Day: October 2, 2022

Summary of major revisions made to operational strategy:

This Operation Update is to present the findings from the comprehensive integrated detailed drought and hunger crisis assessment in Djibouti. The assessment was conducted to inform the humanitarian response planning and decision-making and targeted the provinces of Ali Sabieh, Arta, Obock, and Tadjourah, taking into consideration refugee camps. Additional activities in the initial plan included i) capacity strengthening of volunteers, ii) engagement with Government and partners, and iii) launching a communication campaign. The assessment was completed by mid-September and the outcomes were used to develop the response strategy presented in this Operation Update.

The main components of this Update include:

1. Provision of integrated services to address the urgent needs of 30,000 people affected by the hunger Crisis in Djibouti. This shall include activities in the areas of food insecurity and livelihoods, shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene. Main activities include:

• Provision of basic needs assistance for livelihoods security including food to the most affected communities through a multipurpose cash mechanism
• Provision of portable emergency shelter and household items
• Facilitate daily access to safe water which meets Sphere and WHO standards in terms of quantity and quality provided to the target population.
• Conducting hygiene promotion activities that meet Sphere standards in terms of the identification and use of hygiene items provided to the target population.

2. Revision of the target areas to focus on Dhikil and Abok regions.
3. Extension of the operation timeframe by additional 6 months from the initial 3, for an overall 9 months implementation timeframe under the DREF 2.0 mechanism for slow onset – Drought response interventions.
4. Increased of response budget to CHF 496,931 from the initially allocated CHF 96,329 initial allocation. This means a second allocation of CHF 400,602 through this Operation Update.
5. SITUATION ANALYSIS

Description of the disaster

As part of IFRC’s pan-African Zero Hunger Initiative, Djibouti Red Crescent Society (DJRC ), is planning to provide immediate assistance to communities in crisis and emergencies. Indeed, the hunger crisis in Djibouti is a result of compounding risk factors, which over time serve as drivers of the hunger in-country and across the Horn of Africa. The effects of Covid19, locust manifestation, the war in Ukraine, and its consequences on the basic food commodities supply chain are exacerbated by insufficient rain for four consecutive years, exhausting the coping mechanisms of affected communities, hence inducing a hunger crisis.

Indeed, IPC projections for July to December 2022 indicate an increase in the number of acutely food insecure people, likely reaching 192,168 people, representing 16% of analysed population (1.2 million people, which is about the entire country). The number of people in an emergency (IPC 4) will likely increase to 12,390 people, a 250% rise from the current numbers, while 179,778 people could be in crisis (IPC 3). The underlying capacities further places Djibouti vulnerable to the prevalence of drought hazard. The country GDP per capita is only 5,500 USD with an estimated unemployment rate of 40% and poverty rates of 79% with 42% of the population living in extreme poverty.[2] Djibouti is an arid country with only 0.3 cu km of total renewable water resources.[3] As one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. Only 4% of the land is arable[4], the country relies on imports for over 90% of its food[5], leaving much of the population vulnerable to global price shocks

This forecast led the Djibouti Red Crescent Society to launch a CHF 96,329 DREF Operation which set out to conduct in-depth multi-sectoral assessments in affected communities, to understand their needs and engage them on how best to support them. This assessment mission also allowed DJRC to engage authorities and humanitarian partners to ensure the complementarity of actions with the wider hunger response coordination, as part of their role as auxiliary to the authorities. The result of these consultations and assessments are the basis of this operation update, which presents the response strategy DJRC will use to initiate the response to the hunger crisis for the Red Cross Movement in country. In addition, this operation is a direct response to the 9 th May 2022 call by the President of Djibouti, for greater solidarity in the face of the dramatic consequences of global warming and the reduction of arable land in several regions of the world, particularly in Djibouti, known for its semi-arid and arid climate.

Please, refer to EPoA for details on analysis of the drought situation and the Needs Assessment section of this Operation Update for highlights from the assessment report.

Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies

On Sunday afternoon and throughout last night, large groups of protesters took to the streets of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, attacking the French embassy, burning tires and waving Russian flags. Chaos has descended on the city after a new military junta claimed power Friday but appears to lack full control of the country.

Explosions and gunfire outside the French embassy in Ouagadougou Sunday afternoon. Protesters had been filling the streets of the capital since the evening before when they began burning projectiles and throwing stones over the embassy walls.

On social media, call-outs from unknown sources encouraged the protesters to take to the streets and prevent France from reversing Friday’s military coup in the country. Both the new junta and the French embassy have denied France has any involvement in the coup.

French forces inside the embassy responded by firing tear gas into the crowd and firing warning shots.

VOA spoke to one of the protesters, Ali Nanema.

“We have to leave the French partnership with which we have been involved since the 1960s with mixed results on the ground,” said Nanema. “We have been facing a crisis for seven years but the collaboration with France does not give us satisfactory results. That is why we need another collaboration.”

Three hundred meters from the embassy, at the prime minister’s office, putschists emerged from a commandeered U.N. armored vehicle, waving a Russian flag, causing many on social media to speculate Russia may have had a hand in encouraging Friday’s coup. There was no immediate official Russian reaction to the coup.

Constantin Gouvy is an analyst with The Clingendael Institute, a Netherlands based think tank. Asked if Russian disinformation could be blamed for events over the weekend, he replied.

“We have seen widespread disinformation on social media and pro-Russian civil society organizations trying to rally people to protest in recent days,” said Gouvy. “It’s still early to judge, as to how much influence this has had and if it added fuel to the fire, though we can’t blame everything on Russian disinformation either. Since yesterday, people have taken to the streets for a host of reasons and grievances. We have seen people unhappy with the worsening security situation. We have supporters on Zoungrana, who led a failed coup attempt in January, but also Sankarists [supporters of a left-wing ideological trend], as well as pro-Russians.”

Draped in a Burkinabe flag one man outside the embassy told VOA, “Russia will come and save us from the mess we are in because all the countries that worked with Russia have succeeded. This gives us the courage to go toward Russia, in order to overcome the terrorists. Given the insecurity, we thought that Damiba would orient us to Russia… but we have been waiting in vain.”

Asked how intervention in recent months by mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group had affected the security situation in neighboring Mali, Gouvy said.

“Wagner’s involvement in Mali has made things worse on almost all indicators,” said Gouvy.

The French Institutes, French government-run cultural centers, in both the country’s second city and the capital — were also vandalized by protesters. Protesters wrongly believed a French special forces base on the outskirts of Ouagadougou was sheltering the ousted president Paul Henri Damiba.

A news release Sunday afternoon said Damiba signed his resignation. On Saturday, there had been speculation he was planning to launch a counter-offensive against the putschist, as helicopters, still under his control circled the city. Local media has reported he has fled the country to neighboring Togo.

Source: Voice of America