Highlights

Angola. Populations to which the international humanitarian community has recently gained access, such as those living in Malange, have generally experienced an improvement in their nutritional situation. However, the nutritional situation for some of the IDPs remains critical. UNITA-controlled areas remain inaccessible to humanitarian organisations and others.

Great Lakes. The humanitarian crisis in Burundi continues, particularly in Bujumbura Rurale where over 330,000 people remain in regroupment camps. The war in the Democratic Republic of Congo is increasing in intensity, and the humanitarian situation has deteriorated. About half of the displaced people in the Republic of Congo have returned to their places or origin following the recent Peace Accords. There is no longer an acute nutritional crisis in Brazzaville and Pool, because of increased humanitarian access.

Eritrea and Ethiopia. The war-affected displaced in Ethiopia and Eritrea remain at moderate nutritional risk, although these programmes remain under-funded. Approximately 8 million people require food assistance in Ethiopia after several consecutive years of drought.

Liberia and Sierra Leone region. About half of Sierra Leone is now accessible to the humanitarian community, although little new nutritional information is currently available.

Somalia. The humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to be of concern, particularly in the southern and central regions where extremely high prevalences of malnutrition have been recorded in certain settlements.

Sudan. Localised conflict continues in Southern Sudan, and in certain areas the affected population is at considerable risk, for example around the oil fields. This situation may be further exacerbated as the hunger season is approaching. Of additional concern is that many of the international humanitarian agencies have withdrawn from SPLM controlled areas as a result of refusing to sign the new memorandum of understanding, and therefore the international humanitarian communities’ ability to monitor and respond accordingly will be limited.

Balkans Region. The nutritional situation of the Kosovar population is not critical, despite the increase in the levels of violence in Kosovo. WFP and other donors are beginning to scale down their operations in anticipation of the harvest. The displaced in Serbia may be more vulnerable, but the RNIS has no nutritional information to confirm this.

East and West Timor. The impact of the turmoil on agricultural in East Timor was less than predicted and the population, the majority of whom have returned, are not considered to be at heightened nutritional risk. The humanitarian assistance to the refugees in West Timor remains patchy, and poorly organised. High prevalences of malnutrition have been recorded. There are large numbers of displaced people in Maluku.

Other areas. Situations which have not changed significantly since the last report include Guinea Conakry, Cote d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Nepal and Afghanistan.

Table 1
Risk Factors Affecting Nutrition in Selected Situations

Situations in the table below are classed into five categories (row 1) relating to prevalence and or risk of malnutrition (I - very high risk/prevalence, II - high risk/prevalence, III - moderate risk/prevalence, IV - not at elevated risk/prevalence, V - unknown risk/prevalence, for further explanation see inside of the back page). The prevalence/risk is indirectly affected by both the underlying causes of malnutrition, relating to food, health and care (rows 2-4, and also Figure 1 at back of report) and the constraints limiting humanitarian response (rows 5 -8). These categories are summations of the causes of malnutrition and the humanitarian response, but should not be used in isolation to prescribe the necessary response.

Ö Adequate O Mixed X Problem
?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