This report includes: A) Indonesia B) FR Yugoslavia and region: Kosovo crisis C) Sierra Leone D) Guinea Bissau E) Central and East Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
From Manuel Aranda da Silva, Chief, Technical Support Service. Available on the Internet on the WFP Home Page at http://www.wfp.org/ or by electronic mail from Deborah.Hicks@wfp.org (fax 39 06 6513 2837). For information on resources, donors are requested to contact Aleesa.Blum@wfp.org or Marius.deGaayFortman@wfp.org at WFP Rome, telephone 39 06 6513 2004

The UN World Food Programme received a shipment of 45,000 metric tons of Australian wheat today in the first step of a major humanitarian relief operation aimed at feeding 5.3 million Indonesians hard hit by drought and economic crisis.
Under an arrangement with the governments of Indonesia and Australia, WFP will exchange the wheat for 27,888 tons of rice to launch a US$90 million programme that will aid pregnant women and nursing mothers, children under the age of five and families surviving on one meal a day. In addition, WFP will support community activities through

FAO GLOBAL INFORMATION AND EARLY WARNING SYSTEM ON FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
OVERVIEW

From late June onwards, persistent rains, attributed to the La Niña phenomenon, and consequent flooding have taken a heavy toll on human life and property in several parts of Asia. To date, nearly 3000 flood-related deaths have been reported. Severe damage has also been inflicted on the infrastructure (roads, bridges, rail links), seriously disrupting the movement of commodities. China and Bangladesh have been hardest hit, but there has also been loss of life in the Republic

El Niño Drought Crisis ASID81
ACT Network Appeal Target: US$ 367,057
Indonesia’s recent history has been troubled by a combination of drought caused by El Niño, forest fires, ethnic strife and a political and monetary crisis which has left the average Indonesian anxious about the immediate future and struggling to cope in a crippled present.

U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BUREAU FOR HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (BHR)
OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE (OFDA)

Background: The 1997-1998 El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event triggered drought, forest fires and related food shortages and health problems throughout Indonesia. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has received three separate disaster declarations for Indonesia in FY 1998. These disasters, together with the Asian financial crisis, have contributed to a worsening economic and political climate. The political crisis

This report includes: A) Guinea-Bissau B) Sudan C) East and Central Africa: Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo D) Indonesia E) Afghanistan F) Resourcing update.
From Manuel Aranda da Silva, Chief, Technical Support Service. Available on the Internet on the WFP Home Page at http://www.wfp.org/ or by electronic mail from Deborah.Hicks@wfp.org (fax 39 6 6513 2837). For information on resources, donors are requested to contact Aleesa.Blum@wfp.org or Claudia.VonRoehl@wfp.org at WFP Rome, telephone 39 6 6513 2004 or 6

Indonesia 1/98
Dear Friends,

After weeks of simmering tension the situation in Indonesia reached a flashpoint in early May sparking off violent street protests accompanied by arson and looting, culminating in injuries and several hundred fatalities.

The rapid deterioration in the Indonesian economy aggravated by the fire and drought induced food crisis has caused immense hardships to large sections of the Indonesian population.

The El Niño related drought which affected the island of Irian Jaya (Indonesia) and for which the ACT Coordinating

Australian Defence Force personnel will leave for the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya later this week to fly drought aid into remote highland villages.

Commander of the operation, Lieutenant Colonel Geoff Mulherin, says Blackhawk helicopters and Hercules and Carribou fixed-wing aircraft will be used to deliver the supplies.

Lieutenant Colonel Mulherin says the operation will call upon recent experience in Papua New Guinea to save lives.

"Well certainly as you know we have a good relationship between the australian defence force and the indonesia

By Lewa Pardomuan

JAKARTA, April 23 (Reuters) - Parts of Indonesia's drought-stricken Irian Jaya province received ample rain this month along with several other islands in the world's largest archipelago, weather officials said on Thursday.

"Heavy rains have fallen in several parts of Irian Jaya in the past few weeks. Today, we see a lot of rain clouds hanging over the area," Waan Tarmin, a spokesman for the Meteorology and Geophysics office, told Reuters by telephone.

"Heavy rains were also reported in the (nearby) Molucca islands," he said.