Having destroyed Gaza's airport and prevented its port from operating, Israel only permits goods to enter the Gaza Strip through the Karni crossing. On April 1st the UN Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stopped distributing emergency food aid to some 600,000 refugees in the Gaza Strip as a result of restrictions introduced by Israeli authorities at Karni. Stocks of rice, flour, cooking oil and other essential foodstuffs that UNRWA provides to refugees reduced to poverty - or otherwise affected by a humanitarian crisis now in its 42nd month - have run out.
Under normal circumstances, UNRWA delivers some 250 tons of food aid per day in Gaza alone as part of a wider programme of emergency assistance to refugees, initiated shortly after the outbreak of the current intifada in September 2000. Since then, the Gaza Strip has been locked into a deep socio-economic crisis resulting from the prolonged closure of its border with Israel and the destruction of thousands of homes, agricultural land and manufacturing facilities.
In March UNRWA joined six other UN agencies in an appeal to the Government of Israel to loosen restrictions on the import of food and other humanitarian materials into Gaza. This has been ignored by the Sharon government. UNRWA Commissioner-General Peter Hansen has warned that "If the new restrictions in Gaza continue, I fear we could see real hunger emerge for the first time in two generations. Israel's legitimate, and serious, security concerns will not be served by hindering the emergency relief work of the United Nations".
UNRWA's suspension of food distribution in Gaza follows the November 2003 decision of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to end humanitarian assistance in the West Bank. The ICRC noted Israel is in violation of its obligation under the Fourth Geneva Convention to ensure that the population of territories it occupies has sufficient access to food, water, health services and education. (1)
For more information on UNRWA's work, contact Sami Mshasha', the Agency's Media and Communications Officer, email: wbpio@unrwa.org
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The Camp Management Project (bringing together the International Rescue Committee, the Danish and Norwegian Refugee Councils, UNHCR and OCHA's Internal Displacement Unit) (1) has completed the second draft of the Camp Management Toolkit. Development of the Toolkit is ongoing and we welcome feedback and suggestions for improvements from a wide audience. We are particularly interested in receiving additional tools and information on best practices from the field.
The Camp Management Toolkit addresses the technical and the administrative as well as the social aspects of camp management. The Toolkit focuses specifically on individual camp managers, management teams and camp management agencies. The Toolkit does not set out to replace specialised manuals relating to protection, water and sanitation or education but to promote a better understanding of the main issues and constraints from a camp management perspective. It should also promote positive cooperation between the camp management and the different agencies designated with sector responsibility in the running of a camp. If specialised agencies are not on the ground, the Toolkit should allow camp managers to understand each sector and advocate for proper coverage.
We hope that the Toolkit will always be available in camps. All actors involved in the running of the camp should have access to it - not only the camp management team, but also sector/specialised agencies, camp resident representatives, local authorities, police and. most importantly of all, the camp residents themselves. Agencies charged with camp management have a responsibility to train staff on using the Toolkit.
To access the toolkit, and for support on training activities, visit the site of the Camp Management Project www.nrc.no/camp or email Nina M Birkeland at: camp@nrc.no
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A little-reported conflict pitting rebels against government forces and militia groups in the Darfur region of western Sudan has created an enormous humanitarian crisis that has spilled over into neighbouring Chad. Two rebel groups - the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEMA) - accuse the Khartoum government of encouraging the Janjaweed tribe to commit ethnic cleansing. Civilians in Darfur are being subjected to indiscriminate violence and forced displacement on a massive scale.
In a region where cross-border ethnic solidarity is a more powerful force than nationality, 135,000 Sudanese refugees have crossed the 1,350 km-long Chadian border. With world attention focused on the tortuous pace of peace talks between the Khartoum government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the needs of Darfurian refugees and the estimated 700,000 IDPs seeking shelter in urban areas have been largely ignored. Poor security and Sudanese government-imposed travel restrictions have prevented humanitarian agencies from reaching those most in need of protection and assistance.
The humanitarian situation may get worse during the traditional 'hunger gap' in the months preceding harvest time. The start of the rainy season in May will increase the logistical difficulties of reaching vulnerable populations in remote areas of Darfur and Chad.
For further information on the Darfur crisis, see: www.odi.org.uk/hpg/papers/HPGBriefingNote3.pdf and visit Relief Web www.reliefweb.int