USAID/FFP MONITORING MISSION TO CENTRAL KATANGA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001362 SIPDIS SIPDIS AID/W FOR DCHA/FFP TMCRAE AND CMUTAMBA; NAIROBI FOR ECA/FFP NESTES; KAMPALA FOR RFFPO DSUTHER AFREA AFRGHAI AHANS AMENGHETTI ARALTE BSILVERS DCHAAA DCHACMM DCHADG DCHAOFDA DCHAPPM DCHAPPMAMS DCHAPVC ECLESCERI GKACHRA JBORNS JESCALONA JHASSE JMAJERNIK KHUBER KODONNELL LBARBOUR LWERCHICK LWHITLEY MAWILLIAMS NNICHOLSON OAAT PEBALAKRISHNAN PMOHAN PPCDCO PPCMCA PPCP RLEE SBRADLEY SECPSP SPARKS THOMPSON TLAVELLE TRASH WHENNING E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID EAGR ETRD PREF CG SUBJECT: USAID/FFP MONITORING MISSION TO CENTRAL KATANGA -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. Kinshasa-based Regional Food for Peace Officer (RFFPO) James F. Conway traveled to Southern and Central Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo August 11-18, 2006 to evaluate the food security situation, particularly of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),and to monitor USAID-supported food assistance programs. RFFPO spent a day each in Mitwaba and Dubie, and additional days in Likasi, Bulanda and Mulingweshi. In addition, the RFFPO visited NGO offices in Lubumbashi of Action Against Hunger (ACF),Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) Holland and Belgium, Food for the Hungry International (FHI),PACT, HAS/WFP, AirServ, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR),PRODAS, and World Vision to get a feel for their joint programming and coverage of health and food security aspects of the vulnerable populations, as well as the linkages between their emergency and recovery programs. Food storerooms of FHI and WFP were visited to see their food flow situation (i.e. their ability to manage the food pipeline to meet projected needs), their local purchase efforts, and the pre-rainy season efforts to supply and pre-position stocks. ¶2. Katanga province is at a unique moment of peace, with no significant post-electoral violence. Large numbers of Mai Mai have demobilized with their leader Gideon or otherwise returned to civilian life, and many IDPs are returning to their villages of origin to plant before the rainy season starts. Residual militia groups have not been active in recent months. The NGO GOAL is investigating some displacement caused by Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) movements. Humanitarian strategies are moving from a strictly emergency response to a recovery footing. -------------- Mai Mai situation -------------- ¶3. Mai Mai militia, formed as village self-defense groups in central Katanga, were not integrated into the FARDC. When Gideon turned himself over to MONUC on May 12, 2006 to be demobilized, some Mai Mai accompanied him, while others turned to indiscriminate rampaging. This disruption caused tens of thousands of persons to be displaced to Mutabi/Dubie, Mpweto, Mitwaba, Kasungeji and Sampwe, called locally the "polygon of death." Some other IDPs went north to Kongolo, Moba, Kalemie and Kabalo. ¶4. Fields and crops were left abandoned, bridges were down and access roads were seasonally impassable. WFP initially conducted an airlift operation to provide food, but subsequent funding was not available and food in the WFP sub-office in Lubumbashi was in short supply. IDPs were not getting a regular daily sustenance ration, and local inhabitants began to share their meager stocks with their fellow tribesmen. MSF Holland in Mitwaba resorted to buying on the local market in Lubumbashi and providing a half-ration. WFP did manage to get some trucks through, and by August dry season roads became passable. Supplies were topped up and villagers are being repaid the food they "loaned" to the IDPs. The WFP pipeline became fully adequate, and WFP is now pre-positioning village stocks for the coming rainy season in the "polygon" cities. -------------- IDP situation -------------- ¶5. An estimated one-third of the approximately 200,000 IDPS have returned to their villages of origin encouraged by; a) promise of a three-month food ration there; b) desire to plant before the rains begin in order not to lose the major harvest of the year; and c) integrated recovery programs being initiated in their villages of origin. ¶6. The cooperation strategy between relief and development providers in the polygon cities to which the IDPs fled involves an integrated package of activities. These services are available to villagers as well as IDPs. All activities are supported indirectly by MONUC, which provides security through a regional base in Mitwaba supported by troops from Benin. WFP also supplies food to ACF for their supplemental and therapeutic feeding centers (SFC and TFC); acutely malnourished are supported in the TFCs and the severely malnourished KINSHASA 00001362 002 OF 002 in the SFCs. ACF is also about to launch a system of Mobile Feeding Centers (MFC) to reach out in various surrounding villages to the chronically malnourished. MSF, using their own resources, works in village health clinics to service vaccination needs as well as provide a whole spectrum of health services in the area to deal with everything from infections to malaria. At times, and depending on their local strategy and funding, MSF also provides potable water and sanitation equipment. WFP contracts with local NGOs such as the AASF (Association des Agriculteurs sans Frontiers) in Dubie and ACP (Action Against Poverty) in Mitwaba to carry out food distribution and warehousing, and to provide training in agriculture, food security and women's empowerment. WFP recently signed an agreement with Concern to provide commodity and cash support for returnee villages in a recovery-development mode, and Concern will now provide an even wider spectrum of recovery/development services in the villages to which IDPs return. Village committees will be formed for housing, health, and educational actions. -------------- WFP Role -------------- ¶7. The WFP Sub-Office in Lubumbashi covers activities in the seven districts of Katanga province through food provided to their Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO 10288). FFP provides 65% of this food at the moment. The WFP warehouse in Lubumbashi receives truckloads of food directly from Durban, South Africa, arriving via paved roads the whole way. Current stocks as of August 17 include 2,982 MT of cornmeal from the USA, 534 MT of yellow split peas from the USA, and 69 MT of Canola Oil from Canada, with more trucks arriving each day. WFP was also dispatching trucks each day, and RFFPO believes that WFP is supplying all the IDP villages to the best of their ability. -------------- Recommendations -------------- ¶8. WFP should make local purchase a viable option by allowing funds in the sub-offices to be used to purchase smaller quantities from local farmers. Minimum quality specifications can be maintained. The current WFP thinking on decentralized purchases requires large quantities that can only be provided by middle-men and companies who often buy at low prices from the farmers. MSF in Dubie carried out a local purchase when WFP was not flexible enough to do so. ¶9. Trucking sub-contracting to final delivery points should be done with many partners by WFP to retain flexibility and availability. ¶10. More pre-positioning of foods can be done in the dry season when transport rates are lowest but this would require WFP to plan ahead and be more organized. ¶11. Airdropped food, as in Dubie, should not be held for long periods, waiting for a complete ration basket, before being distributed. It should be moved immediately for distribution to the people. ¶12. Recovery programs must be launched in Katanga in tune with continued peace and preparations for the newly-elected government to assume office. Meece