| UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER |
RWANDA
CIVIL DISTURBANCE
DHA-GENEVA DAILY INFORMATION REPORT NO. 41
23 September 1994
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Information for this report is provided by the
UN Rwanda Emergency Office in Kigali
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DHA-GENEVA 94/0332B
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This sitrep is produced three times every week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The information is compiled from inputs by organizations working in Rwanda including UNICEF, UNDP, WFP, UNHCR, WHO, IOM, UNAMIR, USAID-DART, US-JTF and NGOs.
GENERAL SUMMARY
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The situation remains generally calm across the country although tensions have recently increased as RPA troops carry out house-to-house searches for weapons and ammunition.
The Japanese government approved a plan to send a 480 strong mission to Goma, together with 4 aircraft and 80 vehicles (see SECURITY/MILITARY).
The World Bank reported that it cannot release up to USD 250 million in loans to Rwanda until arrears of USD 3.75 million are paid (see FINANCE).
The UNESCO/UNICEF "schools in a box" programme will assist the estimated 700,000 children returning to school in the coming week (see EDUCATION).
MSF reported alarming mortality rates at Kibeho, south of Gikongoro (see HEALTH).
The RPA has partially taken over the airport at Cyangugu.
Mr. Kofi Annan, the Under-Secretary-General for Peace Keeping Operations has been visiting Rwanda, Zaire and Uganda. He was to participate in the closing ceremony for UNOMUR in Uganda.
The Japanese government has approved a plan to send a 480 strong mission to assist Rwandan refugees in Goma, together with 4 aircraft and 80 vehicles. The troops will help to set up medical facilities, and purification of water and transportation systems. They are expected to return to Japan early next year.
UNICEF is negotiating the contracting of demining experts to check and demine all schools and health centres before they are opened to the public.
A UNAMIR aerial reconnaissance of the Kigali region observed that the countryside remained sparsely populated and there was no visible flow of displaced persons in the rural areas.
Ambassador Dillon, Special Envoy of the Secretary General, has completed his mission to examine regional approaches to the emergency and has returned to New York to brief the Secretary General.
The burial of dead Rwandan refugees was halted in Goma because of extortion of local gravediggers by armed Zairian soldiers.
POLITICAL
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Ambassador Khan, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, returned from visits to Zaire and Tanzania. In Zaire he met with the President, the Prime Minister and the Ministers for Justice, the Interior, Defence and Foreign Affairs. In Tanzania he met with the President. He went together with a senior representative of UNHCR to address the problems posed by the Rwandan refugees to these two countries. Among the conclusions reached:
- the Zairian authorities have asked for help in transferring refugees to alternative sites at least 150 km from the border (in accordance with the OAU convention). This would relieve social, economic and political tensions caused by the large concentration of refugees.
- the Zairian Minister of Defence has been asked to set up a joint task force with a logistician, a finance expert, a representative from UNHCR and a representative from the political wing of UNAMIR. This task force will assess where the new camps should be located, how many people should be transferred to these camps and what facilities exist in these areas.
SECURITY
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At an UNREO general meeting on 20 September, a representative of the RPA reported that they will search homes throughout Rwanda for arms and ammunition. He estimated that 100,000 weapons were distributed to the militia before the war. He stressed the importance of confiscating arms for the protection of the Rwandese people.
Those harbouring the weapons, including machine guns and grenades, were to be arrested. There is concern among the NGOs that such a policy could cause panic in the area.
The burial of dead Rwandan refugees was halted in Goma after bands of armed Zairian soldiers began extorting money from gravediggers. Reports suggest that hundreds of corpses are left unburied, posing a new health hazard int his area which has already suffered from epidemics of cholera, dysentery and malnutrition. Caritas International is in charge of burials.
FINANCE
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The World Bank reported that it cannot release up to USD 250 million in loans to Rwanda until arrears of USD 3.75 million are paid. The arrears were accumulated between April and July. Francisco Aguirre-Sacasa, the World Bank's director of the Central Africa and Indian Ocean department, said that Rwanda has credits of USD 250 million but World Bank rules do not allow the release of money until arrears are paid. Once the arrears are paid the World Bank will be ready in the next two or three months to consider the transfer of USD 100 million in loans per year to Rwanda.
RETURNEES
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The UNREO Field Office in Cyangugu reported that convoys for returnees will now be operating on a daily basis to transport people back to Kigali via Butare. The numbers of returnees have declined since the RPA became more visible at the border entry points.
EDUCATION
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Primary schools opened for the first time since April on September 19 in Ruhengeri province. Schools in Byumba, Kigali, Kibungo, Gitarama, Butare and Gisenyi provinces will open during this week. The UNESCO/UNICEF Teachers Emergency Package (TEP), or 'school in a box' has been provided to help schools with a lack of teaching and learning equipment to get started.
UNICEF estimates that 70 percent of the 1 million school-age children in Rwanda could return to school under this programme. These 'school in a box' packages include educational supplies (e.g. chalk, writing paper, text books, health guidelines and mine awareness information) for a class of 40 students for one semester. To date, 600 'schools in a box' have been produced. It is hoped that around 9,000 will be produced and distributed in the future. WFP is also offering assistance for this project. UNICEF, possibly in collaboration with UNDP, intends to inspect school buildings to assess the need for basic repairs. The 'school in the box' costs USD 170, which is approximately USD 2 per child.
HEALTH
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MSF reported that they carried out a survey at Kibeho (south of Gikongoro) which has a population of approximately 60,000 people. MSF is responsible for sanitation in these camps. The global mortality rate is 7.17/10,000/day, which is considered to be alarming. 74 percent are dying of dysentery. The British Medical Force provides out-patient facilities to the camp. MSF will carry out a similar survey in Ndago where they fear that the results could be similar.
UNICEF will rehabilitate at least 150 health centres by the end of 1994. SCF-UK intends to rehabilitate an additional 30 centres. UNICEF also intends to revive the national Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI).
UNICEF, WHO and the Ministry of Health have distributed a weekly morbidity/mortality report form. Analysis of the results has begun.
UNICEF reports that the health facility assessment for Rwanda is on-going. One hundred and twenty health centre forms have been returned so far. UNICEF hopes to provide a preliminary analysis of the results by 23 September. On the basis of the information received, it will be determined which health facilities have been most severely damaged.
Also, the Central Medical Store (OPHAR) is now completely rehabilitated and is ready to receive drugs and equipment. The Minister of Health has hired new and old staff to work in the pharmacy. A drug inventory is currently underway. Once this is completed, the Central Medical Store will require restocking. The central cold chain has been rehabilitated and has been supplied with a large quantity of vaccines. The cold chain store from Kabale in Uganda has been brought to Kigali.
NUTRITION
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UNICEF is currently training personnel in two unaccompanied children's centres. The training programme involves the assessment of the nutritional status of young children, as well as nutritional care for malnourished children. Based on this work, training modules will be revised and training carried out on a larger scale.
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN
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UNICEF, SCF-UK and SCF-US are finalizing cooperative agreements related to child tracing and family reunification for unaccompanied children. UNICEF has agreed with the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction to immediately locate a senior advisor on unaccompanied children and a liaison officer within the Ministry.
WATER AND SANITATION
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DART-Rwanda reported that priority needs for water and sanitation in Kigali and other areas of Rwanda include:
- electrical connection of generators at pumping stations in Kigali; - provision of diesel fuel for generators; - transportation for electrogaz personnel to work on water lines; - repairs to the distribution network in Kigali to reduce leakages; - replenishment of chemical supplies at water treatment plants; - provision of sanitation in Kigali, including a "Clean Up Kigali" campaign; - completion of repairs to Butare water pumps or installation of alternative systems; - repairs to gravity pipelines in the north east; - additional water bladders andtanker deliveries to areas of Kigali which are not currently served.
UNICEF reported that the water supply in urban Kigali is being generated normally, but underwritten by the international community. A cost-recovery mechanism is being studied so that consumers can begin paying their own utility bills. In Gikongoro and the South West, UNICEF has completed negotiations with a US company to establish a water supply network based at Kibeho camp (160,000 + population).
TRANSPORTATION
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UNHCR was to transport 2,400 people from Musange (north of Gikongoro) back to their home areas. With the rains coming up it is urgent that people return to their home areas to work the fields;
IOM now has the capability (when fully utilized) to transport 2,300 people per day on three major routes in Rwanda. This capacity is expected to double in the next two weeks.
UNAMIR has announced that as of 1 October it will no longer fly non-UN personnel. Non-UN personnel will have access to commercial flights.
REHABILITATION
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UNDP is holding discussions with several ministers with a view to defining priority areas for technical assistance and elaborating a short term (6 month) and medium term (2 year) rehabilitation programme. In the meantime emergency equipment (logistical support, generators, office equipment etc) is being provided to several ministries.
ASSESSMENTS
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A joint assessment between the Government, UNDP, ICRC, WFP and SCF UK of the Butare area concluded that a seed distribution in the area is needed.
The Ministry of Family and Women's Affairs would like to undertake a country-wide assessment of the needs of Rwandese women. All the documentation at the ministry was lost during the war. They will need support to reestablish a database of information.
OTHER INFORMATION
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In Kigali there is a 'humanitarian frequency' which is monitored by UNREO from 0700-1900 and by UNAMIR from 1900-0700. NGOs interested in having their radios programmes can come to UNREO. The frequencies are as follows:
VHF RX 153.025
TX 158.025
HF PRI 6232
ALT 8032.
Contact call sign: UNREO BASE.
The American Embassy has asked all United States passport holders operating in Rwanda to register with the Embassy in Kigali. Registration cards are available in the DART mailbox at UNREO base. For people working in the field and unable to register, the Embassy asks the parent organization to inform them about names, location, passport number and planned length of stay.
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DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - GENEVA
Desk Officers: Deborah Saidy and Michael Gaouette
Direct Telephone: 788.7020 / 788.7019
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ONLY - Telephone: (41 22)917.2010
Press to contact: Ms Mounira Skandrani
Ms Skandrani Direct Telephone: (41 22) 917.3114
Telex: 414242 DHA CH
Fax: (41 22) 917 0023
Electronic Mail: DIALCOM 141 : DHAGVA
END OF REPORT.