the aid and help poor DPR Koreans get "leftovers."

Afghanistan

United Nations Coordinator for Afghanistan confirmed on Monday that up to 150 people had died of exposure in and among the six overcrowded IDP camps in the western city of Herat, the majority of them being children; the United Nations Coordinator warned of the devastating crisis, that all over the country, people will begin dying in greater numbers over the next months after two years of drought, many years of war, and lack of investment in productive capacity have culminated in a major UN human tragedy; the country has never faced a humanitarian crisis of such dimensions before; UNICEF have said that parents put their children asleep in freezing tents not knowing if they will survive until the next morning.

UN officials said children were at particular risk because of the severe cold. They said that an additional 110 people, most of them women and children, had died as a result of the cold in western Herat province, where temperatures fell as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius after 20cm (8 inches) of snow. Some aid workers have said that UN sanctions against Afghanistan have disrupted the distribution of relief supplies - a view echoed by the UK International Development Secretary, Clare Short on Thursday. Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, she said she found the sanctions worrying because they amounted to politicization of aid.

Three ambassadors representing western donor countries have gone to Afghanistan to assess the humanitarian crisis there, where aid workers have said the situation in some camps is one of the worst they have ever seen. Correspondents say repeated UN appeals for help have been largely ignored.

Residents in the war-torn Afghan capital say fears of drought-related famine have overshadowed concern about tough new UN sanctions which are due to hit the ruling Taliban militia on Friday. United Nations' officials have warned up to a million Afghans could starve to death this year if the next harvest fails and urgent international aid does not arrive. The UN Security Council has come under fire for using the blunt tool of sanctions against a country as fragile as Afghanistan, one of the poorest in the world after more than two decades of war. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said the measures will not help the UN's vital humanitarian efforts or UN-backed peace talks between the Taliban and opposition forces, which the militia has threatened to boycott.

Afghan farmers have warned of widespread famine as winter rains had failed to break a devastating drought in time for the crucial harvest season, whileUN officials have warned of famine if the drought does not break before the next May-June harvest season, or if urgent international aid is not forthcoming.

The European Union is concerned about reports that a large number of refugees from Afghanistan are stranded between the frontlines in the boarder area with Tajikistan under increasingly difficult and dire circumstances.

The International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan has announced it is to end its distribution of food aid in the capital, Kabul. They said that while many people are desperate, ICRC resources are finite and it has to target emergencies and real war-related crises in the country. Its overall spending in Afghanistan won't fall.

Afghanistan continues to suffer from the worst drought in decades with nearly four million of people are on the brink of starvation. And up to 12 million, more than half of the total population, are affected by the drought.

In view of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, coupled with severe shortages of non-food items for the displaced the United Nations Co-ordinator for Afghanistan has asked donors to provide USD 3.5 million for non-food items including shelter, blankets, clothing, USD 3.2 million in cash to complement food for work programmes, and USD 600,000 for seeds. Since summer last year, about 470,000 people have left their homes, and most of these families are internally displaced inside Afghanistan, not including 100,000 old IDPs from 1999.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has decided to cut food distribution to 22,000 widows and their families and disabled Afghans, which may place in danger of starvation around 132,000 people who have relied on the food handout since 1994 They ICRC said that was not an emergency situation which gives the ICRC the right and the opportunity to intervene any more.

A UN statement said the situation in Afghanistan was rapidly deteriorating and more than half a million people have been displaced by the drought - the worst for many years.

Over 20 years after conflict first broke out in their country, Afghans remain the biggest single refugee group in the world. More than 2.6 million of them remain in exile, the vast majority in Iran and Pakistan.

The World Food Programme today announced that it will help feed 60,000 newly arrived Afghan refugees in Pakistan in 2001, and estimates that up to 12 million Afghans, more than half of the total population, are affected by the drought - three to four million severely.

The United Nations Office of the Coordinator for Afghanistan on Wednesday issued a statement calling the results of a new study from the NGO Medecins sans Frontieres-Belgium (MSF) on malnutrition and mortality rates among young children in the country "alarming".

A Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) survey has found the mortality rate among children under five is 5.2 per 10,000 per day, and that the coping mechanisms of people have been completely exhausted.

The combination of war and natural disaster will continue to take its toll in 2001, according to the WFP. The poorest nations are hit simultaneously by both natural and man-made emergencies, including in Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Tajikistan.

Tajikistan

Following an interagency assessment mission to the Tajik-Afghan border on 16 January, WFP and UNHCR agreed to supply food aid for the Afghan internally displaced persons (IDPs) until 30 June. Some 7,500 IDPs will be assisted. Only 24 percent of WFP's drought EMOP requirements (30,738 tons) have been met as of January.

The scarcity of snow on the mountains and minimal rainfall are prompting fears that Tajikistan could face another severe drought this year, ecology experts in the capital Dushanbe have warned that the country's decaying infrastructure and poor management have exacerbated mother nature's wrath. Ecologia, a local NGO that specialises in water and sanitation issues, said that minimal rainfall over the past year was only half the story. Although the drought contributed significantly to hardship this winter, Ecologia believes that the acute water shortage, which led to the poor harvest, was due more to Tajikistan's collapsed and cash-starved water management system. "This drought simply gave it a small push and the weak infrastructure fell down."

The UN estimates that 40 percent of the Tajik population lack access to safe water and that almost 60 percent of rural populations use unprotected sources, such as open drains and irrigation canals.

Meanwhile, the worst regional drought in 74 years has destroyed food crops over a large part of Tajikistan, has rendered almost half of the 6.2 million people in the country vulnerable to the threat of famine.

The WFP emergency food assistance program targeting 1.13 million vulnerable Tajiks is scheduled to end in June with the arrival of the harvest, lack of precipitation this winter, the knock-on effect of last year's drought, and low donor interest, suggest the chances of even a partial agricultural recovery this year remains elusive. Concerns are high because many farmers were unable to cultivate last season due to a lack of wheat, seed and water. The drought reduced local wheat seed production which is insufficient to meet the annual requirement of about 66,000 mt. The government estimates that there is a shortage of 41,000 mt worth some US $50 million. This means that only a third of the country's seed requirement is available for planting, which means a disadvantaged start for Tajikistan farmers this year. Although some managed to borrow seed or sold their livestock to purchase seeds, the absence of winter snow also threatens another crop failure in 2001. WFP has managed support to over 9,000 of the poorest drought affected farmers by distributing seeds and wheat flour to enable them to start the cultivation under a WFP land lease programme launched in November.

WFP was forced to borrow some food to cover the most poor for the beginning of winter and is expecting a food consignment to arrive at the end of February. The agency needs 126,000 mt to cover nine months from October 2000 through June 2001. We may face a breakdown in our pipeline for several weeks," Hadj-Chikh, WFP Country Director maintained. "There is not enough food in the country to cover even the most needy. If food security doesn't improve we will be back to square one. Harvest is in July, so by May we should know our position," he added.

Tajikistan has turned down an appeal by a United Nations body to admit thousands of Afghan refugees, saying this would put its security at risk and further aggravate its economic plight. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said more than 10,000 refugees, mostly women and children who had fled from an advance by the ruling Taleban in northern Afghanistan, were stranded on islands in the Pyanj River that divides the two countries.

Officials in Tajikistan say they've been told by a United States military delegation that Washington plans to increase funds to help Tajikistan protect its border more effectively. The delegation leader, Jeffrey Starr a deputy assistant secretary in the Pentagon discussed regional security during talks in Dushanbe with the Tajik foreign minister, Talbak Nazarov. The Tajik foreign ministry said their discussions included the threat to the region posed by the unstable situation in Afghanistan, and the flow of illegal from drugs from there, through Central Asia to Europe.

Iraq

Richard Byrne, spokesperson for the British anti-sanctions group, Voice in the Wilderness has said that contaminated water is the biggest killer in Iraq. Byrne and three colleagues spent eight days in Iraq. They visited hospitals in Baghdad and the southern city of Basra (devastated in the Gulf war) and spoke to doctors and the UN humanitarian coordinator in Baghdad. Doctors complained that they are daily confronted by numerous cases of children suffering from intestinal and urinary tract bugs from drinking polluted water, that lead to malnutrition and eventually to death. "Doctors say they can give the children all the medicine they need but when these children go home they return to living conditions of squalor, open sewers, broken water pipes, no electricity to pump water," Byrne said. "So unless the electricity and the water delivery systems are quickly repaired Iraqi children are going to continue to die at a very high rate," Byrne said.

Members of Conscience International - a coalition of American religious and humanitarian organizations - say they are the first US civilian group to fly into Baghdad since the Gulf War. They plan to deliver $150,000 worth of medicines, eye-glasses and school supplies in the latest in a stream of flights that are challenging the 10-year-old air embargo. The group's president, James Jennings, said: "We want to show that we are sorry - as Americans we are sorry for the damage that the American bombs are doing, for the 140 civilians that were killed by American bombs. "We're probably the first Americans who have flown over Iraq for a long time that haven't dropped bombs on the country." US President-elect George W Bush has said he would be tougher on the embargo, which is linked to disarming Iraq, than the current administration. But he will be trying to counter a strong trend towards ending Iraq's isolation. The delegation's visit, which coincides with the tenth anniversary of the Gulf War, comes as international disapproval grows against sanctions. No one has taken radical action against the sanctions so far though, even this group. Although it did not ask for US permission, it did fly in a Jordanian plane that was approved by the UN. More than 80 flights have landed in Baghdad since August 17 when Saddam International Airport reopened despite the air ban that forms part of sanctions imposed on Iraq for its August 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

Labour MP George Galloway has branded the West's sanctions policy towards Iraq as "bonkers" saying it had transformed President Saddam Hussein into "one of the most popular political leaders in the world". Galloway, a long-time opponent of sanctions, said that not only had the sanctions inflicted huge suffering on ordinary Iraqis but that they had reinforced Saddam's position by making him appear to be a victim of Western aggression.

Iraq has started to distribute ration cards to its citizens for 2001, the eleventh straight year of sanctions. The ration cards have provided Iraqis with basic needs amid a dramatic plunge in their living standards. Each month, Iraqis receive their rations, which consist of small quantities of flour, rice, tea, sugar, vegetable oil and infant milk, along with soap, salt, detergents, razors and matches.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today that talks scheduled this week with officials from the Iraqi Government would likely be delayed until next month. The talks are aimed at breaking a stalemate over UN weapons inspections in Iraq, which broke off in December 1998. Norway is to head the UN Security Council sanctions committee for Iraq for 2001. More than 10,000 Iraqis, mostly young children, died in November 2000 because of shortages caused by the UN embargo in force since 1990, the health ministry said Sunday. It said that 7,556 children under the age of five and 3,390 adults had died last month due to illnesses such as diarrhea, heart and respiratory problems, and malnutrition.

Iraq says it will not allow United Nations weapons inspectors to return to the country before talks between Baghdad and the UN next month. Speaking at a news conference in Baghdad, the Iraqi Oil Minister, Amir Muhammed Rasheed repeated Iraq's dismissal of a UN resolution which calls for the suspension of sanctions if it allows weapons inspectors to return.

The UK has denied that it is planning to halt air patrols that regularly bomb southern Iraq - but reports quoting unnamed officials say London is looking to change its sanctions policy. The reports say British and American policy is under review as the new US administration prepares to take over. Diplomats in the region say the UK is pulling back from its support for hardline US policies amid growing international opposition to UN sanctions. The Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, also appears to be making a comeback, despite recent rumors that he had suffered a stroke.

Mongolia

For the first time in living memory, Mongolia has been struck by two consecutive dzud (in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001). Dzud is a Mongolia-specific winter disaster, which undermines the welfare and food security of the herding community through large-scale death and debilitation of livestock. The direct cause of a dzud disaster is the accumulation of damaging natural hazards, including severe widespread drought in summer, unusually cold temperatures in autumn and winter and then very heavy snowfall. The indirect causes are mainly over-concentration of stock and overgrazing of pastures in some areas, leading to environmental degradation, the disappearance of abundant grass, and inadequate winter hay preparation. Extremes of climate and difficulties caused by social and economic transition have also contributed to the current disaster situation.

Following the worst winter in decades last year, which seriously undermined the food security of large numbers of people especially nomadic herders, this year again the country faces a devastating winter which will greatly exacerbate existing food supply problems. Thick snow has blanketed livestock pastures for the second year in succession on which herds usually feed in winter and temperatures have fallen to as low as minus 50 Celsius. The harsh winter has already killed about 600 000 animals, on which a third of the population rely entirely for their livelihood and income. With more snow forecast in February and March, it is currently projected that several million livestock could be again lost this year. The current livestock losses come on top of some 3 million animals lost in 1999/2000, which represented around 10 percent of the total herd. The adverse weather also poses considerable problems for transporting food and medical supplies to areas where the population is particularly vulnerable to food shortages. The cold winter follows a summer drought which reduced the fodder crop for animals, making this the second year in succession that recovery in feed and fodder has not been possible. The situation is expected to deteriorate further as the winter progresses.

The objective of the United Nations and Government of Mongolia Appeal for International Assistance is to solicit contributions for emergency relief assistance in the areas devastated by both the previous and the present dzud. The appeal aims to facilitate a coordinated international response and assistance to the Government of Mongolia in its ongoing relief efforts. The activities in this appeal target vulnerable groups in the most severely affected provinces and seek to fulfil certain unmet relief needs. The appeal also focuses on building the disaster management and coordination capacity of the Mongolian State Emergency Commission (SEC) and other relevant national partners to enhance preparedness and future response. The appeal covers a period of four months, from 1 February to 31 May 2001. In collaboration with the Government of Mongolia, the UN Agencies will facilitate timely relief delivery, and ensure monitoring and reporting. The UN Appeal seeks contributions worth US$ 7,096,609 in cash and US$ 4,682,248 in kind to assist beneficiaries in 73 counties.

Colombia

Over the last 40 years a conflict between guerilla groups, paramilitary forces, and the Colombian Armed Forces has raged through Colombia. Those most affected by the conflict are the civilians who have been used as pawns in this on going struggle. From burning of homes, to disappearances, to murder the civilians have borne the burden of this conflict. People are increasingly fleeing their homes in fear, an estimated 2 million people ( NGO figures) have been displaced since 1985, half within the last four years. Those uprooted have generally moved towards the cities where social programs are minimal and life in unstable at best. The slums are overflowing and basic needs are not being met, yet those in the country fare worse as the violence escalates. Due to government insecurity and lack of funds many hospitals and health posts are forced to make due without medicines, supplies, and often without pay.

Some 400 people have fled northern Colombia into the Venezuelan state of Zulia after hearing reports that paramilitary groups were torching homes and killing livestock in nearby villages. When UNHCR asked the government for access to the group, they denied the presence of the refugees of Venezuelan soil.

Three hundred Educadorans fled their homes Jambeli, Cascales and Sucumbios under threats from armed colombian rebels. Defense Minister Hugo Unda cited the military-oriented antidrug campaign in Colombia as being at the root of this aggressive behavior. As the war on drugs continues in Colombia , an increase in Colombian refugees and drug producing activities has been observed in Ecuador. The number of refugees continues to rise as the conflict continues.

FARC rebels handed over 62 child combatants on Feb. 14th. This move is seen as a move towards peace and a positive outcome of the peace talks.

More than 1,400 Colombians from Santander de Quilichao fled their homes after fighting between right-wing paramilitaries and leftist rebels broke out in their town. The violence also spilled into the Miranda municipality when paramilitary personnel entered town and began searching for people. The FARC rebels thwarted their efforts with an attack. Two were left dead in the violence, including one girl, a visitor to the town, who was slain because she was not recognized as a local.

Five Civilians, seven paramilitary members and eight FARC guerillas died in the recent fighting in El Prodigio. The fighting was very intense and prevented the intervention of police, army and medical personnel. Nearby in the town of Ituango, 50 paramilitary fighters died last week in clashes with FARC rebels. While the paramilitary group is 8,000 strong it is only half the size of the FARC. Also recently, FARC rebels demanded $500,000 in ransom for the priest kidnapped seven months ago from a parish in Cali. The family cannot afford the ransom, nor does it want to encourage further kidnapping by paying the sum.

Rebel and government leaders launch peace talks aimed at ending Colombia's 37-year civil war. While early on the help of the international community was rejected by the FARC rebels, they are now agreeing to allow international observers to facilitate the talks. Representatives from across Latin America and Europe have participated, though the US has been absent. Although the US government says it continues to support the peace process, tensions have been high between the US government and leaders of FARC since the 1999 assassination of three US nationals working in Colombia for indigenous rights. Leaders of the FARC also criticize the US war on drugs as a failure merely encouraging war and border tensions. Despite US absence the talks have been promising and it is hoped that the release of 450+ prisoners will soon be finalized.

A Commission of Catholic bishops has offered to intervene in order to save current peace negotiations. The bishop of Barrancabermeja announced that he would speak with Carlos Castano the leader of the AUC paramilitary group. The talk would address the control of land in the Bolivar province by the guerilla group, the ELN which Castano openly opposes.

On Sunday March 25th, paramilitary and guerilla violence left 16 dead and 4 kidnapped across Colombia. Suspects have only been apprehended in one of the four incidents that took place heightening fear in the effected communities. The National Liberation Army released five state employees who were kidnapped last week. The group is hoping to being peace talks with President Andres Pastrana in the near future.

Bolivia

The severe flooding over the last months has effected families through Bolivia. It is estimated that over 50 thousand families have been effected by the flooding. The damage is concentrated most heavily in La Paz, Cochabamba, Potosi and Beni. There are 54 reported deaths thus far and the Ministry of Agriculture reports losses of close to 300,000 acres of land. Damage to the Agriculture industry is estimated at over 12 million USD, those most affected being small farmers living in poor areas. 70% of the country's roads are damaged and more than 8,000 homes have been affected. The government has a lack of resources and is thus, not providing much assistance. Likewise the international community has been slow to help.

El Salvador

The earthquake that hit El Salvador on February 13th, measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale, was the second major earthquake in a month. The first quake hit the country on January 13th and was measured at 7.9 on the Richter scale. Well over 400 aftershocks have been recorded and the seismic activity has caused over 60 landslides. On February 17th another earthquake measuring 5.3 was recorded. Some 70,000 people are without potable water and are depending upon daily provisions carried in by trucks. Several major hospitals were damaged and as a result many services are not functioning. Many other public buildings, churches and schools have been destroyed. Dust clouds, which are a consequence of the landslides and erosion are causing respiratory diseases and eye infections. The damage is estimated at well over $2 billion US dollars, with over 1,000 dead and many more seriously affected.

Aid is needed for rebuilding some of the 200,000 homes damaged in the quakes, and farming equipment so that framers may restart their businesses. Yet a third earth quake measuring between 5.2 and 6.4 on the Richter scale struck the capital city of San Salvador on February 28th. Many people are still living in shelter after the damage caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and the earthquake of 1986, this new disaster will be very hard to cope with.

The World Food Program announced that its food stocks have run out, leaving hundreds of thousands facing hunger in the aftermath of the earthquakes. 450,000 food rations have already been distributed after some 1.3 million people were left homeless. Over 6000 tremors have been recorded since the quakes continue to cause anxiety. As the rainy season draws near the threat of hurricanes is very real and many unprotected families fear the worst.