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Dispatches No. 232
Up | February 29, 2008
REFUGEE NEWS BRIEFINGS
UPDATES ON JRS PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
REFUGEE NEWS BRIEFINGS
KENYA: GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION REACH AGREEMENT
On 28 February, former UN General Secretary, Kofi Annan, announced that the government and opposition reached agreement on a power-sharing deal to put an end to the country's worst outburst of post-election violence.
Prior to the agreement, leader of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, Raila Odinga, and President Mwai Kibaki sat down at the negotiating table for the first time in a month. The two men had come under intense pressure to compromise over the disputed election on 27 December, which sparked ethnic violence that killed 1,000 people and displaced 300,000 more.
Kibaki has agreed to create a prime minister post, as demanded by the opposition, but it was unclear what powers a prime minister would have and how many cabinet posts would go along with the position.
However, it is too early for the effects of the political agreement to be felt on the ground. The JRS team in Kitale in the Western Province have reported that displaced Kenyans continue arriving every day.
Since the eruption of violence, JRS Kenya has distributed humanitarian assistance in the Kitale area. An estimated 32,000 internally displaced persons
(IDPs) require assistance in the area. Most are living in camps, while others are being hosted by friends and family.
"People are arriving at formal and informal sites every day. This makes it more difficult to identify those in need. However, the active involvement of the local Catholic diocese has been crucial in identifying those in need of immediate assistance", JRS Eastern Africa Advocacy Officer, Anne Peeters, told Dispatches on 22 February.
"One of our major concerns at the moment is the prevalence of sexual abuse of women and children. The government and humanitarian agencies have to ensure that effective protection is offered to women and children. The victims need assistance, in particular appropriate counselling", added Ms Peeters.
In its initial assessment, JRS identified trauma counselling as a priority for IDPs in the area. A team of four Kenyans and 10 refugees was established to address this need. In the near future, the team has just started providing training to 30 plus people in basic counselling skills. By extending knowledge to others, JRS believes that a wider group of people will receive appropriate assistance.
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UGANDA: REBELS DEMAND CHARGES BE DEALT WITH LOCALLY
On 27 February, representatives of Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) demanded that the government ask the International Criminal Court
(ICC) to cancel arrest warrants for their leaders as a condition for any peace deal.
In late February in a meeting in Juba, southern Sudan, negotiators from both sides signed a number of agreements that had raised hopes of an end to one of Africa's longest conflicts. But the outstanding issue of indictments by the ICC for the LRA leader, Joseph Kony, and two of his senior commanders has proved to be the biggest hurdle so far.
Both sides agreed that crimes during the 22-year civil war in northern Uganda could be dealt with by Ugandan courts. But the government says it will only ask the ICC to drop its warrants once a final deal is in place, effectively rejecting the latest demand.
The government plans to establish a unit to carry out investigations and prosecutions, giving particular attention to violations against women and children.
The unit will be part of a special division within the Ugandan High Court and focus on individuals who planned or carried out widespread, systematic or serious crimes. Lesser Offences by the rebels will be dealt with through traditional justice.
The government had previously announced it was pushing for a final peace deal to be signed on 6 March, but the rebel negotiators asked for more time to consult the LRA leadership.
Two decades of civil war have destabilised northern Uganda and neighbouring parts of eastern Congo and southern Sudan, killing tens of thousands of people and uprooting two million more. The LRA has been accused of massacring civilians, mutilating survivors and kidnapping thousands of children to serve the group as fighters, porters and sex slaves.
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TANZANIA: GOVERNMENT TO NATURALISE BURUNDIAN REFUGEES
"Initially, the Tanzanian government focused all its efforts into ensuring that the more than 200,000 refugees who fled Burundi in 1972 returned home. When the authorities raised the idea of resettlement in a third country or naturalisation, many refugees were relieved. For a long time, the authorities went quiet, but now it looks like the naturalisation process is going to be a reality," reported JRS Tanzania Logistics Officer in Ngara camp, Angelo Munduni Dema SJ on 22 February.
Tanzania has a rather a long history of receiving refugees. Most refugees in the country fled the 1972 civil war in Burundi. They live in western Tanzania - at the Katumba, Wilyakulu and Mishamo settlements. For some, repatriation is the preferred option. However, after 36 years in the country, many feel more at home in Tanzania than Burundi.
Last year, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) funded a public awareness campaign to inform refugees of the conditions in Burundi. Recently a team of journalists from JRS Radio Kwizera visited the settlements to see why some of the refugees have not yet left. As expected, many were positive about returning home. But some still felt that they had inadequate information concerning the security situation at home and others were just reluctant to go home.
Nandolani Bushiri, a 30 year old, was born in Mishamo settlement. She wishes to remain in Tanzania as she says she does not know anybody back in Burundi.
The situation is somewhat similar for 33-year old Hussein Musa Ndolukwigilo. He is an orphan and feels he has little possibility of finding his relatives or receiving any land in Burundi.
This is in line with the recently published findings of a taskforce established by UNHCR and the governments of Tanzania and Burundi. Some 80% wish to remain in Tanzania. According to UNHCR, the process of naturalisation, conducted by the Tanzanian authorities, will also begin shortly for about 172,000 refugees.
Of the 11 camps that were established since 1995, six camps are now empty and two are to close before June this year. The policy of the government is to close all the camps by the end of this year. A total of 774 refugees have repatriated to Burundi since 31 January, but still some 225,800 are still living camps in western Tanzania. In addition, Tanzania hosts another 113,000 Burundians who arrived in 1995.
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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: REBEL GROUP BOYCOTT COULD PREVENT REPATRIATION
On 23 February, dissident General Laurent Nkunda stated that the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) would suspend its participation in a ceasefire agreed in January.
The boycott of a commission set up under a January peace deal could prolong insecurity in the eastern Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) and delay the return of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced civilians.
Nkunda said his boycott was a reaction to a report by the UN Mission in Congo
(MONUC) accusing the CNDP of killing at least 30 civilians between 16 and 20 January, while the peace talks were ongoing. He added his movement was willing to work with the investigation into the alleged massacres.
About 800,000 civilians in North Kivu have been displaced, with more than half forced to flee their homes since the end of 2006 because of clashes between government forces, Nkunda's rebels and other armed groups from DRC as well as neighbouring Rwanda and Burundi.
Already, five Mayi-Mayi militia parties to the peace agreement have announced their departure from Goma because they felt their security was not guaranteed, and mechanisms for the implementation of the peace deal have not yet been set up.
Jason Luneno, chairman of the Civil Society of North Kivu, suggested that the CNDP should have waited for a further investigation of the claim by MONUC that it was responsible for the death of the 30 civilians.
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NAMIBIA: REFUGEE STUDENTS RECEIVE SPONSORSHIPS TO FINISH SECONDARY SCHOOL
In late February, Standard Bank Namibia donated nearly US$ 3,500 to four refugee secondary school students at Osire refugee camp in the northeast of the country.
This money will enable four students from the Osire refugee camp to continue their studies in grade 11 in Windhoek and Okakarara further south. The donation will pay for allowances, school and hostel fees, transport, books, uniforms and pocket money.
Three of the young refugees are from Angola and the other is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were educated until Grade 10 in a school managed by JRS in the refugee camp.
Unfortunately, for reasons of funding, the school in the Osire refugee camp only goes up to Grade 10. However, the quality of teaching in the school is highly considered in the area. In 2007, the Osire camp school had a pass rate of 63%, well above the national average.
Speaking to Dispatches on 28 February, JRS Southern Africa Regional Advocacy Officer, Michael Gallagher SJ, said he was sincerely grateful the Standard Bank for giving these young refugees this opportunity.
In 2007, JRS provided kindergarten, primary, secondary, vocational and special education services to more than 3,500 refugees. Local teams also offered recreational activities and library services to the camp population.
Last December, JRS closed all projects in Osire refugee camp. In the last couple of years, staff have been working closely with the ministry of education to ensure that the hand over of projects to the local authorities went smoothly. The Archdiocese of Windhoek, a close JRS partner over the seven years of the project, accepted responsibility to the pastoral care of the remaining refugee population, approximately 7,500, mainly Angolans and Congolese, down from 23,000 in 2000. Most Angolans have returned home in the last few years.
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TIMOR LESTE: AID TO DISPLACED PERSONS DISCONTINUED
In February, the Timorese government reduced the food rations to internally displaced persons (IDPs) by half. In the latest food deliveries, each individual has been allocated four kilograms of rice and three-quarters of a litre of cooking oil.
Starting in March, food deliveries by UN World Food Programme (WFP) will end.
The authorities hope the food reductions will encourage IDPs to return home or settle elsewhere. The general food distribution will be replaced by a new targeted programme aimed at those IDPs in the most vulnerable situations in and outside the camps, including the older, ill, orphaned and widowed IDPs. A supplementary food distribution programme will also be available in schools.
An estimated 100,000 East Timorese - about a tenth of the population - were ejected from their homes and communities by violence in recent years. The most severe destruction was caused in 2006 when the government forces and disaffected elements of the army clashed. Many IDPs live with friends and relatives, while 35,000 live in 58 camps around the capital Dili.
Two years after the last serious outbreak of violence, the UN and the government are anxious to close the camps, fearful over signs of growing aid dependency among some displaced people. However, IDPs wishing to return home face an array of difficulties: communal issues and logistical problems. More than 80 percent of the homes of displaced persons in the camps were destroyed or damaged and approximately 6 percent of their homes are occupied illegally by others.
"The government plans to register all IDPs to determine the extent of the damage to their homes. For those who fear returning home, the plan is to relocate them to safer areas. The maximum compensation available per household will be US$ 4,500", Dispatches was told by JRS Timor Leste staff on 16 February.
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SRI LANKA: SECURITY AND FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT RESTRICTED IN LIBERATED AREAS
A few months ago, the Sri Lankan government announced it had liberated the east of the island from the Tamil insurgent movement, the LTTE, but reports from the ground seem to indicate otherwise.
On 11 February, the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC), comprising humanitarian NGOs and UN agencies, reported that the situation remains tense and that the looting of humanitarian assistance materials is leading to delays in programme implementation. Some agencies have suspended some work due to continued loss of material. An earlier IASC report on 5 February warned that armed groups continue to operate in the area.
JRS reports that journeys to and from liberated Batticaloa are much the same as before. Staff report long queues at the regular check points. One close partner of JRS reported having his baggage checked at five of the six checkpoints entering the city.
"On a train to the capital, Colombo, from Batticaloa, the same JRS partner, a human rights activist who wishes not be named, asked if he could take his laptop.
The security officer responded that it depended on his occupation. It is not clear what occupation one needs to exercise before one is allowed to carry a laptop", JRS South Asia Advocacy Officer, Paul Newman, told Dispatches on 28 February.
Locals in Batticaloa complained not only about being constrained from moving in and out of the city, but also of being subjected to constant searches within the city itself. These restrictions of course were having an economic impact as food supplies are affected and people are prevented from working.
At the end of January, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported that more than 7,000 families, some 26,000 individuals, were still displaced. According to the 5 February IASC report, official dates have been established for further returns within the district of Batticaloa or to nearby Trincomalee. Other returns are expected in the coming weeks.
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PANAMA: ANOTHER FIRE IN CURUNDÚ
The nightmare of flames and smoke continue in Panama City. On the evening of
16 February, another fire broke out in Curundú district, this time in the area known as Metropol (sector F). It occurred close to Sector S, where a fire left 500 migrants, refugees and indigenous persons homeless last March.
This time 25 families, approximately 125 individuals, were affected by the fire. In addition, another eight houses were partially damaged, as they were made of wood and zinc.
This is the fourth fire in Curundú since 2007, which in total have affected approximately 1,200 people, mainly members of indigenous communities, migrants, refugees and poor Panamanians. Over the years, JRS has assisted many of these individuals, supporting housing, emergency and micro-credit projects.
"Fortunately, nobody was killed. Some residents suffered burn injuries. Some of those who suffered from burns were injured in previous fires in the area. They had hardly recovered from the last fire when this one happened out of the blue.
We are aware that some of the victims are migrants, some being women head of families. Without a doubt they have lost everything", JRS Panama Communication Officer, Kevin Evandro Sánchez Saavedra, told Dispatches.
According to community members and the local housing coordinator of Curundú council, Adolfo Reid, the fire was started as a result of carelessness by a local resident when cooking inside the home. The flames spread quickly due to the closeness of the housing to each other in the area, the materials used to build the homes such as wood, and the lack of a system of security to cater for this type of situation. The national media attributed the fire to an attack by a street gang in the area or someone who was burning rope for recycling outside the house.
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UPDATES ON JRS PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
SUDAN: WORKING CONDITIONS DIFFICULT IN DARFUR
"I am proud of the work that is being done in extremely difficult circumstances by JRS and other partner organisations here in Darfur. The situation in the Darfur region remains volatile with a deteriorating security and humanitarian situation. In late February, another 12,000 people fled to Chad after their villages were attacked," reported JRS Eastern Africa Regional Director, Fr. Joe Hampson, on 23 February.
JRS works in the Mellit area of the North Darfur province providing education services, particularly basic literacy skills, to internally displaced persons in rural areas where there are little to no education facilities. Many young IDPs have received little formal education and have had a difficult time fitting into traditional/formal education systems. JRS also assists the local authorities to provide Kindergarten, teacher training and supports parent-teacher associations.
JRS works with the Ministry of Education, local and international NGO partners to provide adult literacy classes and primary education support to out of school youth and adults, targeting women, and focusing on topics such as life skills and psychosocial activities.
In cooperation with the local church, JRS is trying to respond to the needs of the displaced Darfurians. Negotiations are underway with the UN children's agency
(UNICEF) to strengthen education services. JRS is establishing structures for a basic needs assessment to be conducted in the near future, in addition to the ongoing work on providing education in emergency situations.
A joint UN/ African Union peacekeeping mission is expected to increase the presence of the force from 9,000 to 26,000 this year. Despite the presence of the force, there has been little improvement in the security situation for the local population. JRS told Dispatches that it is difficult to address the situation with so many armed actors involved in the conflict, with groups splitting and the presence of armed bandits.
An estimated 3.5 million people in Darfur (including 2.2 million IDPs) are reliant on humanitarian aid. Despite the signing of a peace agreement in 2006, the violence has not decreased; over 200,000 people have been newly displaced since the beginning of the year.
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GUINEA: PROJECTS CLOSE AFTER SIX YEARS IN THE COUNTRY
On 10 January, JRS handed responsibility for its projects in Kouankan II camp to the Guinean Red Cross. The handover was delayed due to threats of public strikes against poor governance and living conditions, just one year after similar uprisings swept the county, killing or wounding 1,500 people.
The handover marked the end of six years of service in Guinea. Given the large- scale return of Liberian refugees, improved political stability in Liberia, and continued calm in Côte d'Ivoire, JRS decided to gradually leave Guinea in 2007 and focus its resources on areas of more urgent needs.
Roughly 2,000 Ivorian refugees still inhabit Kouankan II with access to minimal services. Slow implementation of a peace accord promising to re-unify Côte d'Ivoire, which was split between a government-run south and rebel-held north in 2002, continues. Preparations for elections are still in progress but do not appear on the horizon.
Yet, refugees wanting to participate in their country's reconstruction and elections face few options. UNCHR refuses to organise their repatriation until after elections and most refugees lack the means to return home on their own. Many wish to stay in Guinea in order to retain their refugee statuses. However, UNHCR has not yet made any plans to assist Ivoirians to integrate locally in Guinea.
Host communities often feel threatened by refugees with whom they share already strained resources. Increased protection and material assistance is therefore needed to support Ivorian refugees in Guinea and those wanting to return home.
Similarly, some 7,000 Liberian refugees remain in Lainé and Kouankan I camps with access to minimal services. In cooperation with state authorities, UNHCR is currently evaluating different forms of local integration for Liberian refugees.
"JRS hopes that UNHCR's local integration of these refugees which was launched last July, is implemented in a timely and appropriate manner. Efforts are now equally needed to facilitate the repatriation of Ivorians. Reconstruction efforts should be supported to assist Ivorians who are ready to begin re-building their lives at home", JRS Communications Officer, Ashley Gagné, told Dispatches on 28 February.
Since 2001, JRS has worked with displaced persons in Guinea, providing emergency assistance, as well as social, educational, and cultural services aimed at equipping people with the skills they need to regain self-sufficiency. While JRS West Africa has identified more critical needs elsewhere in the region, it encourages the increased and continued collaboration of local communities, state authorities, and humanitarian agencies in Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire.
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