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Tuesday 21 February 2006


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IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 311 24-30 December 2005

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

CONTENTS:

KENYA: Some 2.5 million need emergency food aid, Red Cross says
CONGO: Scores homeless in Brazzaville floods
BURUNDI: UN extends Mission but could end it in 2006
CAR: Armed groups may be preparing major offensive, AU says
AFRICA: EU creates new fund for African crises

KENYA: Some 2.5 million need emergency food aid, Red Cross says

Some 2.5 million people in Kenya require emergency food aid and other non-food interventions following a prolonged dry spell, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has said.

"Reports indicate that at least two people have died from starvation in El Wak Division of Mandera District [northeastern Kenya] and there is a high level of malnutrition among children and mothers," the Federation said on 23 December.

It said the situation was "particularly alarming" in the northern districts of Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit and Moyale.

Full report

The USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) said on Wednesday in its December update on food security in the country that the food insecurity in the eastern and northern pastoral districts of Kenya has led to alarming malnutrition rates among children, especially in some areas of Wajir, Mandera and Tana River districts. Global Acute Malnutrition rates in these districts ranged between 18 percent and 30 percent, it said.

FEWS NET said pastoralists were trekking up to 40 km in search of water, pasture and browse leading to weakening of the livestock and high animal mortality rates; especially in Wajir, Marsabit and Mandera districts.

Full report

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CONGO: Scores homeless in Brazzaville floods

Torrential rains have caused widespread flooding and mudslides in the northern suburbs of Brazzaville leaving scores of people homeless.

The rains on 24 and 25 December left at least one person dead in the suburb of Simba Pèle, state-owned Radio Congo reported on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Humanitarian Action, Sylvère Ngoulou, said the total number of people affected by the flooding was still unknown, but there were many. So far, she said, 78 affected people had been registered in one of the nine flood-damaged housing blocks.

Full report

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BURUNDI: UN extends Mission but could end it in 2006

The UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN Mission in Burundi (ONUB) on Wednesday for six months until 1 July 2006, noting that the Mission could end thereafter.

Currently there are some 5,000 UN peacekeepers in Burundi. ONUB's downsizing is due to begin on Wednesday with the departure of 180 Mozambican soldiers. However that has now been rescheduled to Sunday. Contingents from other countries are set to begin departing in February 2006.

"A detailed drawdown plan for the remaining approximately 3,000 ONUB troops would be developed after a joint assessment to be carried out by ONUB and the National Defence Force in January 2006." UN News reported.

Full report

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CAR: Armed groups may be preparing major offensive, AU says

Unidentified armed groups in the north of Central African Republic may be preparing a major offensive, the African Union said in a report issued on Thursday.

"The current modus operandi of the armed groups who are on foot gives the impression that they might be recruiting people to launch future major operations," according to a report on the findings of an AU mission which visited the region from 25 October to 8 November.

In recent months, it said, attacks have been taking place in the prefectures closest to the borders with Cameroon and Chad. Between 12,000 and 15,000 Central Africans have fled to southern Chad.

Full report

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AFRICA: EU creates new fund for African crises

The EU approved 165.7 million euros (US $196.4 million) on Monday for relief efforts in 10 African countries with humanitarian crises.

The EU has apportioned 48 million euros ($56.9 million) of the funds for crises in Sudan and 38 million euros ($45 million) for crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The other beneficiary countries are Burundi, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Madagascar, Tanzania and Uganda.

The new fund was announced on the first anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed an estimated 200,000 people.

Full report

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[ENDS]

Theme(s)	Other

Other recent CENTRAL & EASTERN AFRICA reports:

Regional ministerial meeting opens, 20/Feb/06

IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 318 11-17 February 2006, 17/Feb/06

IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 317 4-10 February 2006, 10/Feb/06

IRIN-CEA Weekly Round-up 316 28 January - 3 February 2006, 3/Feb/06

Regional summit to be held after DRC polls, UN envoy says, 1/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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