Humanitarian snapshots of ongoing emergencies by OCHA, ReliefWeb 12:30pm 21st Oct, 2013   18 Oct 2013    Malawi: Food Insecurity Humanitarian Update, October 2013 from UN Resident Coordinator for Malawi    I. HIGHLIGHTS / KEY PRIORITIES    The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Report of June 2013 projects the food insecure population to be 1,461,940 in 21 districts. These people are reported to be having missing food entitlements for a range of 3 to 5 months from October onwards.    The food security situation is expected to deteorate due to a number of factors: green harvesting that occurred among food insecure households the previous season due to the late onset of rain, increasing prices of food commodities, low supply of maize on the local markets and unavailability of maize in the government markets.    Humanitarian actors are currently finalizing response plans for responding to the humanitarian needs this year. It has prioritized 3 clusters such as Food Security and agriculture, health and nutrition and protection.    The total resource required is US$70.8 million for 1.5 million and $110.8 million for 1.9 million people.    Mali: Humanitarian Bulletin, September 2013    Report from UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs    HIGHLIGHTS    1.3 million people in need of immediate food assistance in northern Mali.    In September, more than 1,200 Malian refugees returned from Mauritania to the north and urgently need food, shelters, non-food items and water. $12 million required to send 500,000 children back to school    Somalia: Food Security and Nutrition Analysis 2013 - Report from Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit.    In June-July 2013, the FSNAU in collaboration with regional governments and several partner agencies carried out food security and nutrition assessments across Somalia. The purpose of the assessment was to gather information required for food security and nutrition situation analysis for rural and urban populations and internally displaced persons (IDP). The livelihoods based analysis provided a snap-shot food security situation analysis for July 2013 and projections for the period of August to December 2013. The food security analysis followed a standardized Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) approach.    Results of the assessment indicate that the number of people in crisis in Somalia is at its lowest since famine was declared in Somalia in 2011, thanks to successive seasons of average to above average rainfall, low food prices and sustained humanitarian response. However, acute malnutrition continues to pose a threat to hundreds of thousands of children especially in the country’s southern region, latest findings indicate.    Accordingly, an estimated 870 000 people will be in Crisis (IPC Phases 3) and Emergency (IPC Phase 4) from August to December 2013. The situation has significantly improved since 2011 when 4 million Somalis were in extreme food security crisis.    The recent figures also represent a continued improvement since January 2013 when an estimated 1 050 000 people were in Crisis and Emergency (IPC Phases 3 and 4).    Improvements are attributed to a near average July/August 2013 Gu harvest, increased livestock prices, increased livestock herd sizes, improved milk availability, low prices of both local and imported staple food commodities, higher purchasing power from income from labor and livestock sales, and sustained humanitarian interventions over the last six months.    However, nearly 2.3 million additional people, one-third of Somalia’s population, beyond those requiring more urgent assistance, is classified as Stressed (IPC Phase 2) and their food security remains fragile. This group of households may struggle to meet their own minimal food requirement through the end of the year, and they remain highly vulnerable to major shocks that could push them back to food security crisis.    Global Food Security Update - Issue 12, October 2013 - Report from World Food Programme    The Global Food Security update provides a quarterly overview of key food security trends in vulnerable countries. Information is provided by WFP field teams and partners.    In focus    • In Syria, revised estimates indicate that the number of IDPs has risen to 6.5 million from 4.25 million in July. Vulnerability is increasing due to conflict, reduced economic activity, reduced crop production and high prices. As of October, UNHCR reports that over 2 million Syrians had found refuge in neighboring countries.    • In Sudan, the lifting of food subsidies in September and below-average crop prospects could lead to increased food insecurity in 2013/2014.    • By January 2014 some 2.2 million people in Zimbabwe are forecast to face crisis (IPC phase 3) food insecurity conditions due to two consecutive years of poor production.    • In the Central African Republic, the population in Crisis (IPC phase 3) and Emergency (IPC phase 4) has increased to 1.3 million in July. The security situation has since continued to deteriorate.    • In northern Mali, a July food security and nutrition assessment indicates that half of households used emergency or crisis coping strategies (such as asset sales) during the lean season. In two of three districts, global acute malnutrition rates exceeded the ‘serious’ threshold.    • A dry spell in Karamoja, Uganda, has extended the lean season. Vulnerability levels are forecast to increase at the time of the February-August 2014 lean season.    • According to the Madagascar FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM), some 3.9 million people will be food insecure until April 2014, following a reduced harvest.    • The Greater Horn of Africa Outlook Forum forecast suggests that below average rainfall is likely from October through December, which might affect crop and livestock in parts of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.    18 Oct 2013    Humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in Central African Republic - Report from ICRC    Violence in the western town of Yaloké has forced people to take refuge in the bush, following similar events in Bouca and Bossangoa. The ICRC and the Central African Red Cross Society are distributing food and burying the dead.    "Renewed intercommunal tension in the main towns of the country is especially worrying, as is the violence of recent weeks in Bouca, Bossangoa and, more recently, in Yaloké," said ICRC delegation head Georgios Georgantas. "The local population suffer the most, with men, women and children all living in fear. Many have fled their villages, afraid of further attacks."    Volunteers from the Central African Red Cross Society have buried more than 120 bodies in recent weeks. The ICRC is calling on all armed groups and the authorities to protect people and refrain from harming them.    "This humanitarian crisis has been going on for over 10 months," said Mr Georgantas. "Tens of thousands of people are still hiding out in the bush. Their situation is worsening by the day. They''re living in terror, deprived of food, water and medical care."    "Another worrying aspect is that government services have broken down, with the State unable to carry out its tasks, especially as regards health care," he added. No health facilities are operating outside the capital Bangui, with the exception of those provided by humanitarian organizations. There is a shortage of medicines. Health centres are closed or have been looted.    "In situations of armed violence, access to health care is a top priority," the head of delegation stated. "It''s often a matter of life and death."    http://reliefweb.int/ http://www.unocha.org/ Visit the related web page
	Next (more recent) news item
	Next (older) news item