With continued drought, Horn of Africa braces for another hunger season (20.12.2016)

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Agricultural support critical now to protect livestock, equip families to plant in rainy season.

ROME, Italy, December 20, 2016 – Countries in the Horn of Africa are likely to see a rise in hunger and further decline of local livelihoods in the coming months, as farming families struggle with the knock-on effects of multiple droughts that hit the region this year, FAO warned today. Growing numbers of refugees in East Africa, meanwhile, are expected to place even more burden on already strained food and nutrition security.

Currently, close to 12 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are in need of food assistance, as families in the region face limited access to food and income, together with rising debt, low cereal and seed stocks, and low milk and meat production. Terms of trade are particularly bad for livestock farmers, as food prices are increasing at the same time that market prices for livestock are low.

Farmers in the region need urgent support to recover from consecutive lost harvests and to keep their breeding livestock healthy and productive at a time that pastures are the driest in years. Production outputs in the three countries are grim.

Rapid intervention

“We’re dealing with a cyclical phenomenon in the Horn of Africa,” said Dominique Burgeon, Director of FAO’s Emergency and Rehabilitation Division. “But we also know from experience that timely support to farming families can significantly boost their ability to withstand the impacts of these droughts and soften the blow to their livelihoods,” he stressed.

For this reason, FAO has already begun disbursing emergency funds for rapid interventions in Kenya and Somalia.

The funds will support emergency feed and vaccinations for breeding and weak animals, repairs of water points, and seeds and tools to plant in the spring season. FAO is also working with local officials to bolster countries’ emergency preparedness across the region.

“Especially in those areas where we know natural hazards are recurring, working with the Government to further build-up their ability to mitigate future shocks is a smart intervention that can significantly reduce the need for humanitarian and food aid further down the line,” Burgeon said.

Kenya is highly likely to see another drought in early 2017, and with it a rise in food insecurity. Current estimates show some 1.3 million people are food insecure.

Based on the latest predictions, the impacts of the current drought in the southern part of the country will lessen by mid-2017, but counties in the North – in particular Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir and Mandera – will steadily get worse.

Families in these areas are heavily dependent on livestock. Now, with their livelihoods already stressed – the last reliable rain they received was in December 2015- they will get little relief from the October-December short rains, which typically mark a recovery period but once again fell short this season.

In the affected counties, the terms of trade have become increasingly unfavourable for livestock keepers, as prices of staple foods are rising, while a flood of weakened sheep, goats and cows onto local markets has brought down livestock prices.

To ensure livestock markets remain functional throughout the dry season in 2017, FAO, is training local officials in better managing livestock markets — in addition to providing feed, water and veterinary support.

After two poor rainy seasons this year, Somalia is in a countrywide state of drought emergency, ranging from moderate to extreme. As a result, the Gu cereal harvest – from April to June – was 50 percent below average, and prospects for the October-December Deyr season are very grim.

To make matters worse, the country’s driest season – the Jilaal that begins in January- is expected to be even harsher than usual, which means Somali famers are unlikely to get a break anytime soon.

All indications are that crop farmers are already facing a second consecutive season with poor harvest. Pastoralists, meanwhile, are struggling to provide food for both their families and livestock, as pasture and water for grazing their animals are becoming poorer and scarcer by the day – in the south, pasture availability is the lowest it has been in the past five years.

Some five million Somalis are food insecure through December 2016. This includes 1.1 million people in Crisis and Emergency conditions of food insecurity (Phases 3 and 4 on the five-tier IPC scale used by humanitarian agencies). This is a 20 percent increase in just six months.

The latest analysis forecasts that the number of people in Crisis and Emergency conditions of food insecurity may further rise by more than a quarter of a million people between February and May 2017. Similar conditions in 2011 have resulted in famine and loss of lives, and therefore early action is urgently needed to avoid a repeat.

FAO calls on resource partners to urgently scale up assistance in rural areas, in the form of cash relief, emergency livestock support and agricultural inputs to plant in the April Gu season.

If farmers cannot plant during Gu – which traditionally produces 60 percent of the country’s annual cereal output — they will be left without another major harvest until 2018.

Farming families in Ethiopia, meanwhile, are extremely vulnerable as they have not been able to recover from the 2015 El Nino-induced drought. Some 5.6 million people remain food insecure, while millions more depend on livestock herds that need to be protected and treated to improve milk and meat production. Here, too, better access to feed and water is critical.

The crop situation is relatively stable after the country completed the most widespread emergency seed distribution in Ethiopia’s history. FAO and more than 25 NGOs and agencies reached 1.5 million households with drought-resistant seeds.

As a result of enabling farming families to grow their own food, the government and humanitarian community saved close to $1 billion in emergency aid, underlining that investing in farmers is not only the right thing to do but also the most cost-efficient.

FAO’s Early Warning early action work

Somalia and Kenya are among the first countries benefiting from FAO’s new Early Warning Early Action Fund (EWEA). The fund ensures quick activation of emergency plans when there is a high likelihood of a disaster that would affect agriculture and people’s food and nutrition security.

The fund will be part of a larger Early Warning Early Action System that tracks climate data and earth imaging to determine what areas are at risk of an imminent shock and will benefit from early intervention.

UNSOM SG Michael Keating on the Somalia Election (16.12.2016)

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Opinion: The #NBSFrontline debate about Succession after President Museveni is premature; no matter whom it is!

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#NBSFrontline is wasting all people’s time with discussing the succession of President Museveni and change from the ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM). Well, even if the wife of Dr. Kizza Besigye is surely a viable candidate; the famous Oxfam leader Winnie Byanyima and her new quest for becoming a Presidential Candidate. That is a noble idea of a genuine and caring individual with an amazing track-record and spokesperson for the oppressed. Still, the talk of succession right now is premature.

The reason for the premature is that the process for anyone taking the reins from President Museveni is a closed door, a barricaded castle and sealed of courthouse. The President who has been in charge since 1986 hasn’t showed any real proof of wanting to stepdown. He has promised it twice, but that hasn’t mattered. Mzee has changed his mind and thought of the idea of not having the reserves of Bank of Uganda and gone back into the race, gone with guns and made sure the campaigns of his competitors has been a living hell. That he do best, also secure that the Electoral Commission is run by loyalist who will deliver the needed numbers to run the Parliament and the mandate to be a strong President.

Mzee hasn’t given any way to anybody you could ask the few left of the bush-war generation, the ones that are left and still around knows this is true. A man who sends army against his own after taking power, you know he isn’t giving up easy.

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Mzee himself said this: “You see when you give them (civil population in the North and East) a good beating then those who are using them will no longer use them. Since the month of January (1987), we have given them much beating especially in Lira and Kitgum Districts. And in fact the week I left (for Yugoslavia) we had given them a good blow in Gulu District. So it is going to settle down”. (New Vision, January 19, 1987).

The years of election rigging, paying citizens small fees in the villages while being on the road, the years of promising grand project and not delivering should be reasons for the change of leadership. But the people should have created turmoil as the President has the army and the monies that are forged through his illegitimate government. Instead they let him steal the nation and smile over pennies. Therefore the President fears for his life after the years on the throne as the marble and treasury chest might be looted by the ones that he was in charge of or even the grandchildren of the men who died to get him in power.

As long as President Museveni is in charge he will not bow-down with grace. There wouldn’t be any mercy he played the rights for the citizens and justice for the people that had been under Dr. Milton Obote and Gen. Idi Amin Dada. Who both had been Presidents for a long time before him; Museveni went to the bush to get rid of them both and just took away the Presidency of Yusuf Lule because he could.

When a man who made relationship with both Libyans and Americans to get weapons and make sure the power got into his hands. Doesn’t really care to what extent he will do to keep it, he will play all sorts of political games and use the tactics of the former leaders, but try to do it better to gain himself. He might give way to somebody, but only so he can destroy their career and silence them.

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So even if Winnie Byanyima decides to run what will be different between the former ones running against President Museveni? Museveni has eaten a spit out Dr. Olara Otunnu, Norbert Mao, Dr. Paul Ssemogerere, Amama Mbabazi and Dr. Kizza Besigye.

They have all run against him and caught his wrath, his tactics and his methods of oppression as he beats the drums at the opposition rallies with bullets, tear-gas and close the venues without any reason. The laws have been changed and amended to make it usually worse for the competition and make sure the President stays the President. Like the time to make a petition for the Presidential Election is really short, while the Presidential Candidate are by law even if struggled to get funds has to visit all district in the campaign. This is while the President takes helicopter and the others stresses through the rainy-season on washed mountain roads and districts. Something that is easily forgotten the laws and procedures are made to secure the President, not make sure the fellow or person that Ugandans want to be President is actually the President.

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Because if the succession had been a thing then there wouldn’t be the idea of if somebody becomes too ambitious in the ruling regime and ruling party than they have been demoted by the President. Museveni has had a few Vice-Presidents, at the first period of his reign he didn’t have any until his first inner-party elections. After that the ones under him has been Hon. Samson Kisekka, Hon. Specioza Kazibwe and Hon. Prof. Gilbert Bukenya. As well as there been changes of Prime Ministers, because at this state the current President has had six of them.

The #NBSFrontline none of this came up in the discussion as the ones discussing it we’re into gender politics and the left-over, left-behind former party officials of the National Resistance Movement. Even the main contenders in the recent presidential race where former loyalist of the President, Besigye and Mbabazi has been vital and key persons in the Movement System as we know it.

We should just know that President Museveni has no plans to let anybody else than him have the throne, no other can rule than him. All of his game is for him to rule the nation and eat of the government plate. Peace.

Syria: UN Human Rights Chief Zeid urges immediate halt to bombardment of eastern Aleppo, says “further war crimes may be taking place” (14.12.2016)

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Somalia: ASWJ says it will not recognise election results alleging a wide spread election conspiracy by President HSM’s Party (14.12.2016)

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A Message from besieged Eastern Aleppo – home to 100 thousand civilians (13.12.2016)

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Note to Correspondents on the investigations into allegations ‎of sexual exploitation and abuse against peacekeepers deployed in the Central African Republic (05.12.2016)

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The Office of Internal Oversight Services has concluded its investigative process on the allegations ‎of sexual exploitation and abuse against Burundian and Gabonese contingents deployed in Dekoa, Kemo prefecture, in the Central African Republic. 

These allegations referred to incidents between 2014 and 2015. OIOS has conducted joint investigations with Burundian and Gabonese national investigative officers. Investigations started in April 2016, a few days after the allegations were brought to the attention of the United Nations and lasted for more than four months. The investigators relied primarily on the testimony of possible victims and witnesses given the lack of medical, forensic or any other physical evidence. This was due to the fact that the majority of the allegations referred to incidents that took place a year or more earlier. Everyone who came forward with claims, both minors and adults, were assisted by national and international partners.

Overall, 139 possible victims were interviewed and their accounts were investigated. By means of photo array and/or other corroborating evidence a total of 41 alleged perpetrators (16 from Gabon and 25 from Burundi) were identified by 45 interviewees; eight persons were unable to identify perpetrators through photo array or other corroborating evidence but were able to describe some distinctive traits; 83 were not able to identify perpetrators or provide corroborating evidence; and three accounts were considered unreliable. A total of 25 minors asserted they had been sexually abused. A total of eight paternity claims were filed, including by six minors.

The United Nations has shared the OIOS report with both Member States, including the names of the identified alleged perpetrators and has requested for appropriate judicial actions to ensure criminal accountability.

Responsibility for further investigations lies with Burundi and Gabon. The United Nations has requested from the Burundian and Gabonese authorities that they review the OIOS findings and conduct the interviews of the alleged perpetrators who had all been rotated out from Central African Republic before the allegations surfaced. The United Nations has asked for a copy of the final national investigation reports to be transmitted urgently.

The alleged perpetrators, if allegations against them are substantiated, and, if warranted, their commanding officers, will not be accepted again for deployment in peacekeeping operations.

MINUSCA has strengthened its prevention measures and reinforced its outreach among communities and peacekeepers across the country, especially in high-risk areas to improve awareness and reporting on sexual exploitation and abuse and other forms of misconduct. The Mission is also regularly monitoring conditions and behaviour of mission’s personnel and has partnered with United Nations agencies and implementing partners in Central African Republic that provide psychosocial, medical and legal assistance to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.

The United Nations condemns, in the strongest terms, all acts of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by peacekeepers or any other UN personnel and will maintain follow up so that perpetrators of these abhorrent acts are brought to justice.

UNSC Special Envoy statement on the Electoral Process of the Somalia election (05.12.2016)

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Burundi: MINUSCA Rotation Flights details for the Burundian Infantary (28.11.2016)

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SCD Statement on the Current Situation in Besieged Aleppo City (28.11.2016)

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