Unmet humanitarian needs in northwest

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the government and UNFPA in northwest Rwanda’s displaced camps in December/January found that 53 percent of the population was under 15 years old and children in charge of households were estimated to be 4.5 percent. Most of the northwest camps have since been dismantled and more than 94 percent of the estimated 508,626 displaced persons have been resettled through the government’s grouped settlement programme.

While conditions in the northwest settlements are slightly better than in the camps, the population remains displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance, aid agencies said. In response to the joint UN appeal for the northwest covering the period December-May, donors had contributed about 58 percent of the US $37.9 million requested. Priority outstanding needs were in the areas of health and nutrition, agriculture, and water and sanitation.