SECRETARY-GENERAL LAUNCHES EMERGENCY APPEAL FOR GREAT LAKES REGION
Press Release
SG/SM/6109
IHA/610
SECRETARY-GENERAL LAUNCHES EMERGENCY APPEAL FOR GREAT LAKES REGION
19961118 Following is the Statement of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on the launch of the United Nations Consolidated Inter-Agency Flash Appeal for the Great Lakes region in response to the crisis in eastern Zaire, in New York, 18 November:I am here today to launch the United Nations humanitarian appeal in response to the crisis in eastern Zaire. We are confronted with a very serious emergency. The situation in eastern Zaire is extremely volatile. Some hope has been sparked in the last few days by the return of almost 400,000 refugees from the Goma area to Rwanda. Another 100,000 persons from the Bukavu region are also reported to be moving towards Goma and hopefully on to Rwanda.
Our priorities must be to support Rwanda in its efforts to reintegrate the returnees. This will encourage others to head home. At the same time, we must continue to provide urgent support for the refugees and returnees in Zaire. I have received graphic reports of massacres, of mass starvation, of women forced to abandon their children, and of refugees uprooting trees to suck the moisture from the roots in a desperate struggle to survive. Most recently, I have learned of the outbreak of life-threatening diseases. Hundreds of thousands of lives are now at stake.
Conflict has led to the dispersal of more than 1.25 million refugees in a matter of a few weeks. This mass movement of people within and across the borders of Zaire, Rwanda and Burundi, as well as of other neighbouring countries, underscores the regional dimension of this humanitarian crisis. At present there are also 250,000 internally displaced persons in Zaire and another 500,000 conflict-affected Zaïrians.
The Appeal I am launching calls for $259.3 million in emergency assistance for three months -- from 1 November 1996 to 31 January 1997. It was prepared in collaboration with all United Nations agencies and non- governmental organizations that are operational in the region. I urge all Governments to respond to this Appeal generously and without delay.
Within the context of the Flash Appeal, the most pressing needs of refugees, displaced refugees, internally displaced persons and others affected by the conflict will be addressed. As this tragic drama continues to unfold, the full magnitude of human suffering is still to be fully assessed. But according to current estimates, some 500,000 persons are now scattered in the region, deprived of food, water, medicine or shelter.
The causes of the present crisis in eastern Zaire are political. A solution can be arrived at only through dialogue and reconciliation among all concerned. I have conveyed my concerns over the gravity of the situation to the Security Council on repeated occasions. Last month, I sent Assistant- Secretary-General Ibrahima Fall to the region to urge all parties to avert conflict and prevent a humanitarian tragedy. I have now appointed Ambassador Raymond Chrétien as my Special Envoy to undertake urgent negotiations with all parties to defuse the crisis. Mr. Chrétien is currently in the area to negotiate a cease-fire and to facilitate access for humanitarian organizations. In consultation with humanitarian agencies, I have also appointed the Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, Sergio Vieira de Mello, as the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Great Lakes region. His task is to ensure that the most effective and comprehensive humanitarian programme is in place.
Last Friday, the Security Council adopted a resolution authorizing the deployment of a multinational force to the conflict-affected areas in eastern Zaire. This Force will enable the immediate return of humanitarian organizations to the area and the efficient delivery of humanitarian aid. The deployment of the multinational force is also expected to facilitate the voluntary and orderly repatriation of refugees, as well as the voluntary return of displaced persons. I congratulate Canada for taking the initiative to lead this mission. I also thank those Governments that have indicated their willingness to participate in such a vital humanitarian endeavour.
The Appeal I am launching today is an emergency interim measure. It is based on projects prepared by the United Nations and other concerned organizations. These activities must be well-coordinated if they are to be effective. For this reason, the appeal also focuses on the strengthening of coordination arrangements. These arrangements must also include mechanisms for working with the multinational force.
The Appeal places emphasis on life-preserving activities for refugees and returnees in Zaire, as well as for those seeking shelter in neighbouring countries. The assistance sought from the international community will be used to supply emergency food aid and to provide for services in the areas of water, sanitation, health, shelter and other non-food areas.
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Programmes to support reception and reintegration activities for refugees in Rwanda and for new arrivals in Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi will be provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The International Organization for Migration will provide transport, return and resettlement assistance to refugees. The World Food Programme (WFP) will be responsible for providing general rations and supplementary feeding programmes, and will facilitate transport and logistics for food supplies into some of the most hard-to-reach regions of the African continent.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will concentrate on the basic needs of the most vulnerable -- mainly women and children. The World Health Organization (WHO) needs support for the provision of medicines, vaccines and hospital equipment. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is examining food security and will provide contingency support for the mass return of refugees from eastern Zaire into Rwanda and Burundi.
The Centre for Human Rights and the United Nations Volunteers have included activities designed to protect and restore confidence among refugees seeking voluntarily to return to their countries of origin. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will focus on national capacity- building, the justice system and rehabilitation. This relief effort could not proceed without the invaluable participation of the non-governmental organizations, who, as implementing partners of United Nations agencies, will shoulder a tremendous burden. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has also indicated its requirements, which are annexed to the Appeal.
A significant number of refugees are now returning to Rwanda. To ensure that such repatriation takes place in conditions of safety and dignity, the assistance of the Human Rights Field Operation in Rwanda is of paramount importance. The High Commissioner for Human Rights has prepared a separate appeal, which is also before you today.
The urgency of these two appeals cannot be overstated. We cannot allow the mass suffering that has afflicted the Great Lakes Region for the better part of this decade to continue. Concerted political efforts to seek longer- term solutions to the crisis are under way. But lives are at stake right now. I urge all Governments to give this Appeal their immediate attention and support to allow the humanitarian agencies concerned to continue their vital work and to ensure the success of this mission.
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