Day: August 18, 2022

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West and Central Africa: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (9 -15 August 2022)

Concerns are growing over the food and nutritional needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Barsalogho commune in Burkina Faso’s Centre Nord region. Humanitarian partners have been experiencing increasing constraints in accessing areas in Barsalogho as Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs) in the area have been reinforcing their presence in recent months and imposing irregular controls. Aid organizations noted that food aid deliveries have been delayed up to three months due to the persistent blockage of main roads since the beginning of 2022. Since the end of April, about 93,400 IDPs have sought refuge in Barsalogho commune, equivalent to 14 per cent of the total 657,000 IDPs in the Centre Nord region, which is the largest IDPhosting region in the country.

SIERRA LEONE

27 PERSONS DIE IN ANTIGOVERNMENT PROTESTS

As of 11 August, at least 27 people had died in anti-government protests and clashes in Sierra Leone, including 21 civilians and six police officers, as hundreds took to the streets in frustration at economic hardship and a perceived failure by the government to cushion the impact of rising prices. To address the deteriorating security situation, the government imposed a nationwide curfew on 10 August. No violent events have been reported since 10 August. UN and non-governmental organizations have been monitoring potential humanitarian impacts of the situation and working with partners and the government to deescalate the situation, calling for a calm and peaceful dialogue, especially as the legislative and presidential elections are approaching and planned to take place in 2023.

SENEGAL

HEAVY RAINS AND FLOODS KILL ONE PERSON AND INJURE MANY

Heavy rains in the capital Dakar caused floods that killed at least one person and injured many. On 5 August, the rain was significantly heavy with 127 mm recorded. Flood water over one-meter-deep covered city streets, severely disrupting traffic. A man died in his car in the Mermoz neighborhood in Dakar, according to a statement from Senegal’s Ministry of Interior. Another person was saved and sent to the hospital in critical condition, according to the police. The rainy season in Senegal typically lasts from July through October

THE GAMBIA

FLOODS KILL 11 PERSONS, AID ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORT GOVERNMENT-LED ASSESSMENT

On 30 and 31 July, the Gambia experienced the highest amount of rainfall in 34 years, causing significant floods, killing 11 persons, and affecting another 42,000 people according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). About 5,407 persons have been displaced and currently live in temporary shelters as their houses were inundated, in addition to losing their food stock and their livelihood, which is increasing acute food insecurity risks.

Sanitation facilities have been damaged, exacerbating water-borne disease risks. IFRC and the government have provided food, nonfood, and logistics support. At the request of the government, UN organizations have deployed teams to support a government-led rapid needs assessment launched on 16 August.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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WFP welcomes Japanese contribution to support critical emergency food assistance in Libya

Tripoli – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Libya has welcomed a contribution of JPY 200 million (approx.US$1.53 million) from Japan to implement its food distribution in the West and the East of the country. This project aims to provide food assistance to more than 10,000 beneficiaries, including vulnerable and food-insecure people, as well as schoolchildren.

Furthermore, the Government of Japan has recently confirmed a new contribution of US$ 0.5 million to provide general food assistance to some 8,500 vulnerable IDPs, host communities and returnees in the South of the country who are suffering from high food prices caused by the war in Ukraine. “WFP is extremely grateful to the Government of Japan for these generous contributions coming at a crucial time in a world struggling with the impact of COVID-19 and the conflict in Ukraine,” said Maysaa AlGhribawy, WFP’s Representative and Country Director in Libya.

Both Japanese contributions will allow WFP Libya to support thousands of people in need who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising food prices, with monthly in-kind nutritious and unconditional food assistance in the targeted districts across the country, where the market functionality has been greatly affected by global supply chain disruptions.

“Food security is one of the key sectors that Japan is tackling, in line with the ‘Food Security in Africa’ initiative,” launched at the sixth round of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development held in Nairobi in 2016 said Mr. Masaki Amadera, Chargé d’Affaires of Japan to Libya/Special Coordinator for Libya.

“Japanese contributions will not only support general food assistance to vulnerable communities but also the School Feeding Programme which will contribute to achieving three other goals; supporting the education of school children, stimulating local markets and agriculture, as well as creating job opportunities for the local communities, which we believe would contribute to the stability of the country,” Amadera added.

The Japanese support will also enable WFP Libya to lay the foundation for a more targeted social safety net system in the country. WFP plans to use part of the funds received from the Government of Japan towards the continuation of the central kitchen school feeding programme, targeting schoolchildren aged between 6 to 14 years in Benghazi city, in the eastern part of the country. WFP will provide these children with ready-to-eat meals such as canned tuna fish donated by Japan.

Source: World Food Programme

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‘It’s up to us!’ says NBA basketball star Wenyen Gabriel on visit to South Sudan homeland

The former refugee and Los Angeles Lakers’ power forward returned to his home country for the first time with a message of hope for those displaced by floods and conflict.

When flooding forced 28-year-old Daniel to flee his submerged village in South Sudan’s Jonglei State, he hoped he would soon return. Boarding a crowded boat on the swollen White Nile, he found safety to the south, far from his home.

Two years later, he and his family still live in what has become Mangalla Camp for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Central Equatoria State. “We were among the first people to arrive at this site,” he says. Since then, it’s grown to house close to 40,000 people who narrowly escaped the floods.

Wenyen Gabriel met Daniel during his visit to Mangalla IDP Camp with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, last month where he learnt more about the fates of those displaced and why they need support. “People aren’t here by their own choice, just like how I became a refugee before I was resettled to America wasn’t my own choice. It just happened to me,” he said. “We are all victims of our circumstances.”

South Sudan and the wider East Africa region are on the frontlines of climate change, suffering the impact of extreme weather such as flooding and drought. Seasonal rain and flooding is normal, but in recent years the water hasn’t receded, making large swathes of land unliveable. Today, an estimated 2 million South Sudanese people are displaced within their own country, due to conflict and natural disasters.

In addition to the internal displacement, South Sudan’s refugee crisis remains the largest in Africa with over 2.3 million South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries. Meanwhile, South Sudan itself also hosts over 340,000 refugees, mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia as well as Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.

Mangalla is one of eight locations in South Sudan where UNHCR is coordinating humanitarian support, together with partners, UN agencies, NGOs, and the government, for people forced to flee, in the form of food, clean water, shelter and medical care, as well as projects to strengthen long-term resilience.

Gabriel wants to use his platform and influence as a professional athlete to help his home country by building basketball facilities for people who have few opportunities for sports or recreation. During his visit, he organized a three-day basketball camp in the capital, Juba, for youth, including 20 displaced kids.

“Sports can provide opportunity to youth, especially if you can reach kids in their early developmental stages,” Gabriel said. “It can help them set up for life, and maybe some youth can become professional athletes, while others can have alternative paths.”

“There are so many talented people in South Sudan,” he said. “Yet people don’t have the means to succeed. I want to help with that.”

For Daniel, sport is about more than exercise, or even opportunity. “Sport can really bring us together,” he said. “It can help you forget about your stress and make you happy. I believe sport can bring unity to South Sudan.”

Blessing, a 19-year-old camp resident and volunteer teacher, welcomed Gabriel’s return to South Sudan. “Nothing can change your motherland. Your parents are born there, and you must return one day. I am very glad to receive Wenyen Gabriel as a fellow country member. We welcome him, he is one of us.”

That message was echoed by Gabriel who hoped his own story of overcoming the odds would inspire others. “We are all children of this land. It’s up to us to build it!” he said. “I am proud to be South Sudanese and want to contribute my part and help my people, including those who are displaced. Basketball can help with that.”

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees