Food pipeline guaranteed until February

Angola's food pipeline has been secured until around mid-February next year, thanks to late donations, WFP spokesperson Cristina Muller told IRIN on Monday. Early in September WFP appealed to donors, warning that without further supplies, its food pipeline would dry up by the end of the year. "It's a lot better at the moment. Right after issuing the appeal we received 80,000 mt of maize from the US government and this week we received another US $1 million - half in cash and half in vegetable oil. So right now this pretty much guarantees the pipeline until mid or end of February," Muller said. She added, however, that there might be a sugar shortage by the end of December. WFP, through various programmes, feeds about 1.2 of Angola's approximately 12 million people each year. Muller said even though food security for the next four months or so was expected to be stable, WFP still needed pledges to keep those affected by the war from starving. For example, she said, earlier on Monday morning a suspected rebel attack in the northern province of Uige had sent about 700 internally displaced people, and many other residents, fleeing into the capital city of the same name. The attack was bound to affect the community's food security, Muller said, as many peasants would be scared to till their fields in fear of more attacks. According to a BBC report, UNITA rebels attacked Uige city at about 03H00 local time before being driven out by Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) fighters. This was the latest in a series of attacks on towns UNITA considered important in the north of the country, the report said. It added that civilians and UNITA soldiers were among those killed and quoted witnesses as saying that soldiers arrived firing mortars and automatic weapons, and detonating grenades. They got as far as the centre of the city before being driven back. This was the second time the city was attacked since June. Meanwhile, WFP said in its latest emergency report released on Friday that security remained unstable in the provinces of Bengo, Huila, Cuando Cubango, Luanda, Lunda Sul, Malange, Uige in the past week. However, there had been a reported improvement in Huambo, Malange and Lobito, the report said. It said an attack on an electrical station 8 km from the centre of Luanda last week had resulted in 20 deaths, while security remained precarious around Camacupa, in Bie province, because of an attack near a bridge over the Conzo river. "In addition, intensive military movements were reported in areas to the north and east, causing fresh displacements to Kuito and the surrounding towns, where 832 new IDPs were registered in five camps between 27 September and 7 October. In total, 70,381 persons received 850 mt of WFP food commodities during the week in Bie province," the report said. Tuesday is World Food Day. For more information please see: http://www.fao.org/wfd/default.asp?lang=en Also see the FAO's latest annual food insecurity report http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/y1500e/y1500e00.htm