Disagreement over degree of emergency in Bumbuna

Humanitarian and relief bodies agree that people in the northern area of Bumbuna still need assistance but appear to differ on the extent of the crisis. In its situation report for 14-21 November, UNICEF said reports from Bumbuna “suggest a looming humanitarian crisis”. It said more than 8,000 people had streamed into the area over the last three months. An official in the WFP country office, which is active in the area of up to 25,000 inhabitants, agreed with the estimate of the number of new IDPs. He said, however: “We want to totally disagree that there is a looming crisis.” WFP said it had been running a therapeutic and supplementary feeding programme for families in the area for the past six months. UNICEF said MSF Belgium had also been running a clinic in the area but this did not meet the growing demand of IDPs. Bumbuna is a government-held enclave within rebel territory.