ICRC cites further displacements in central highlands

Sporadic clashes in Angola's central highlands have forced more and more people to flee their homes, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported this week.

In a statement, ICRC said that since the beginning of the year, it had been distributing food aid mainly comprising maize flour, beans, oil and salt to more than 300,000 local residents and displaced persons living on the outskirts of the country's second city, Huambo.

"During this period sporadic clashes in the central highlands have led to a significant increase in the number of beneficiaries," it said. "The coming harvest is expected to be poor, owing mainly to a lack of fertilizer and to the fact that the area under cultivation has been reduced for security
reasons."

From early April to late May the ICRC said it would be assisting special groups such as hospital patients, the disabled, people living in centres for the displaced and in high-risk areas, and those taking part in rehabilitation work.

In the neighbouring city of Kuito, the ICRC said it was distributing daily 85,000 litres of drinking water to 30,000 displaced persons living in three camps.

"These people are among the 114,000 villagers who have fled the combat zones and are now living in 23 camps around the city," it said. "With each distribution, the ICRC holds information sessions meant to give the beneficiaries some basic notions of hygiene and thus reduce the danger of disease and epidemics."