PS / 5-Nov-97

• WFP distributions amount to more than 9,000 MT in the month of October.
• Regular convoys resume to western area after killing of driver.
• WFP emergency assistance in Kibungo 60% completed.
• WFP prioritise emergency assistance in Gikongoro and Umutara.
• Relations with Region Sanitaire in Butare are smoothed.
• Serious shortages of pulses affect distribution levels.
• Prime Minister of Rwanda warns against food diversion.
• WFP staff member is arrested in Butare
• Criteria of vulnerable selections is set for emergency intervention
• 1,270 Rwandan’s expelled from Tanzania.
  
  
  A. SECURITY
  
  B. PROGRAMMING
  
• Since the start of October WFP has delivered in the region of 9,000 MT hitting the monthly requirement target for October. At the end of week 43 (24/10/97) 7,900 MT had already been delivered. Precise information is not yet available for week 44, however distribution levels look to be at around 2,000 MT. The chart below shows how WFP distributions are increasing rapidly in the second half of 1997. This is to coincide with increased needs in the communes.
  
  
  
  
  
• Seeds protection programmes were completed in all prefectures with the exception of Kibuye (were security restraints prevented delivery).
• Food For Work activities in Kibuye were visited during the reporting period. All activities appear to be progressing as per schedule but workers are now complaining as they have not received food since September. Workers were encouraged to continue work, and were assured that WFP would do its utmost to ensure delivery of food. New FFW projects will not be approve in Kibuye until it can be assured that we can meet our current commitments.
• An important meeting was held in Butare regional office to look into the problems related to Tuzamurane shelter project, which was discontinued by WFP last month (where food aid had been sold and cash provided to workers not food rations). The meeting was attended by government and military officials as well as WFP. The meeting concluded that the problems should be resolved through the Prefecture Food Committee which then met the following day. The PFC reinforced WFP’s policy with the following statements.
• No food aid should be sold by implementing partners.
• No business people should be allowed to buy food aid. All food aid purchased would be confiscated by the military.
• The PFC must be informed by WFP of all dispatches to communes.
• Any civilian, military or local leader involved in food diversion would be arrested.
• The PFC will introduce a specific delivery note, any truck carrying WFP food without this note will be arrested.
• Reports have been received from Cyangugu of 270 cases of malnutrition in Busozo Commune. Busozo commune has been recently created and suffers from poor infrastructure in terms of roads, education and health facilities (no nutrition centre). WFP has agreed to intervene in the area in the form of FFW, with the approval for the rehabilitation of 180 klms of rural roads. This will improve access to the commune as well as counter some of the food shortages in the commune.
• World food day was celebrated in Rutonde commune in Kibungo. The President of the Republic of Rwanda, government Ministers, various diplomatic missions, WFP, FAO, and NGO representatives attended the celebrations. The visitors toured Rwamagana Rice scheme and later attended crop exhibitions by various NGOs and Agricultural Co-operatives. The day was organised by FAO.
• During World food day, WFP’s Executive Directors statement was broadcast on Rwandan Radio in all official languages of Rwanda.
• The Prime Minister Mr S. Rwigema together with other Government officials visited Kibungo Prefecture on Wednesday 28/10/97. The aim of the mission was to assess housing resettlement projects as well as food security in the prefecture.
• WFP continues to support Solidarity camps around the country by providing basic food rations to the participants. Currently the second wave of camps are being conducted for people who returned from camps in Tanzania and DRC, who wish to seek employment.
• Food prices continue to rise throughout Rwanda. EU market surveys show large increases from September to October with the price of Beans and Maize rising 31% and 39% respectively. However the same scenario is not true with imported food products such as oil, which dropped slightly between the two months and continue to maintain similar prices to 1996 levels. The three charts below show the movements of prices in terms of Beans, Maize and Oil.
  
  
  
  
  C. CAMPS / REPATRIATION / RESETTLEMENT
  
• WFP has finally been able to deliver the remaining balance of food to Mudende camp in Gisenyi for an estimated 15,000 refugees. The total number of refugees is still unclear, with some estimates as high as 18,600. UNHCR plan to do a registration during the next food distribution. Mudende was previously managed by COOPI however camp management was handed over to the Rwandan Red Cross at the end of October.
• The Tanzanian Government continues to expel Rwandan Nationals from northern Tanzania. The majority of these people fled Rwanda in the late 1950s and early 60s and have since established lives in Tanzania. In October 1,270 people were returned, (of which 1,166 were old case load and 114 new case load). What is interesting to note is that the vast majority were women and children with men only making up 193 of the total, women 331 and children 663.
• Nyagatare transit camp received 378 repatriates during week 44 from Uganda. The transit centre had reported a shortage of Maize, which indicates that the WFP rations are not being respected as all commodities are delivered in line with rations. WFP Kibungo is discussing the issue with the UNHCR and LWF offices in Umutara.
• Burundian refugees continue to return to Burundi as well as arrive in Rwanda. At Kibangira refugee camp 300 repatriated while 231 came into Rwanda, leaving a camp population of 2,173. In Kigeme there are still 144 refugees while at Musange 336 refugees are supported by WFP.
  
  D. NUTRITION
  
• WFP and Region Sanitarire held a meeting in Butare prefecture in order to ensure that clear procedures were established for the delivery and monitoring of food deliveries to supplementary feeding centres. New procedures are to be put in place which will split the prefecture into four districts, each of which will be responsible for co-ordinating and reporting on nutrition centres in their areas. It is hoped in this way that reports will be followed up closer and delays in food deliveries will be prevented while at the same time preventing “double dipping” where centres request food support from different donors.
• One of the most pressing needs identified during the meeting was the need to improve the level of management in the centres. Food deliveries have been delayed in some cases where the supervisors did not complete reports, preventing WFP food releases. While at the same time records are incorrectly filled and patients not cared for correctly.
• WFP has already started providing 2 months worth of rations to nutrition centres in Gikongoro and Butare. Six nutrition centres in Gikongoro have already received their rations for November and December last week.
  
  E. EMERGENCY NEEDS
  
• The Prime Minister delivered a strong statement on the 28/10/97 warning all people involved in food aid distribution that any misconduct would be punished by the authorities. He also instructed all local authorities to help to ensure that all food aid goes to the most needy in society. This follows a letter written by the US Ambassador to the Prime Minister of Rwanda.
• Food distributions have started in several communes of Kibungo, following the pre-positioning of over 600 MT of food aid for emergency intervention. This accounts for more than 60% of the requirements sent earlier in the month. At the same time WFP monitors have visited individual sectors so as to ascertain if WFP criteria are being followed and cross check numbers with sector leaders.
• After the request from the Prefect of Gisenyi to assist 27,000 IDPs, WFP programme assistant visited the sites to assess the numbers of people involved. WFP has prioritised the dispatch of food to these groups, which will commence early next week under military escort.
• Following the meeting held on the 20/10 a second follow up meeting was called to review the level and type of emergency response WFP would undertake in the month of November. The meeting held on the 28/10/97 in the Ministry of Social Affair’s premises, concluded the following points.
  1. No beneficiaries who are included in WFP FFW programmes and seeds protection programmes are to be included in the targeted distributions.
  2. The targeting criteria laid out by WFP must be fully respected.
  3. A full list of beneficiaries must be available at the distribution sites.
  4. In cases of irregularities the distributions will be stopped and the authorities will investigate.
  5. Monitoring must investigate how the food was used and what impact was achieved.
  6. WFP will provide assistance to the final numbers submitted by the prefectures.
  7. Only one months ration will be provided, at current ration scales.
  8. Women are actively involved at all levels from the sector distributions up to the planning level in the Prefecture Food Committees.
  
  The following figures were presented for assistance to the meeting:
  
  

  Prefecture	Population	Requested number	% of total	Ration	MT equivalent
  Butare	700,855	258,140	37%	8.9	2,297
  Gikongoro	495,000	151,605	31%	8.9	1,349
  Gitarama	846,000	138,000	16%	8.9	1,228
  Kibuye*	466,000	162,455	35%	8.4	1,365
  Kibungo	754,000	153,221	20%	8.9	1,364
  Umutare	314,000	95,195	30%	8.9	847
  Gisenyi **	887,000	27,000	3%	16	432
  TOTAL	4,462,855	985,616	22%		8,882
  * IDPs and WFP estimates of vulnerable
  ** IDP population - WFP to verify with UNHCR

• WFP will now prioritise completing Kibungo distributions, and starting in Gikongoro and Umutara (priorities set by the National Food Committee). Negotiations and planning have already started in Gikongoro so as to commence in the coming week. Food distributions in Kibungo have been stopped temporarily pending distribution reports from the Prefecture Food Committee and the Prefect.
  
  F. RESOURCE SITUATION / LOGISTICS
  
  
• The prevailing insecurity situation in the North and West parts of the country continues to hamper food dispatches to these areas. To redress this problem a convoy schedule has been drawn up for the month of November with the objective of dispatching over 1,700mts of food over one month (eleven convoys) . For this purpose additional Hinos will be deployed from Burundi increasing the current in country working number to eleven ( presently seven ) . The hino fleet will be used solely for the purpose of convoy operations . UNHCR have agreed to provide four to five trucks in the meantime for the additional trucking capacity until the extra Hinos arrive .
• The profile and terms of reference for a convoy leader who will accompany and direct all truck convoys have been sent to the NFC for identification of a convoy leader / commander who will work under the direction of the UNFSO . The post is viewed as necessary following the recent incident involving a WFP truck ,which resulted in the death of the UCTU driver and total destruction of the truck and food .
• Preparations are under way to dispatch more than 1,349 mts of emergency food aid to victims of the hungry season in Gikongoro Prefecture. There are sufficient stocks of all commodities except pulses in country to meet the required needs .
• In country receipts for weeks 43 and 44 amounted to 2,666mts with 2,271mts via the Northern Corridor and 435 mts via the Southern Corridor 90% of which were cereals.
• Stock balances of all commodities are healthy except pulses . Again for pulses the level of receipts are far below the requirements . The prepositioning of over 1,000 mts of pulses at both Kibungo and Butare EDP’S during the months of August and September has averted a major rupture in the pipeline , and has allowed both Sub Offices to dispatch 100% of requirements up until week 44 , however central stocks are at zero (pulses) thus leading to shortfalls for programmes in the Prefectures of Gitarama, Kigali, Byumba , Gisenyi , Ruhengeri and Kibuye.
• A new transport contract has been signed with the major carriers in Rwanda , this new contract takes on a different form from previous agreements in that transporters have been asked to dedicate part of their fleet ( especially vehicles ranging from 8 - 15mt capacity ) solely to WFP for secondary transport . Secondary transport rates have also been increased as part of the new agreement . Week 44 was the first week of operations under the new agreement and proved to be quite successful with over 250 mts daily trucking capacity at each Sub Office for secondary distribution.
  
  G. GENERAL
  
• US envoy Bill Richardson arrived in Kigali on Monday 27/10 as part of his six nation tour. The envoy held talks with the President and Vice President, particularly in relation to pending Human Rights investigations in DRC.
• The Prime Minister closed the conference held in Kigali to assess the role of NGOs in Rwanda. The conference was attended by all NGOs working in Rwanda as will as several UN agencies and Government Ministries. Several recommendations were made, such as clearer setting of priorities, increase collaboration with local authorities and improved transparency.