The coup started just hours after a presidential decree early on Wednesday that declared the dismissal of Mauritania's top

Summary of crises with major changes since beginning of 2008

For this reason, the International Federation

Summary: CHF 103,258 was allocated from the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 21 August 2007 to support the national society in delivering assistance to some 500

This report covers the period of 01/01/06 to 31/12/2007 of a two-year planning and appeal process.

In a world of global challenges, continued poverty, inequity, and increasing vulnerability to disasters and disease, the International Federation with its global network, works to accomplish its Global Agenda, partnering with local community and civil society to prevent and alleviate human suffering from disasters, diseases and public health emergencies.

Programme summary:

In keeping with its mandate, the Federation

La réunion a enregistré la participation des délégués des pays membres du CILSS, ceux du Bénin, du Ghana, de la Guinée Conakry, du Togo et du Nigéria et également des représentants des organisations et institutions sous régionales, régionales et internationales

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The West Africa region continues to experience the devastating consequences of two decades of complex emergencies and recurrent natural disasters. One of the poorest regions of the world, its problems are compounded by geographical and logistical challenges, such as large expanses of landlocked areas and extremely poor transportation networks. Poverty, the lack of basic social services, and weak governance have all resulted in extreme vulnerability to recurrent disasters, epidemics, violence, insecurity and population displacements.

Background

Following several years of drought, heavy rains battered the regions of Guidimakha, Gorgol, and Brakna in Mauritania within a period of 20 days. Although much anticipated, the rains caused extensive damage. Around 30,000 people have been affected, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The floods have received scant media attention in the town of Tintane, where the needs of the affected population are great and assistance limited.

The country experienced flooding in 1994,

1. An agricultural season in which there were both droughts and floods Sahelian and West African agricultural producers were subjected successively to two types of climatic shocks:

- A small pocket of drought at the beginning of the agricultural campaign with irregular or insufficient rainfall. This situation led to a late start to the agricultural campaign which did not get underway until mid- July 2007, resulting in late re/seeding.

- Severe flooding, in particular during