UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
DHA-Geneva Daily Information Report No. 44

DHA-Geneva Daily Information Report No. 44

                             RWANDA
                        CIVIL DISTURBANCE
           DHA-GENEVA DAILY INFORMATION REPORT NO. 44
                        28 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 94/0335
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This sitrep is produced by UNREO Kigali three times every week. The information is compiled from inputs by organisations working in Rwanda including UNICEF, UNDP, WFP, FAO, UNHCR, WHO, IOM, UNAMIR, USAID-DART, and NGOs. This document is intended to represent the best avilable information as of 12h00, 28 September 1994.

GENERAL SUMMARY
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The returnee programme for internally displaced persons, Operation Homeward, coordinated by UNAMIR has been suspended after only 27 people volunteered for transport back to their home areas on 27 September.

The Rwandese government have announced plans for accreditation of NGOs working in the country.

UNAMIR will stop providing fuel to NGOs as from 31 September because stocks are now available commercially.

SECURITY
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A message from the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General regarding reports about alleged reprisal killings of returnees was read to the bi-weekly UN agency/NGO meeting chaired by UNREO. The message indicated that an investigation is underway into the allegations and that no UN official would comment on the matter until the results of the investigation were known.

A DHA Mine Clearance expert travelled to Gisenyi on 27 September to assess needs for a mine clearance programme in the country. At the bi-weekly UN agency/NGO meeting chaired by UNREO, he requested input from NGOs regarding areas that are mined, and reminded them to check for mined locations with UNAMIR before expanding their missions into new areas. Safety tips for driving in areas that could contain mines are available at UNREO.

Nearly every Agency and NGO in Cyangugu is now in a position to communicate with others on handset. UNHCR channel 7 is the security channel. UNHCR repeater 2 will soon be functioning.

UNAMIR reports that 23 bodies were found near Rusumo in the south east. The bodies are approximately one month old.

REFUGEE AND DISPLACED POPULATION MOVEMENTS
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Operation Homeward has been suspended for the time being after only 27 internally displaced volunteered to return from camps in the Gikongoro area. The plan had hoped to use up to 100 trucks to return up to 4000 people per day. It would seem that returnee confidence has dropped, perhaps due to lack of seeds/tools in returnee areas or possibly because of recent reports about alleged reprisal killings of returnees.

UNAMIR also reports that in the last two days there has been a notable outflow of persons from camps in the South West of Rwanda into Burundi. The outflow is broken down as follows: 3,000 from Rurumba, 700 from Rwamiko and 1,000 from Kibeho.

UNAMIR reports that the rate of repatriation from Goma has notably decreased.

BRITCON HQ has produced a refugee/displaced persons list that consolidates information from camps in Rwanda, Zaire, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi. BRITCON is seeking comments and updated information from humanitarian organisations by Friday, 7 October. Copies of the report are available at UNREO; data will be incorporated into an UNREO database.

WATER AND SANITATION
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A coordination meeting for water and sanitation was held on Monday, 26 September 1994. Electrogas indicated that 85 per cent of the population of Kigali receives pipeline water. The water treatment plant in the city is still receiving operational assistance from UNICEF and ICRC.

UNICEF, Austrian Relief Programme and MINITRAPE are preparing a letter of understanding to rehabilitate 260kms of water pipelines in the north east of the country. The project will benefit approximately 80,000 people.

UNICEF is preparing a letter of understanding with the company PWSS (Portable Water Supply Systems) to provide drinking water at the Kibeho camp in the south west (with a current camp population 60,000). PWSS is capable of processing 1.4 million litres per day.

NUTRITION
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UNICEF reports that they have successfully completed their project to help the government harvest 25 per cent of this season's crop -- which included beans and sorghum -- before the start of the rainy season.

HEALTH
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MSF (Suisse) have reported a measles and dysentery epidemic in the north east of Rwanda in the vicinity of Nyagatare. They have started a vaccination programme to support health centres in the area. The diseases have apparently been introduced by refugees returning from Uganda. MSF report that the pre-war popoulation of the district has swelled from 20,000 to 60,000 as the refugees move in.

Several UNAMIR contingents who have been giving humanitarian assistance (particularly medical services such as field ambulance battalions) will be departing Rwanda in the coming months. They are proposing to organise meetings that should address transitional measures. The first meeting, organised by the British contingent, will be next Tuesday 4 October.

Memisa sent out a circular letter on 15 September to indicate that it now has its medical stores stocked up and that health partners can now order a limited list of drugs. The circular and an attached list of drugs is available at UNREO. Memisa has requested that those with a health budget to cover procurement should pay for the drugs, but is willing to give for free to those who do not yet have adequate funds to meet the costs of the drugs.

UNICEF reports that it is currently involved in training 25 trainers for two health campaigns: "The Clean Hands" campaign aimed at improved hygiene, as well as the "Food and Fluid" campaign to treat diarrhoeal disease and dehydration. These trainers will then train 500 community activists who will then promote these messages to community residents. UNICEF is also in the process of planning other activities with the Ministry of Youth, which is the focal point for the "Healthy Body" campaign.

UNICEF, in collaboration with WHO and UNDP, has also begun to work with the Ministry of Health in planning a workshop on health management for government officials in seven ministries at the end of October. The aim of this workshop is to assist the Ministry of Health determine their most important health priorities.

AGRICULTURE
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FAO is receiving an additional 860 T of bean seeds. NGOs who are in a position to distribute these seeds should inform FAO. WFP, which is responsible for transporting these seeds, has said that 88 MTs are on the way.

GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION
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During the weekly UNREO/UN agency/NGO meeting, a representative of the Ministry of Rehabilitation outlined various requirements from the Government that relate to UN agency/NGO activities.

i. The Government, assisted by a private company, will begin to charge taxes and custom duties on goods coming into the country as follows:

- All goods for humanitarian Assistance will be exempt from all government tax but will be subject to a handling fee of 1% of value. A UN/NGO working group is investigating the best way to proceed. - All other goods not for Humanitarian assistance will be taxable at 4 per cent of total value of imports. (3 per cent of this will go to the Government and 1 per cent will go to the private company to cover all handling/storage charges.)

ii. The Ministry of Rehabilitation requested that all NGOs working in Rwanda submit an activity report for the months of July and August. The ministry repeated the request at the weekly meeting and asked that the deadline for the reports be 30 September. These reports and subsequent monthly reports will influence accreditation of NGOs which will be introduced under new legislation that is currently being drafted.

There are likely to be three phases to accreditation. Firstly, all NGOs working in the country will have to register with the Ministry of Rehabilitation, then with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prove bona fide NGO status in the home country, and finally with the functional Ministry dealing with their area of operation.

OTHER INFORMATION
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UNAMIR will stop providing petroleum, oil and lubricants to all NGOs as of 31 September because fuel is now commercially available in major centres throughout the country. NGOs that have received fuel from UNAMIR sources will shortly receive an invoice covering those deliveries.

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DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS - GENEVA

DHA Geneva Contacts: 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


From: "Arthur R. McGee" 
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 28 Sep 94 10:30:24 -0700
From: BURLAND%UNICC.BITNET@CEARN.cern.ch
Subject: DHA-GENEVA SITREP VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar

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