Emergency Update Dollo Ado, Ethiopia 27 July 2011

Transcription

1 Emergency Update Dollo Ado, Ethiopia 27 July 2011 UNHCR and partners hurry to install basic infrastructure to prepare Hilaweyn camp to receive refugees from the Transit Centre. (Photo: M. Mutuli/UNHCR) Highlights - The number of new Somali refugees fleeing conflict in their homeland remains steady at an average of 240 refugees per day over the last one week. - Registration backlog is cleared with completion of registration of last group of some 1,700 refugees who were awaiting registration at the transit centre. - UNHCR and partners hurry to install basic infrastructure and services in Hilaweyn camp to allow for the start of relocation of refugees from the transit centre to the new camp. - Health partners continue to address malnutrition among refugee children in the Dollo Ado camps with Save the Children (USA) currently providing twice-daily supplementary feeding to some 1,500 children at the transit centre. - Airstrip in Dollo Ado to be extended by 200 metres to allow for landing of larger aircraft and increase overall capacity for transportation of passengers and goods. 1

2 General Situation The number of new Somali refugees fleeing conflict in their homeland has remained steady at an average of 240 refugees per day over the last one week. The total number of Somali refugees in the Dollo Ado camps now stands at 115,364, of whom 74,216 arrived this year and 18,500 in July alone. This is in addition to some 41,000 Somali refugees in three camps in the Jijiga area. Successful efforts have been made to clear the backlog of refugees waiting to be registered at the transit centre in Dollo Ado. Registration teams at the centre anticipate the completion of registration by 27 July of some 1,700 refugees who had not been registered by 26 July. This will ensure the completion of registration for the close to 14,000 refugees at the transit centre and who are awaiting relocation to Hilaweyn camp still under development. Nearly one month ago, the backlog of refugees waiting for registration at the transit centre stood at 12,000. An increase in the number of key registration personnel deployed to Dollo Ado more than doubled the registration capacity and significantly reduced the waiting time for registration. While at the transit centre, refugees are receiving two hot meals a day while all children under five years of age have been admitted into the supplementary feeding programme which provides twicedaily servings of high nutrient porridge. Save the Children (USA) which runs the Supplementary Feeding Programme at the transit centre is currently feeding nearly 1,500 children each day. Children with severe and acute malnutrition are fast-tracked for nutritional intervention at the clinic managed by MSF-Spain. In the meantime, all efforts are being made to install basic infrastructure in Hilaweyn camp to facilitate the start of relocation of refugees from the transit centre to the new camp the fourth in the area. Difficulties in the digging of latrines on the site that sits on hard rock have caused delays in the opening of the new site. A temporary solution has been found through the digging of trench latrines which should meet the sanitation needs of the first group of refugees to be transferred to the camp. At the same time, an excavator to dig pit latrines through the hard rock is being transported from Addis Ababa to the Dollo Ado camps some 1,000 kms south-east of the Ethiopian capital and should arrive in Dollo Ado by the end of the week. UNHCR Sub Office Dollo is located in the Dollo Ado District in Liben Zone of Somali Regional State of Ethiopia. The Sub Office was established in February 2009 to provide International Protection and assistance to Somali refugees fleeing generalized violence in Somalia. The first camp, Bokolmanyo, located some 85km from Dollo Ado town was established in April 2009 and had, as at 26 July, a population of 37,178 refugees. Malkadida which was opened in February 2010 now shelters some 39,000 refugees. A third camp, Kobe which was opened on 24 June 2011 reached its capacity of 25,000 refugees within weeks. A fourth camp Hilaweyn is currently under development with an initial capacity of 40,000. An extension to the camp, if needed, could shelter an additional 20,000. At present some 14,000 refugees are at the transit centre awaiting relocation to the fourth camp. 2

3 Other teams are working to put up tents in the Hilaweyn camp. Some 2,800 tents need to be put up to meet the shelter needs of the 14,000 refugees to be transferred from the transit centre. Temporary warehouses also known as Rubb Halls have been erected by UNHCR and World Food Programme (WFP) for storage of food and core relief items. The bulk of these items have already been stockpiled in readiness for the transfer of refugees to the new camp. Health partners expect to begin construction of health facilities in the camp to ensure primary health care facilities for the camp population as well as nutrition programmes to address severe and acute malnutrition in children under five years of age and other vulnerable groups such as the elderly, pregnant and lactating women. In addition, water supply needs to be assured. Presently, water is being trucked to all the three camps except Melkadida which relies on a water treatment station in the camp. Refugees in Melkadida are receiving 15 litres of water per person per day. Water supply to Kobe has now increased to 10 litres per person per day up from 5 litres per day. The minimum standard is 20 litres per person per day. In other activities, arrangements are being made to extend by 200 metres the airstrip in Dollo Ado to allow for the landing of larger aircraft to enhance overall capacity for the transportation of passengers and goods. The possibility of a second airstrip close to Bokolmanyo is also being assessed, particularly for emergency use. Bokolmanyo is nearly two hours drive from Dollo Ado. An agreement has also been reached with WFP who manages UNHAS flights to increase the number of direct flights from Addis to Dollo Ado to three times a week starting 1 August. Please see the statistical tables here below for a full breakdown. Table Total Refugee Population in Dollo Ado (as of 26 July 2011) Current Total Site/Camp Households Individuals Bokolmanyo Camp 9,305 37,178 Malkadida Camp 9,724 39,275 Kobe Camp 5,504 24,934 Hilaweyn Camp - - Camp Sub-Total 24, ,387 Dollo Ado Transit centre 3,235 13,977 Reception Centre Temporary Locations Sub-Total 3,235 13,977 GRAND TOTAL ALL LOCATIONS 27, ,364 Table Arrival Trends in 2011 (Border Reception Centre) Month Households Individuals January ,502 6,792 February ,016 March ,019 4,072 April ,650 6,749 May ,587 12,045 June ,030 24,042 July ,980 18,500 Total 18,295 74,216 3

4 Here below is the refugee camp location map of Ethiopia 4

5 Coordination arrangements: Some 16 partners, including, are part of the implementation arrangement in providing protection and assistance to the refugees in the three Dollo Ado camps as well as in the Reception and Transit centres. Most have signed sub-agreements with UNHCR as implementing partners while some are operational partners. An agreement has been reached on the coordination arrangements, in particular, who is doing what and where to ensure effective delivery of services as well as accountability and monitoring. The agreement has been discussed and agreed with the government and all NGO partners. The table below shows who does what Sector Registration Camp management Water Sanitation & hygiene promotion Nutrition (TFP & SFP) Blanket feeding School feeding Hot meals Primary health care & health promotion Mental health Child friendly spaces Emergency education Primary education (1-8) SGBV Environment Food supply Food distribution NFI distribution Shelter Coordination on Refugees Shelter production Implementing agency(ies) /UNHCR IRC/LWF/Oxfam GB /Oxfam GB/LWF/IMC MSF-S/IMC/ACF /IMC/SC-US /SC-US /MSF-S/MSF-H IMC SC-US SC-US PAPDA/IMC/IRC PAPDA/PWO WFP /UNHCR AHA/NRC/DRC/UNHCR UNHCR/ AHADA END 5