CRS to take lead in transport and distribution of food

As part of the contingency planning by the humanitarian agencies in Ghana in relation to the Cote d'Ivoire crisis, the Catholic Relief Services-Ghana (CRS/Ghana) has been asked to play a lead role in transporting and distributing food to transit and reception centres. In a situation report issued early January, CRS said the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP) had identified reception and transit centres along the Ghana-Cote d'Ivoire border in preparation in case of an influx from the Ivorian side. Some nine reception centres had been identified: Essikpon, Jewi Wharf, Elubo and Oseikojokrom in the western region; Kofi Badukrom, Gonnokorum and Sampa in the central Brong-Ahafo region. In the northern region Chache was identified and in the Greater Accra Region, Tema port, which could help in the case transportation by sea. The idea is to quickly get people screened and registered and onto their next location. For returnees - non Ivorians returning to their home or origin - there will hopefully be onward transport, CRS said. There will be three transit centres in which to conduct the bulk of the refugee services, CRS said, adding that these would be in Bole in the northern region, Menzezor in the western region and Wamfie in Brong-Ahafo region. It noted that there would be warehouse facilities in each transit centre for CRS/Ghana and the National Catholic Secretariat to be operating out of in order to make the distributions. As of 3 January, the Ghanaian government had approved the Bole and Wamfie sites while the western region site was still under discussion. An assessment mission to the transit and reception centres by CRS and NRS noted that people from Cote d'Ivoire particularly from the eastern Bouna arrived at the Chache immigration desk everyday because the situation was considered unstable in the north, especially in the central town of Bouake. Most of the refugees cross into Ghana's northern corridor as a way to transit to southern Cote d'Ivoire, it said. It is estimated that approximately 20 to 30 Ivorians passed through the Chache desk daily. Ghana's southwestern town of Elubo has become the main transit point for thousands returning to their country of origin. Transport of various nationals by buses have been organised by their respective embassies. Busloads of Burkina Faso nationals, Malians, Nigerians, Beninois, and those from Niger have passed through this point, CRS said. It noted that while Elubo had seen the most traffic of refugees passing through on a daily basis, it had not needed to establish a permanent refugee camp "at this time". Immigration authorities had recorded a minimum of 26,800 people crossing the Elubo immigration border since the crisis began in Cote d'Ivoire on 19 September. The mission recommended in the short term that maize, beans, oil, salt and charcoal be distributed to some 284 refugees in Bole camp. While CRS was prepared to distribute food for up to three months, it decided to distribute food for a month after which it would reassess the situation. It also decide to provide a one-time food distribution consisting of maize, oil and beans to Elubo parish. A training of food distribution volunteers from Bole, Berekum and Elubo was also in the pipeline so they can be involved in emergency response in food distribution according to CRS/Ghana's policies.