An joint UN taskforce was installed to provide emergency aid for the victims of the ammunition blow-up at Dar Es Salaam last wednessday, wich destroyed nearly 5,000 homes in the Mbagal area, just north of Dar Es Salaam and left 3,750 households homeless.

Verwoestingen op 200 meter afstand van het munitiedepot in Mbagala

Sanitation
Immediately after the blast, the Tanzanian Red Cross provide some help, but they where not capable of helping evertybody. So they asked the Emergency Respons Unit from Unicef to help. According to Mr. Alhaji, coordinator of the Emergency Respons Unit of UNICEF, the next day, on April 30th, a team came to asses what kind of help was needed. The primary concern was sanitation.

Assesment
“In total we have provided 10 tents, 400 matrass and sheets, 200 mats, waterbuckets and 20 storage tanks,” Mr. Alhaji told Ger.nl. “We had another assement yesterday and that will be evaluated today, to see if more aid is necessary.

Taskforce
The aid was distributed bij a joint taskforce, which exists of UNICEF, UNHCR, The World Food Program and the International Red Cross. The taskforce is also working with the Prime Minister’s Office, to make sure that the aid goes to the right places.

Convoy
The last days there were transports form UNAMID, the UN mission to Darfur. Mr. Alhaji couldn’t tell why the were in Dar Es Salaam. According to a militairy spokesman in the Mbagala area, where Ger.nl reporters are working close to the explosion site, the convoy UNAMID was on its way to the harbour of Dar Es Salaam, to be transported to Darfur.