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Tuesday 21 February 2006


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IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 263 for 26-30 December 2005

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENTS:

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Acute malnutrition rates rise as food crisis deepens
COMOROS-MADAGASCAR: EU commits aid to "invisible victims"
ZAMBIA: Cholera outbreak claims six lives, more deaths expected
MOZAMBIQUE: Household food security set to improve
MALAWI: Royal visit to highlight hunger crisis
SOUTH AFRICA: Abalone poachers winning war against under-funded protection officers

SOUTHERN AFRICA: Acute malnutrition rates rise as food crisis deepens

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that it lacks adequate funding to deliver food aid to the most vulnerable people in Southern Africa.

Aid agencies estimate that some 12 million people are food insecure in the region, which has suffered widespread crop failures due to erratic weather. The impact of HIV/AIDS, deepening poverty and the weakened capacity of governments to care for people in need have exacerbated the current crisis.

"WFP needs US $77 million immediately to keep providing food aid in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe - the countries hit hardest by the region's food crisis - until June 2006, when the next harvest is due," the agency said in a statement.

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COMOROS-MADAGASCAR: EU commits aid to "invisible victims"

The Indian Ocean Islands of the Comoros and Madagascar are to receive Euro 1.1 million (US $1.3 million) in relief aid from the European Union (EU).

EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel, said in a statement that "millions of vulnerable people in Africa are exposed to natural disasters like droughts, floods and insect infestations as well as armed conflicts" that rarely made headlines in the western media.

He added that these "silent tsunamis ... still lead to great suffering".

Comoros will be allocated Euro 600,000 ($711,000) to help restore access to safe drinking water for an estimated 175,000 people.

The emergency humanitarian aid will be used for the cleaning and rehabilitation of village water tanks that were polluted by ash and debris following the Karthala volcano eruption on 24 November.

Madagascar will receive Euro 500,000 ($600,000) to aid about 150,000 people suffering severe malnutrition in the southern Vangaindrano district that was affected by repeated floods, insect infestations and drought.

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ZAMBIA: Cholera outbreak claims six lives, more deaths expected

Heavy rains have exacerbated a cholera outbreak in Zambia, where at least six people have died and more than a thousand cases have been recorded.

Zambia's ministry of health confirmed on Wednesday that 1,144 cases of cholera have been reported since the outbreak began in August, with the numbers rising sharply in the last week.

A ministry of health official told IRIN the epidemic was mainly concentrated in urban areas. "Most of the cholera cases are from [the capital] Lusaka. Cases are increasing everyday due to the sanitation and water problems we have at this time of the year [during the rainy season]," the official noted.

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MOZAMBIQUE: Household food security set to improve

Food security is likely to improve in Mozambique as desperately needed rains signal the end of the dry season, but food aid will remain crucial for the next few months, humanitarian workers warn.

According to the latest bulletin by the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), household food security in drought-affected south and central areas of Mozambique are expected to recover as water, food aid and seasonal fruits and vegetables become available.

"Rains have thus far been near to above normal in most districts, providing favorable conditions for land preparation and planting - the availability of water for agriculture, livestock and human consumption has improved - although the overall outlook appears positive, continued monitoring is necessary," the report said.

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MALAWI: Royal visit to highlight hunger crisis

Recently appointed United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Goodwill Ambassador, Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, visited Malawi this week to highlight the food crisis in that country.

Daughter of His Majesty late King Hussein Bin Talal of Jordan, Princess Haya visited at the peak of the lean season to spread awareness about the plight of the poor and hungry in countries that "have been overshadowed by other world crises", according to a WFP statement.

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SOUTH AFRICA: Abalone poachers winning war against under-funded protection officers

The Atlantic ocean lapping South Africa's Western Cape is perfectly calm, which leaves marine coastal manager Peter Bernardy fearing the worst.

Although no suspicious characters can be seen along Pringles Bay's rocky beach, Bernardy insists that scuba divers are crawling along the seabed beneath large seaweed fields, poaching massive sea snails called abalone found a few hundred meters from shore.

"The water is clear, so they are out there - you can bet poachers are at work. I don't have the manpower to cover the 300 miles of coastline we have been allocated to protect and they have spotters who watch our movements, and give teams of divers the all clear to go and take the abalone. It's a real game of cat-and-mouse, and we're loosing."

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[ENDS]

Theme(s)	Other

Other recent SOUTHERN AFRICA reports:

Policy revised to shed light on urban refugee blind-spot, 17/Feb/06

IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 270 for 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

Too white to be black - the challenge of albinism, 16/Feb/06

Remittances - curse or blessing?, 16/Feb/06

Conflict, development and natural disasters fuel internal displacement, 14/Feb/06

Other recent reports:

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Donors pledge support for humanitarian crisis, 21/Feb/06

ANGOLA: Ready to play larger security role in Africa, 21/Feb/06

CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap, 17/Feb/06

SOUTHERN AFRICA: IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 270 for 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

WEST AFRICA: IRIN-WA Weekly Round-up 317 covering 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

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