Republic of Congo: Pool Department Situation Report No. 03 (as of 08 February 2018)

Situation Overview

The humanitarian situation in the Pool Department of the Republic of Congo took a positive turn at the end of 2017 when a cease-fire agreement was reached between the parties to the conflict. The population in four of the eight districts of the Pool affected by the conflict remain inaccessible but there have been no reports of fighting since late 2017. The road from Brazzaville to Kinkala, deserted until early January 2018, is now showing signs of life as families return to check their homes, start to clear their land and consider return. Conditions for return for the majority of the displaced and population living in enclaved areas remain challenging, however. The key concern remains security as people wait for a clear green light from the authorities that it is safe to go home or to establish basic services or access to the fields.

Meanwhile, the resources needed by IDPs and other affected populations to effectively re-establish themselves after almost two years of absence are considerable. Reports indicate that most houses have been damaged or destroyed, and the contents looted. Fields abandoned for two planting seasons are now overgrown. Health centres and schools have also been damaged and staff have fled along with the local population and local authorities. Everything needs to be re-built and all concerned will require tools, materials and continuing assistance until they are able to get their lives back on track.

Highlights

• The humanitarian needs of populations remaining in inaccessible areas are still unknown, but the Government and the UN system are preparing to conduct an evaluation of humanitarian needs in these four districts as soon as security conditions permit.

• The Ministry of Social Affairs, Humanitarian Action and Solidarity (MASAH) is in the process of registering displaced people from the Pool. The last phase of the registration exercise which is being conducted in Pointe-Noire and in Kouilou department has been funded by UNHCR. The original population of the 8 affected districts, based on the 2007 Census, is approximately 160,000 and, to date, more than 90,000 people have been registered as displaced. However, due to the continuous movements of displaced households, obtaining a final number will be challenging.

• Following the launch of the Humanitarian Response Plan in July 2017, a total of $ 13,524,093 USD was raised (57.7% of the appeal). In addition to CERF funds, US, China and the EU were the main donors. In a year when global humanitarian needs grew significantly, this is considered an excellent response.

• The humanitarian community in the Republic of Congo remains committed also to providing response capacity and assistance to populations affected by natural hazards and epidemic outbreaks across the country, as well as to refugees.

What’s Next: 2018

The Humanitarian Response Plan for 2018 is currently being finalised: it will cover 12 months and will stress the need for launching early recovery activities as soon as displaced populations begin to return to their districts. While continuing the delivery of life-saving assistance, in particular for those populations that have not yet been reached, the humanitarian response plan will need to support returning IDPs during the course of their reintegration. Two years of conflict have destroyed both living and productive assets across all affected areas: early recovery interventions will include the rehabilitation of schools and health facilities; rebuilding of houses, roads and bridges; and resumption of the agricultural cycle.