Goma, RD Congo | AFP | mercredi 20/01/2016 - 13:38 GMT

Les Casques bleus stationnés à Miriki, village de l'est de la République démocratique du Congo théâtre d'un massacre ethnique nocturne début janvier, ont eu une réponse "inadéquate" face à ce drame, a déclaré mercredi le chef de la force militaire de l'ONU dans ce pays.

"Il a été constaté une réponse tardive et que moi-même en tant que responsable de la Force, je considère comme inadéquate", a déclaré le général de division Jean Baillaud lors d'une conférence de presse à propos des soldats sud-africains qui étaient basés à environ un kilomètre du village et qui ne sont pas intervenus pour mettre un terme à la tuerie.

Le massacre de Miriki, dans la province meurtrie du Nord-Kivu, a rappelé un drame s'étant produit en juin 2014 à Mutarule, au Sud-Kivu, à l'issue duquel la Mission onusienne avait présenté publiquement ses excuses et reconnu une part de responsabilité après le massacre de 32 personnes d'une même ethnie.

La tuerie avait été commise de nuit. Un détachement local de la Monusco avait été alerté par des riverains mais n'avait pas bougé. Présente à proximité, la patrouille des Forces armées de la RDC (FARDC) n'était pas non plus intervenue.

Pour le général Baillaud, commandant par intérim de la Force militaire de la mission de l'ONU au Congo (Monusco), "il faut tirer toutes les leçons, procéder à toutes les vérifications sur ce qui s'est passé".

Appelant à ne pas faire de comparaison hâtive entre les drames de Mutarule et Miriki, le général a estimé qu'il fallait "plutôt s'interroger" sur "les risques" qu'induit le massacre de janvier pour la stabilité de la zone, sur "les actions à entreprendre", et sur l'identité des auteurs de ces crimes et leurs éventuelles complices.

Seize ou dix-sept Nande ont été tués dans la nuit du 6 au 7 janvier, à Miriki (environ 110 km au nord de Goma, la capitale du Nord-Kivu). Les autorités, l'ONU et l'armée congolaise ont imputé la responsabilité de ce massacre aux rebelles hutu rwandais des Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR).

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© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Goma, DR Congo | AFP | Wednesday 1/20/2016 - 16:36 GMT

South African peacekeepers in restive eastern Democratic Republic of Congo responded inadequately to an ethnically-motivated attack by Hutu rebels in early January that left more than a dozen people dead, the head of the UN force said Wednesday.

"A slow response was noted that I, as head of the force, consider to be inadequate," General Jean Baillaud told a press conference in the provincial capital Goma, referring to an attack in Miriki village, where peacekeepers stationed about one kilometre (mile) away failed to intervene.

DR congo armed forces also failed to step in to stop the killings.

The overnight attack January 6 to 7 blamed on Hutu rebels from Rwanda -- grouped in the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda -- was the latest assault on civilian members of the local Nande people, who are rivals of the local Hutu. It left 16 or 17 Nande people dead.

According to a witness, the victims were stabbed or shot.

The incident recalled one in June 2014 that saw the UN peace mission in DR Congo -- MONUSCO -- forced to offer a public apology and admit some responsibility in the deaths of 32 people after an attack in Mutarule village where neither MONUSCO troops nor the DR Congo army intervened though they were alerted.

Baillaud, who is the interim commander of MONUSCO, said "we must learn all the lessons, proceed with all the checks as to what happened."

The French general said it was then necessary to consider what actions can be taken to avoid such attacks in future.

The east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has seen armed conflicts over ethnic and land disputes for more than 20 years.

For several months Nande leaders in the Miriki region have opposed the return of displaced Hutus.

According to Baillaud, the latest killings will only exacerbate intercommunal tensions in the area.

On the night of the attack, according to a MONUSCO source, the UN peacekeepers in Miriki reportedly fired several flares in the expectation that DR Congo armed forces would intervene at the nearby camp for displaced Hutus.

A UN enquiry has been opened into the incident, according to MONUSCO spokesman Colonel Felix-Prosper Basse.

The results of the probe would determine "whether the (UN troops') response was inappropriate or tardy," he told AFP.

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© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

DEVEX has released an interview with WFP’s Chief Economist Arif about what mobile technology can offer food security monitoring. Husain is head of the Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping department, which boasts a network of 150 food security analysts in more than 70 countries, tasked with gathering “actionable food security information”. In 2012, the organization piloted mobile Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (mVAM), in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to collect food security data remotely. Short surveys and interviews, SMS interaction, and an Interactive Voice Response system were used to collect data via mobile phones.

According to Husain the organization’s ability to collect ad collate information has improve “exponentially” thanks to mobile technologies and the use of such projects.

However, that's just the "tip of the iceberg," according to Husain.

"There is so much more we can do," he said. "We are always looking at ways in which we can get this information quicker and in a way that we can process it very quickly; in a way that is inexpensive and, most importantly, from places that are hard to reach because of conflict, diseases or because the terrain is very difficult. 

In the interview with Devex at the WFP Rome headquarters, Husain shared the organization's strategies to increase the use of technologies for data collection and what role partners can play, explaining the challenges humanitarian organisations face in implementing those solutions, why it is worth the investment, but also why development organisations should seek WFP's advice when designing them.

To access the aggregated mVAM data and for more information on the project visit mVAM monitoring website. Tools, resources and guidelines on how to use mVAM are available on the VAM resources page. The team also blog about their experiences and have their own podcast. 

Goma/Amsterdam – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announces today the closure of its project in Mweso, Masisi territory, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, after armed actors attacked one of our convoys and abducted two of our staff members from 15-16 December 2016.

“We’ve been forced to take this painful decision because our staff cannot continue to work in a situation where they are targeted or attacked,” says Annemarie Loof, MSF Operational Manager in Amsterdam. “After the incident, we were hopeful that we could resolve the situation, and asked everyone we know to work with us to ensure that everything that was taken from us during the incident was returned to MSF, and that we receive new security assurances from all actors present in the region. Unfortunately, despite all our efforts, these conditions have not been met.”

Medical needs in the conflict-affected area remain urgent: last year, the project treated 176,791 patients. This includes 42,712 malaria patients (mainly children) and assistance to 6,274 mothers giving birth. In 2016, the project was intending to expand through additional outreach clinics south and east of Mweso.

“It hurts us deeply to know that many people will suffer as a result of this project closure,” continues Annemarie Loof. “We sincerely wish that we could stay in Mweso. We condemn those responsible for the attack - it is they who bear the responsibility for causing the suffering of the population.”

MSF’s commitment to its patients and to the community remains strong. The organization is currently working out the details of the closure process, which will include an immediate donation of drugs to local health structures to ensure that the needs of current patients are addressed, and provide buffer stocks until state structures can fill the gap left by MSF’s departure.

MSF has been operating free-of-charge hospitals and clinics for almost 8 years in Mweso and for more than 30 years across DRC, where health indicators are among the lowest in the world. MSF’s other projects in North Kivu and the rest of DRC are expected to continue.

ACTED intervient depuis deux ans dans le sud du territoire de Walikale, dans le Nord-Kivu (République Démocratique du Congo), avec le soutien de la Coopération Suisse (DDC). Cette région est caractérisée par un contexte sécuritaire extrêmement volatile, engendré par la présence de nombreux groupes armés. ACTED a cependant réussi à apporter une assistance aux personnes déplacées, retournées et autochtones du territoire. Elle a de plus pu intervenir dans des zones très difficiles d’accès pour l’ensemble de la communauté humanitaire. Ainsi, en deux ans, ACTED a pu assister et accompagner plus de 10 000 ménages vulnérables affectés par le contexte d’insécurité, soit plus de 70 000 personnes.

Summary of WFP assistance:

In 2015, WFP implemented a Country Programme (CP) aligned with the WFP Strategic Plan and based on two pillars of the Country Strategy: i) Access to adequate and nutritious food and basic social services; and ii) Risk and disaster management. The CP is composed of four components:

i) School feeding component - The school feeding programme is implemented in rural areas to narrow the gap in access to primary education between urban and rural areas. The project is aimed at increasing school attendance, enrolment, retention, and completion rates in primary schools in the most food insecure regions of the Republic of Congo, while also improving children's learning capacities and micronutrient status.

ii) Safety net component - WFP is providing support to the government for the management of an urban Safety Net programme in selected suburban areas of Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, and, since 2014, in two rural cities for vulnerable populations. The main activities are: providing electronic vouchers to prioritised households as well as Specialised Nutritious Foods for Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) treatment to people living with HIV and/or Tuberculosis (TB).

iii) Nutrition component People living with HIV and TB patients are receiving, in addition to the monthly e-voucher, Specialised Nutritious Foods for MAM treatment composed of Super cereal and vitamin A & D fortified oil to help them better adhere to their medical treatments – Anti-Retroviral and TB-Director Observational Therapy (DOT).

The fourth component on risks and disaster management has not yet been implemented.

WFP still provides food assistance to a decreasing number of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Likouala department under the protracted relief and recovery operation (PRRO). Since January 2015, WFP provides food assistance to an increasing number of refugees from the Central African Republic hosted in the Likouala department under the regional emergency operation (EMOP).

Summary of WFP assistance:

While Tanzania has a fast growing economy, the phenomenon is primarily concentrated in urban areas. A vast majority of Tanzanians reside in rural areas and rely on subsistence level farming, which renders them vulnerable to climatic, economic and seasonal shocks. WFP runs a Country Programme in food insecure areas of the country and a Refugee Operation in north-western Tanzania.
Country Programme: To address short term hunger, WFP launched a Home Grown School Feeding pilot and has initiated the gradual process of handing over school feeding to government institutions and local communities. WFP is also working with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to develop a handover strategy and national guidelines for the School Meals programme. WFP’s Food Assistance for Asset Creation programme (FFA) supports populations unable to mitigate recurring economic, climatic or seasonal shocks. FFA activities provide food in exchange for work on building and rehabilitating productive assets, which in turn strengthens community resilience, reduces vulnerability and enhances local food access and food availability. FFA is complemented by the Korea International Cooperation Agency’s Saemaul Zero Hunger Communities project, which focuses on income generation and community leadership. Activities included building a girls dormitory for secondary students, renovating three dispensaries in Dodoma region, and providing quarterly trainings for communities on post-harvest management, community management and participatory leadership.
On the nutrition front, WFP’s Supplementary Feeding Programme helps treat moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) by providing a monthly take home ration of fortified blended food to pregnant and nursing mothers and children under five.
To prevent stunting, pregnant and nursing mothers and children under the age of two receive a monthly take home ration of Super Cereal under the Mother and Child Health and Nutrition programme. WFP's nutrition interventions are focused in Dodoma and Singida regions, both of which have high rates of stunting and wasting.

Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO): Since the 1970’s, Tanzania has hosted refugees who fled into the north-western region following unrest in neighbouring countries. In the nineties, Tanzania hosted over one million refugees in 12 refugee camps. Until April 2015, the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Kasulu district (within the Kigoma region) was the only remaining refugee camp, populated mainly by around 65,500 Congolese refugees. However, political unrest in Burundi has led to over a hundred thousand refugees fleeing to Tanzania since the end of April 2015. As a result, the Government of Tanzania has allocated three former camps to accommodate the new Burundian refugees, namely, Nduta, Karago and Mtendeli Refugee Camps. WFP assistance is the main source of food for refugees. WFP provides food to refugees through a general food distribution (GFD) and supplementary feeding programmes. Through GFD, every 28 days, a food basket of Super Cereal, pulses, vegetable oil, and salt provides refugees with their minimum dietary requirement of 2,100 Kcal per person per day.

Market Access: WFP engages both public and private sector to support and engage smallholder famers. Public sector engagement is comprised of an agreement between WFP and Tanzania’s National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA), which provides Purchase for Progress (P4P)-supported farmers with a potentially sustainable market for their crops. WFP’s engagement with the private sector, under the Patient Procurement Platform (PPP) ensures that smallholder farmers are active members of the value chain which presents an important opportunity to assist their move away from subsistence farming. The platform brings together private and public partners to offer mechanisms for smallholder farmers to receive the appropriate information, investment and support from seed to market. PPP plans to reach 75,000 farmers through pre-planting contracts with the private sector by 2017.

United Nations Development Assistance Programme (UNDAP): WFP is part of the United Nations Development Assistance Programme (2011-2016), which is the business plan for the UN in Tanzania.

With the Horn of Africa continuing to face a multitude of crises from recurrent cycles of conflict to natural disasters, affecting millions of people, the EU has today announced €77 million in humanitarian aid for the region in 2016.

The Horn of Africa region is hosting some 1.7 million refugees. More than half a million live in Kenya.

EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, made the announcement during his visit to Kenya today, where he visited the Dadaab refugee camp, the largest in the world, hosting over 350 000 people.

"Today I travelled to Dadaab, where the first Somali refugees found shelter from conflict and hunger 25 years ago. I witnessed the immense needs of families whose lives have been changed forever. These people rely on our humanitarian assistance. I was also touched by the hospitality shown by the Kenyan people. No country can cope alone with the provision of essential services to so many refugees. We need to strengthen the resilience of both forcibly displaced populations and host communities".

Out of the €77 million announced today, €17 million will go towards life-saving and emergency aid in Kenya – which is one of the main recipient countries for refugees in the region and in Africa. Aid will include food, health care, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, protection and education in emergencies.

Background

In 2016, EU humanitarian aid will help respond to the most pressing needs of the displaced populations, in the areas of nutrition, health, water and sanitation, shelter and protection. It will also help improve disaster preparedness and resilience. Funds will be distributed as follows:

Somalia 29 000 000

Ethiopia 25 000 000

Kenya 17 000 000

Uganda 5 000 000

Djibouti 500 000

Disaster Risk Reduction (regional) 500 000

Somalia receives the largest share of the funding – €29 million, which were announced yesterday by Commissioner Stylianides. Around one third of the funding will go to Ethiopia, where over 10 million people are in need of emergency assistance.

Kenya hosts close to 600 000 refugees, the majority of whom come from neighbouring South Sudanand Somalia. They predominantly depend on humanitarian assistance, as they are not allowed to work for a living. Also in Kenya, over 1 million people are food insecure. The situation is expected to worsen following the extreme weather phenomenon ‘El Niño’ currently affecting the region. Last month, the EU announced €79 million in assistance for the Greater Horn of Africa, including Kenya, to help deal specifically with the consequences caused by El Niño.

Alors que la Corne de l’Afrique connaît toujours une multitude de crises, qu'il s'agisse de cycles récurrents de conflits ou de catastrophes naturelles, touchant des millions de personnes, l’UE a annoncé qu'elle accorderait une aide humanitaire de 77 millions d’euros à cette région en 2016.

Alors que la Corne de l’Afrique connaît toujours une multitude de crises, qu'il s'agisse de cycles récurrents de conflits ou de catastrophes naturelles, touchant des millions de personnes, l’UE a annoncé qu'elle accorderait une aide humanitaire de 77 millions d’euros à cette région en 2016.

La Corne de l’Afrique accueille environ 1,7 million de réfugiés, qui vivent au Kenya pour plus d’un demi-million d’entre eux.

M. Christos **Stylianides**, membre de la Commission européenne chargé de l’aide humanitaire et de la gestion des crises, a fait cette annonce aujourd’hui lors de sa visite au Kenya, où il s'est rendu à Dadaab, dans le plus grand camp de réfugiés au monde qui abrite plus de 350 000 personnes.

«Aujourd’hui, j'ai fait le déplacement jusqu'à Dadaab, où les premiers réfugiés somaliens fuyant les conflits et la famine ont trouvé refuge il y a 25 ans. J’ai pu constater l’ampleur des besoins des familles, dont la vie ne sera plus jamais la même. Ces personnes dépendent de l’aide humanitaire que nous leur apportons. J'ai également été touché par l'hospitalité dont les Kényans font preuve. Aucun pays ne peut, à lui seul, assurer la fourniture de services essentiels à un si grand nombre de réfugiés. Nous devons renforcer la résilience tant des populations déplacées de force que des communautés qui les accueillent».

Sur le montant de 77 millions d'euros annoncé ce jour, 17 millions d’euros seront affectés à l'aide vitale et à l’aide d’urgence aux populations les plus vulnérables dans le pays. Cela couvrira les vivres, les soins de santé, l’eau, l'assainissement et l’hygiène, l'hébergement ainsi que la protection et l’éducation dans les situations d’urgence.

Contexte

Dans la Corne de l’Afrique, nombreuses sont les personnes touchées soit par des déplacements forcés, soit par l’insécurité alimentaire et la malnutrition, soit, bien souvent, par les deux. La région accueille également quelque 1,7 million de réfugiés, originaires pour la plupart du Soudan du Sud et de la Somalie.

L’aide humanitaire de 77 millions d’euros annoncée aujourd’hui par l’UE pour 2016 permettra de répondre aux besoins les plus urgents des populations déplacées en matière de nutrition, de santé, d’eau et d'assainissement, d'hébergement et de protection. Elle contribuera en outre à renforcer leur préparation aux catastrophes et leur résilience.

La Somalie sera le principal bénéficiaire de l’aide (29 millions d’euros), suivi de l’Éthiopie (25 millions d’euros) et du Kenya (17 millions d’euros).

Pays/secteur
Total en EUR

Somalie 29 000 000

Éthiopie 25 000 000

Kenya 17 000 000

Ouganda 5 000 000

Djibouti 500 000

Réduction des risques de catastrophe (niveau régional) 500 000

Le **Kenya** est l’un des principaux pays d’accueil des réfugiés dans la région et en Afrique. Il abrite près de 600 000 réfugiés, dont 183 000 dans le camp de Kakuma, au nord-ouest du pays. La majorité d'entre eux est originaire de la Somalie et du Soudan du Sud voisins. Au Kenya, les réfugiés dépendent principalement de l’aide humanitaire car ils n’ont pas le droit de travailler pour gagner leur vie.

En outre, plus d'un million de personnes est confronté à l’insécurité alimentaire, essentiellement dans des zones arides. La situation devrait se dégrader car la région est actuellement touchée par le phénomène météorologique extrême El Niño.

Le mois dernier, l’UE a annoncé une aide de 79 millions d’euros en faveur de l'ensemble de la région de la Corne de l’Afrique, y compris le Kenya, spécifiquement destinée à remédier aux conséquences d'El Niño.

Pour en savoir plus:

Fiche d'information sur la Corne de l’Afrique

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/hoa_fr.pdf

Fiche d’information sur la Somalie

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/somalia_fr.pdf

Fiche d’information sur le Kenya

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/kenya_fr.pdf

FAITS MARQUANTS

• Persistance des cas de choléra dans les provinces de l’Est et le Sud-est de la RDC. Il s’agit particulièrement des provinces telles que le Sud-Kivu, le Lualaba, le Haut-Katanga et le Tanganyika.

• Dans le Sud-Kivu, l’épidémie de choléra sévit actuellement dans la Zone de Santé (ZS) de Fizi. Au cours de la première semaine de 2016, cette ZS a notifié à elle seule 149 cas de choléra contre 138 pendant la semaine 53 (2015).

• Dans la Province du Haut-Katanga, 5 cas suspects de choléra ont été rapportés dans la ZS de Kilela Balanda, dont 2 au cours de la Semaine 52 et 3 pendant la Semaine 53. La ZS n’a pas rapporté au cours de la Semaine 1. Dans le même temps, 3 cas de choléra confirmés au test rapide ont été notifiés dans la ZS de Katuba au cours de la Semaine 1, tandis que 2 autres cas sont de la ZS de Kenya pendant la Semaine 1 de 2016. Ces deux dernières ZS se trouvent dans la ville de Lubumbashi, Chef-lieu provincial du Haut-Katanga.

• L’épidémie de choléra est en baisse dans les Divisions provinciales de la santé (DPS) du Maniema et de la Tshopo. Au Maniema, les ZS de Kindu et d’Alunguli ont notifié des cas suspects de choléra. Alunguli a notifié 1 cas suspect au cours de la Semaine 53 contre 1 pendant la Semaine 52 de l’année 2015.

• De la Semaine 1 à la Semaine 52 de 2015, le nombre total cumulé de cas de choléra en RDC indiquait un total de 21.584 cas avec 329 décès. Le taux de létalité moyen était de 2%. Selon la Direction de Lutte contre la Maladie (DLM), au moins 108 ZS notifié des cas de choléra pendant la S53. Les tendances de l’épidémie sont illustrées dans les figures et les cartes dans ce Rapport de situation.

• L’OMS va renforcer son appui nécessaire aux Divisions Provinciales de la Santé (DPS) des provinces susmentionnées avec des fournitures médicales pour traiter les personnes affectées. Elle va également conduire une mission d’investigation de l’épidémie dans la ZS de Fizi, couplée au suivi et à l’évaluation des activités du projet financé par CERF en 2015.

Avec le soutien de ses principaux partenaires (JICA, OMS, UNICEF), le Ministère de la Santé Publique a organisé à Kinshasa une formation sur la gestion et le contrôle de la Maladie à virus Ebola

• Du 11 au 19 janvier 2016 s’est tenu à Kinshasa, capitale de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) un atelier international de formation sur la gestion de la Maladie à virus Ebola (MVE). Les travaux ont été organisés par le Ministère de la Santé Publique (MSP), avec la participation des 8 pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (Bénin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinée, Mali, Mauritanie, Niger et Togo). Au total, 42 participants de professions diverses Epidemiologistes,Cliniciens,Infirmiers,Hygiénistes, Communicateurs, Sages –femmes, Psychologues cliniciens, Tradipraticiens, Biologistes, Logisticiens, Agrovétérinaires et Zootechniciens, Universitaires et chercheurs etc.) ont pris part à cette formation. L’atelier avait été ouvert à l’Institut national pilote et de l’enseignement des sciences de la santé (INPESS) par le Secrétaire général à la Santé Publique, le Dr Mukengeshayi Kupa.

• Conduite par les experts du MSP, de l’Ecole de santé publique, de l’OMS, de l’UNICEF grâce au financement fourni l’agence internationale de coopération japonaise (JICA), ladite formation était centrée sur l’expérience de la RDC, comprenant les thèmes suivants : la coordination, la surveillance, la communication, l’hygiène, la prise en charge médicale, la prise en charge psychosociale, la prise en charge psycho-sociale, le laboratoire et le team building.

Eugene Kabambi | Communications Officer | World Health Organization | Country Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kinshasa | Direct: +243 81 715 1697 | Office : +47 241 39 027 | Email: kabambie@who.int

HIGHLIGHTS

• UNHCR facilitated the participation of Central African refugees hosted in Chad, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo in the constitutional referendum and presidential elections that took place in December.

• Out of 54,264 refugees who registered for the vote in the three countries of asylum, almost 61 per cent cast their vote with no major security incident reported.

• In the Central African Republic (CAR), persistent localised clashes and the prevailing insecurity countrywide triggered additional population displacement. At the same time, recurrent attacks on humanitarian organisations and convoys continued to impede access to affected areas inside the CAR and contributed to slowing down the humanitarian response.

• Humanitarian needs for the CAR situation continued to surpass available resources, directly impacting UNHCR’s ability to provide protection and assistance to displaced populations.

KEY FIGURES

453,921
Central African refugees in Cameroon, Chad, DRC and Congo

7,661
Refugees and asylum seekers in Central African Republic

48,466
IDPs in the capital Bangui

PRIORITIES

• CAR: Continue to provide protection and assistance to displaced populations; ensure protection monitoring in accessible areas.

• Cameroon: Strengthen the WASH response in all refugee sites.

• Chad: Strengthen community based protection, particularly for persons with specific needs.

• DRC: Address the needs of newly arrived refugees, especially in the area of shelter.

• RoC: Ensure registration and documentation of all CAR refugees.

Kinshasa, le 22 janvier 2016 (caritasdev.cd) : Le Programme Wash que mène la Caritas Congo Asbl sur le plan de l’eau, de l’assainissement et de l’hygiène a connu une année 2015 riche en réalisations pour cette structure de la pastorale sociale l’Eglise catholique en RD Congo. Celles-ci ont été menées grâce au financement de IMA dans le cadre du programme d’accès aux soins de santé primaires et de l’Unicef via la Caritas Allemagne en République Démocratique du Congo. Un document remis à la presse par la Coordination nationale de ce Programme, pour ce qui du financement reçu de IMA, fait savoir que 11 villages sur 65 ont été certifiés en 2015 et 54 sur 65 villages sont depuis en processus dans 2 zones de santé du Nord Maniema (Lubutu et Ferekeni). En tout, 7 écoles sur 18 sont certifiées et 11 en processus, rapporte caritasdev.cd

Latrines hygiéniques d’une école à Tshimpidinga, dans la périphérie de Kananga, Kasaï centralPour ce même financement accordé pour les actions WASH par IMA, en 2015, dans l’ensemble, 20 sources ont été aménagées, 1.228 ménages ont été dotés de latrines avec dalle san plat. En tout 10 écoles ont été dotées de latrines et de point de lavage de mains. Des ouvrages d’assainissement ont été érigés dans 199 aires de santé. Il s’agit de ce qui suit : 54 citernes construites sur 130 et dont la capacité est de 12.000 litres et 31 fosses à placenta apprêtées sur 130. Dans l’ensemble15 (sur 130) latrines à fosse sèche et 27 incinérateurs (sur 130) ont été construits.

S’agissant du financement obtenu de l’Unicef via Caritas Allemagne, pour l’année 2015, le Programme WASH de Caritas Congo Asbl a pu toucher 55.560 bénéficiaires dans 5 Zones de santé de la province de la Tshopo. Parmi ceux-ci on compte 41.670 femmes et enfants. Ce Programme a construit 18 puits avec pompe manuelle ainsi que 40.705 latrines familiales avec des matériaux locaux. Dans trois zones de santé de la province de la Mongala, il a touché 34.683 bénéficiaires, dont 14.637 femmes et enfants. Ledit Programme a aussi construit 3.474 dalles san plat, 70 portes de latrines scolaires et aménagé 20 sources d’eau potable. En vue de la promotion de l’hygiène et du renforcement des capacités en techniques WASH, grâce au financement lui accordé par l’Unicef via la Caritas Allemagne l’année passée en 2015, le Programme WASH a touché 16 diocèses par des activités de sensibilisation. Ces diocèses sont : Kisangani, Isangi, Lisala, Mbandaka-Bikoro, Bukavu, Kasongo, Kindu, Kalemie-Kirungu, Kongolo, Mbujimayi, Luiza, Kananga, Luebo, Kenge, Kikwit et Inongo. Ont été élaborés par ce programme (WASH) un document de benchmarking pour améliorer les performances WASH des diocèses ainsi que le plan stratégique WASH national. Enfin, le Programme WASH, dont monsieur Dieudonné BANZA Ditadi est le Coordonnateur national à Caritas Congo Asbl, a en 2015, produit un documentaire vidéo qui a été diffusé dans 5 radio-télévisions locales et sur Youtube. Le Coordonnateur national du Programme WASH (tenue bleue) au milieu de la population dans un village assaini dans la TSHOPO

JOSEPH KIALA

22 janvier 2016 – La livraison de l'assistance humanitaire dans la province du Nord-Kivu, dans l'est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), est devenue très difficile ces dernières semaines en raison d'une série d'enlèvements et de l'insécurité croissante qui y règne, a déclaré vendredi le chef du Bureau des Nations Unies pour la coordination des affaires humanitaires (OCHA) dans ce pays, Rein Paulsen.

Le 15 décembre dernier, un convoi de l'ONG Médecins sans frontières (MSF) a été dévalisé et deux employés enlevés. Le 20 janvier, MSF a annoncé la fermeture de son programme médical à Mweso, dans le territoire de Masisi. Ce programme fournissait une assistance médicale à près de 200.000 patients, a précisé OCHA dans un communiqué de presse.

Selon l'ONU, la situation sécuritaire se détériore depuis des mois au Nord-Kivu. Dans les territoires de Beni, Lubero, Masisi, Rutshuru et Walikale, les enlèvements de travailleurs humanitaires et de civils et les attaques contre des convois ont augmenté, forçant souvent les organisations humanitaires à retarder l'acheminement de l'aide ou à suspendre ces opérations.

Des milliers de civils paient un lourd tribut à la violence. Depuis octobre 2014, Beni et ses environs ont été frappés par une série de meurtres et de violations des droits de l'homme. Dans le sud de Lubero, la semaine dernière, des affrontements armés ont éclaté dans le village de Miriki, faisant 18 morts. Plus de 70.000 personnes ont été déplacées dans le sud de Lubero depuis la mi-novembre 2015.

« Quand des organisations humanitaires chevronnées comme MSF décident de quitter une zone pour des raisons de sécurité, cela signifie que la situation est très préoccupante », a déclaré M. Paulsen.

Face à ce climat instable et dangereux, OCHA appelle toutes les autorités congolaises et tous les acteurs concernés à améliorer la situation sécuritaire pour permettre aux organisations humanitaires de travailler et de sauver des vies, et aux civils de vivre en sécurité.

Highlights

• According to reports from the Government of Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), a total of 17,645 refugees have been received in Uganda since November 2014 and 49 per cent of them are children under the age of 18 years. The period 18th to 24th December, 2015 saw the entry of 464 new refugees.

• 27 solar suitcases were installed in 26 health facilities providing more reliable lighting in the maternity wards and delivery rooms in Isingiro District, which is hosting Burundi Refugees. Five suitcases were installed in 4 health units located in the Refugee settlement, strengthening safe delivery capacities.

• A 13 kilometer water extension to five villages (that were receiving less water than the minimum sphere standard of 15 litres per person per day) has been completed, increasing access to safe water (17 litres per person per day) for all children in these communities.

• 240 Village Health Team (VHTs) workers received training and have been deployed, and are actively conducting community-based nutrition screening, sensitization and timely referrals of moderately and severely malnourished children.

• Over 1,606 (677 males; 929 females) malnourished children have been screened; 24 children below 5 years were treated for severe malnutrition; 14 were discharged while 8 dropped out of therapy. For both the Burundi Refugees and neighboring host communities, 360 children received vitamin A and deworming tables and 782 pregnant women provided with folic acid.

SITUATION IN NUMBERS

Date: December 30, 2015

Burundian Refugees in Uganda

17,645
# of Burundians in Uganda since November 2014 (OPM, 2015)

8,646
# of children under the age of 18 (OPM, 2015) 12,880 # of women and children affected (OPM, 2015)

Funding Requirements
US$2.9 million

Funding Gap
61%

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

Reports from the Government of Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister indicate an increase of daily new arrivals of Burundian refugees. As of 16 Dec, 2015, a total of 17,645 refugees have arrived in Uganda since November 2014, with the majority (13,645) settled in Nakivale, and others settled in Kyaka (292), Oruchinga (11,208), Kinsoro (98) and in Kampala (3,843). The arrival trend is increasing with the majority of refugees arriving into Uganda through Mirama Hills, Kashenyi Police post, Mutukula Kagitumba and Kikagate border points from Bujumbura, Muyinga, Kirundo, Kibitoke and Bubanza Provinces. The majority of these people have cited heightened insecurity and fears of attacks from armed groups in Burundi, as well as family reunion as reasons for fleeing. More refugees are expected to arrive as the reported insecurity in Burundi continues.

At Kabazana Reception Centre, UNHCR, OPM and ARC conducted the weekly joint physical headcount to establish the number of residents. A total of 541 individuals, of which 382 are Burundians, are currently residing at the centre. This is a slight increase from last week’s 512 individuals.

As the steady influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to increase in Nakivale; pressure is being placed on services at the settlement shared by the vast majority of Burundians. There has been an increased influx of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent months, with 1,639 arriving in November alone, at an average of 55 individuals daily, from Bunagana, Nteko and Kyeshero.

The El Nino weather phenomenon forecasted (between October 2015 and February 2016) higher than usual rainfalls in large areas of Uganda; and there is risk of strong wind gusts affecting shelters. Initial assessment of flood-risk areas in refugee settlements suggested higher risk in the Nakivale, Kyaka, Rwamanja settlements. Mitigation measures recommended include relocation of refugees from flood-prone areas and the delivery of shelter items for roof repairs.

According to UNHCR reports, in education, there is a high ratio of children to care givers (one teacher to 123 children) at the early childhood development centre which is affecting the quality of learning and teaching. This ratio falls significantly short of the recommended government standard of one teacher to 25 children. The children are not grouped according to age, but are mixed, which makes learning slower for some of them owing to limited structures and teachers. There is also no feeding arrangement for children under ECD programmes, hence causing children to report late and leave early because there is no means of relieving their hunger. Parents have been encouraged to contribute to children’s feeding during the school period, but this has not been successful. Windle Trust Uganda is continuing with community sensitization for parents to contribute towards feeding of their children. Another gap is inadequate desks, especially in the existing primary schools of Nakivale, Kabazana, Kashojwa and Nyarugugu, where ECD programmes have been established. Schools and ECD centres remain on break until the end the February 2016 Presidential elections.

There is need to erect temporary structures in all Burundian refugee villages to support health outreach programmes and to reduce the distance people have to travel in order to access health care services. In Nakivale Health Centre, there is a need to recruit two midwives to support reproductive health and counseling, as well as a need for a restocking of testing kits to support antenatal mothers.

Lusenda, DR Congo | AFP | Saturday 1/23/2016 - 15:57 GMT |

by Jean-Baptiste BADERHA

Burundian refugees in a DR Congo camp near the border with their troubled country live in constant fear of the raging violence they recently fled for it is still too close for safety.

"Even here, we are afraid of the Imbonerakure, the young armed men of the regime," says Elias Ngahobahe, a father of six who has come to the Lusenda camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

"We really want to move away from the border."

Some 14,000 people live at the Lusenda refugee camp, located about 70 kilometres (43 miles) from the border with Burundi.

Violent protests erupted in Burundi in April, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his ultimately successful bid for a disputed third term in office. More than 400 people have died in the fighting, and around 230,000 have fled to neighbouring countries.

In an effort to end the conflict, UN Security Council ambassadors and African Union leaders met Saturday for crisis talks in Addis Ababa, after the Burundian government refused a proposed AU force to intervene and help restore stability.

Sauda Nibiza, 20, says she is afraid that the refugee camp is too near the border, explaining that some people "had seen men of the Burundian security service on the national road. That scared us."

Visitors to the 300-hectare (740-acre) camp are greeted by the sound of Burundian drummers, which keep the cultural tradition of their homeland alive in a place where hunger is ever-present and fear seeps into daily life.

Amid palm trees and cornfields, visibly weak children sit by huts made of tarps offered by the UN refugee agency.

The president of the camp Faustin Nihibizi deplores conditions there such as "the quality and quantity of the food, the schooling" and rumours that it is being infilrated by militias.

Fatuma Narukundo, 26, lives in the camp with her husband and four children. She says she opposed Nkurunziza's running for a third term, and eventually fled the country with her family.

"My husband left first for Lubumbashi (in the southeast)... Congolese authorities told us there was one camp to receive Burundian refugees: Lusenda."

Narukundo says that some of the camp's refugees recently protested the food rations, and tensions flared with camp authorities.

Berthe Zinga, who coordinates DR Congo's National Commission for Refugees, said the country does not plan to open another camp for displaced Burundians, and that the Lusenda camp is below its capacity of 20,000.

About "60 to 70 percent" of Burundian refugees are in the Lusenda camp, says Narukundo, the rest living with host families.

But the influx of refugees is likely to continue amid Burundi's spiralling violence.

The UN human rights chief voiced alarm on Friday over allegations of security forces gang raping women, ethnic killings and mass graves filled with more than 100 bodies.

"All the alarm signals, including the increasing ethnic dimension of the crisis, are flashing red," Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein warned in a statement.

Zeid said that "deeply worrying new trends are emerging in Burundi, including cases of sexual violence by security forces and a sharp increase in enforced disappearances and torture cases."

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