HIGHLIGHTS

Angola Although the cease-fire is generally holding, the anticipated large-scale return to land has not occurred as in many areas safety cannot be guaranteed. Greater relief programme access throughout the country has led to improved nutrition in many areas. However, there are notable exceptions where levels of wasting are still extremely high.

Rwanda/Burundi Region This regional emergency is still affecting over 4 million refugees/returnees and internally displaced people. Numerous security incidents have taken place throughout the region with the most recent culminating in over 2000 deaths in Kibeho camp for the internally displaced in South West Rwanda. Nutrition in refugee camps in Zaire, Tanzania and Burundi is at risk due to continued low pledges of food aid resulting in delivery of half rations over the past 8 weeks to many of the camps. Nevertheless a round of nutrition surveys in Rwanda, Burundi and Zaire indicate the success of the relief effort up until February as levels of wasting and mortality were mainly very low. A deterioration in nutritional status is probable due to the reduced general ration allocations; planned nutrition surveys may provide surveillance indicators.

Kenya Although the situation for the Somali refugee population in Kenya is generally adequate there have been some recent concerns over gradually increasing levels of wasting in certain camps and an increased seasonal risk of scurvy as the amount of corn soy blend in the general ration has been reduced.

Liberia Region Over 3 million refugees and internally displaced people are still affected by this crisis regionally. Unfortunately the hoped for improvements in security and resulting increased delivery of humanitarian assistance following the signing of the peace accord in December 1994 have largely failed to materialise in Liberia as many areas of the country are still inaccessible due to fighting. Similarly, continued fighting in Sierra Leone makes many areas of the country inaccessible for relief purposes. Refugee outflows continue from Liberia and Sierra Leone into Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea where there are frequent reports of difficulties in providing adequate basic needs for new arrivals.

Mozambique Although the situation for returnees to Mozambique is generally stable, it still remains difficult to target sufficient resources to relatively recent returnees in certain areas. Partly as a result of this, levels of malnutrition appear to have recently increased in a number of locations while there are also reports of food poisoning due to consumption of unprocessed cassava and toxic famine foods.

Somalia The security situation has not changed greatly following the withdrawal of UNOSOM troop in February. Indeed the signs of clan militia co-operation have been sufficiently encouraging for the NGO and UN community to confirm that their relocation from Mogadishu is temporary.

Sudan In spite of the renewed dry season offensive by government troops and increased numbers of refugees arriving in Uganda, food deliveries have been continuing well throughout southern Sudan. Indeed relief agencies have been consolidating programmes with attempts to improve targeting to vulnerable groups in a number of areas.

Iraq The situation for the approximately 222,000 marshland Arabs in southern Iraq continues to deteriorate with the drainage of the southern marshes and military operations threatening the population’s means of subsistence. Although lack of access prevents any formal survey in this area, the observed deterioration in nutritional and health status amongst the population in other parts of Iraq due to the economic crisis is almost certainly worse in the marshlands where economic circumstances are even worse.

ADEQUACY OF FACTORS AFFECTING NUTRITION

Factor		Angola	Burundi	Liberia	Mozambique	Rwanda	Sierra Leone	Sudan	Tanzania	Zaire
1. Degree of access-ability to large population groups due to conflict		Ö	Ö	X	Ö	Ö	X	Ö	Ö	Ö
2. General resources
	- food (gen. stocks)	X	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö	X	Ö	X	X
	- non-food	X	Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö	X	Ö	X	X
3. Food pipeline		X	Ö	Ö	X	X	Ö	Ö	X	Ö
4. Non-food pipeline		?	?	Ö	X	Ö	Ö	Ö	X	Ö
5. Logistics		Ö	X	X	X	Ö	X	Ö	X	Ö
6. Personnel*		Ö	Ö	Ö	Ö	?X	Ö	Ö	Ö	X
7. Camp factors**		Ö	X	?X	Ö	X	Ö	?Ö	X	Ö
8. Rations - kcals		?Ö	X	X	Ö	?X	X	Ö	X	Ö
	- variety/micronutrients***	?Ö	?X	X	Ö	?X	X	Ö	X	Ö
9. Immunization		?	?Ö	?X	?	X	X	Ö	?Ö	?X
10. Information		X	X	X	Ö	X	X	Ö	X	X

Ö Adequate X Problem ?Don’t know ?Ö Don’t know, but probably adequate ?X Don’t know, but probably inadequate

* This refers to both adequate presence and training of NGOs and local staff where security allows.

** This refers to problems in camps such as registration, water/sanitation, crowding, etc.

*** Rations may be inadequate due to inaccessibility.