Here are the latest figures regarding deaths of refugees in Tingi-Tingi:

As of 26/1, there were 231 cases of cholera, with 5 people dead; there are around 15 to 25 new cases daily (down from 25 to 30 daily earlier this week).

Therapeutic centre: 250 children
This is run by MSF with our supplies.

Supplementary feeding centre: around 2000 people, down from 2500 a few days ago. The reason for this decrease is the transfer of hundreds of people to our nutritional rehabilitation programme, up from 20,000 early this week to 25,000 on Tuesday. This idea is to make sure vulnerable groups (children, lactating and pregnant women, the elderly) dont weaken any further, which could be fatal.

Action contre la Faim, our partner NGO, has now received its equipment and foodstuff. The therapeutic centre and supplementary feeding centres are due to open Thursday or Friday - to be confirmed. Unicef provides the aid, ACF provides the staff.

Logistical problems - the example of the road from Kisangani to Tingi-Tingi.
There has been a lot of reports about logistical problems and their impact on the refugees health. Faced with operational dfficulties in trying to fly aid to Tingi-Tingi, WFP has organised a series of truck convoys from Kisangani to Tingi-Tingi. Twenty trucks may form a convoy at the start, but they rarely arrive together. It takes at least two days, and up to a week, to drive the 240 km. It all depends on the condition of the road and that of the truck. When reaching Km 84, trucks have to negotiate 20 km of road inof quagmire condition. When a vehicle gets stuck in the mud, no one else can proceed. This is the context in which a convoy left Kisangani last Monday, bound for Tingi- Tingi, with 120 metric tonnes of flour. Another 100 tonnes of flour, already in Tingi-Tingi, is due to leave for Amisi (70 km south-east) very shortly.

Punia:

1500 Rwanda refugees are now in Punia (6,000 on Saturday). The remaining 4,500 are on their way to Lubutu, 140 km to the north. Some 2,000 refugees are said to be on their way to Punia from Kasese (to the east), but no refugee beyond Kasese. According to the local Zairian authorities, 11,230 refugees walked past Punia last Saturday, towards Lubutu. Dr Alphonse Toko says he saw around 6,000 refugees in Punia over the week-end. Most refugees are in very poor health. UNICEF is Alphonse Toko, Dr Basikila and Béatrice Wakimunu (information) are expected to fly to Punia this Thursday 30th. They will bring with them 4 tonnes of BP5, 3 tonnes of Unimix and cooking utensils.

Unicef is studying the possibility of setting up 2 waystations between Punia and Lubutu. One in Obokote, some 40 km south west of Lubutu, the other at a place called Yumbi, about 40 km north west of Punia. The distribution of aid at Yumbi would be done before the river crossing - by barge - and the same aid can be transported between Punia and Yumbi thanks to the vehicles of the catholic missions. Unicef would pay for fuel. All this is still conditional, no food delivery has taken place yet.