From Afghanistan to Sudan, WFP is on the frontline of crises across the globe. Find out the latest from these hotspots with WFP's weekly operational priorities update.

Insecurity continues throughout Afghanistan hindering food deliveries and project monitoring particularly in the southern provinces. Food deliveries to 880 displaced families have been suspended since 20 July.

Kachagari camp in Pakistan has closed, and Jalosai camp is expected to close in coming weeks. As of today, 5,200 families from Kachagari have returned to eastern provinces of Afghan, while 130 families returned from Jalosai with 10,000 more expected in the coming months.

A joint Government/UNHCR assessment is underway to assess the conditions of returnees and to identify vulnerable families in need of humanitarian assistance, including food aid.

Afghan deportees from Iran continue to arrive, although at a lower average of 13 families per day. The total numbers of deportees having returned since 21 April are 163,000 people. Though unconfirmed, the Iranian Government is expected to announce a three-month suspension of deportation of Afghans working illegally in Iran.

Insecurity along the ring road has led to suspension of food movement to Hirat, especially from Deleram to Bakwa district of Farah province. The current stock level in the warehouses here is very low.

Due to the movement of internally displaced persons (IDPs), the planned distribution is above 10,000 metric tons (mt), which is 50 percent more than planned. This is expected to last for several months, and will lead to early pipeline breaks if contributions are not forthcoming.

UN staff, including five WFP staff on a monitoring and distribution mission, were evacuated to Kalemie. Following the latest incident in Moba, in Katanga province, when the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) office was attacked and two staff injured.

It is unlikely that UN staff will return within the next two weeks. This evacuation will hamper WFP logistics support to UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Following the recent tensions in North Kivu province, and due to the possible resumption of offensive actions planned by government troops against uncontrolled brigades and militia factions that continue to disturb the lives of citizens, a UN contingency plan has been prepared. The WFP DRC/North Kivu Task Force continues to meet, making progress on issues.

The Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Agency (DPPA) dispatches and distributions to Shinile, Afder and Liben zone are almost finalised. These are part of the 9,600 metric tons (mt) of relief food, a one-month ration allocated to 530,000 people in Somali region. As of 3 August, 4,200 mt (100 percent of the allocation) has been dispatched. Dispatches to the five zones under military operations (Degehabur, Fik, Warder, Korahe and Gode) started with Warder on 3 August (291 mt).

Reports of floods increased during the week. Areas affected include Afar, Gambella and Tigray regions. Multi-agency assessment missions have been deployed to affected regions to identify needs.

Incidences of floods are expected to increase due to the continuation of heavy rainfall in flood prone areas, and increased levels of Lake Tana and its tributaries. WFP and DPPA are in the process of pre-positioning commodities in flood-prone Gode zone.

Screening and registration of new Somali refugee arrivals is still ongoing in the over-burdened Kebribeyah refugee camp in Somali region. 4,800 refugees have been registered so far. Some 2,055 refugees have been relocated already to Teferiber camp, which can house up to 5,000 refugees.

Over the past few days, there have been heavy unseasonable rains in the pastoral districts of Turkana, Marsabit, Isiolo and Moyale, in northern Kenya. Consequently, many roads have become impassable, leading to some delays in WFP food distributions for the Emergency Operation (EMOP) and refugee operation. In Kakuma refugee camp, food distributions were delayed for a day as access roads to distributions sites were cut-off.

UNHCR is providing complementary foods (groundnuts) to refugees in Kakuma during August. This is the first distribution of complementary foods since July 2005.

Between 22 and 29 July 2007, UNHCR in Kenya reported a total of 312 spontaneous arrivals from Somalia. This brings the total number to 8,581 people since the Kenya/Somalia border was closed at the beginning of January 2007.

The situation in Gaza remains stable but tense. Clashes erupted between Hamas and Islamic Jihad mid-week however they have now abated.

There were hostilities in the North of Gaza over the weekend, during which agricultural land in Beit Lahia was affected (WFP beneficiaries in the area reported having lost access to land during 2-3 days and others suffered the damage of land/crops/irrigation infrastructure).

Gaza's industry remains completely stagnated by the lack of raw materials entering the Gaza Strip. Increasing numbers of labourers are being laid off or are working reduced working hours leading to rising poverty amongst this group. Viability of farming industry also remains precarious.

More than 2,500 metric tons (mt) have now transited from Egypt into Gaza through Karem Shalom during the past two weeks.

Mogadishu remains tense due to increased attacks by insurgents. Fighting between Ethiopian troops and suspected Somali insurgents on 2 August killed 10 and wounded 25 in the Odweyne neighbourhood of Hodan district, south of Mogadishu. In a separate incident, at least nine people were killed in the Daynile area of Mogadishu.

Media reports indicate that hundreds of families have begun fleeing Odweyne following the attacks. WFP is monitoring the situation very closely and will respond if food assistance is required.

Preliminary results from a rapid nutrition assessment, conducted in June 2007 by Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) at internally displaced people (IDP) concentration points in Afgoye, indicate a global malnutrition rate of 21.5 percent and a severe acute malnutrition rate of three percent. As a response, WFP is starting to distribute 606 metric tons (mt) of food to 28,400 IDPs in Afgoye, while plans are underway for distributions early next week to IDPs in parts of middle and lower Shabelle regions.

The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) officially took over from the UN Common Air Service (UNCAS) on 1 August. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been sent out to all agencies for signature and return no later than 15 August. The first user group meeting is planned for 7 August. WFP will manage UNHAS.

Insecurity in Darfur continues to pose a serious threat to humanitarian operations, with a series of carjacking incidents reported during the week. On 30 July, a convoy of commercial trucks with a Sudanese Goverment (GoS) police escort was attacked by armed men in West Darfur, resulting in four deaths. No UN staff was involved. However, one commercial truck with WFP food was looted.

Non-governmental organisation (NGO) nutrition surveys in Darfur indicate an increase in Global Acute Malnutrition rates in some parts of Darfur. Underlying causes identified include lack of potable water and sanitation, limited health services, seasonal high incidence of acute respiratory infection, diarrhoea and malaria and a high influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps - new arrivals pose an additional strain to already stretched services in camps.

The UN Nutrition Working Group is analysing the various reports and mobilizing efforts to treat and prevent malnutrition. WFP continues to support supplementary and therapeutic feeding centres in Darfur.

On 20 July, the Government of Southern Sudan declared ‘a state of disaster’ in six states, with over 15,000 people affected by floods. WFP is currently providing food assistance to 6,700 affected households in southern Sudan.

Food assistance is also ongoing for 40,000 flood-victims in central and eastern Sudan. A UN Flash Appeal for USD14 million is under preparation, of which WFP is requesting USD 500,000 for assessment and distribution costs.

As a result of the government’s price-reducing operation, there is a continuing and marked deterioration of the food availability situation across the country. There are increasing reports of workers being laid off, as store shelves continue to be empty.

Many commuters remain stranded because public transport is now unaffordable for most people (a return ticket can cost over half of the average monthly salary) and the number of buses has decreased due to the unavailability of fuel.

Both urban and rural areas continue to experience lengthy and frequent power and water cuts.

Brenda Barton
WFP/Rome
Tel: +39-06-65132602
Mobile: +39-347-258221
(ISDN line available)