New EU food relief

WFP said it had received a relief food shipment on Friday of 15,000 mt worth an estimated US $15 million from the European Union to assist hundreds of thousands of war victims in Angola. WFP said the consignment of maize arrives at “a very critical time” for the humanitarian situation in Angola, where security was deteriorating while the numbers of civilians in need of food aid was increasing. “Donors such as the European Union are the life blood that will enable WFP to sustain our efforts against the danger of malnutrition and starvation,” said Ronald Sibanda, WFP Representative in Angola. “This donation will cover over one month of maize rations for the 1,200,000 people currently registered to receive food from WFP.” He said donations to WFP in Angola had not yet reached 50 percent of estimated needs in the original appeal for the year 2000 launched seven month’s ago. In the meantime, the numbers of estimated beneficiaries are now climbing from the original projected number of 1,2 million per month to more than 1.5 during the next two months. “We need large donations immediately, otherwise we will run out of food by August,” Sibanda said. “Right now, we are already planning to distribute considerably below actual needs for June in an effort to stretch what we have as far as possible. Only the most vulnerable will receive food. Unfortunately, very soon many will become extremely vulnerable because they receive nothing, or next to nothing, and are not able to fend for themselves.” WFP’s revised budgetary needs in Angola for the year 2000 amount to approximately US $208 million. It has received less than US $100 million in food and cash so far. “We are confident that generous donors such as the EU will not let the hungry people of Angola fall into starvation,” he said. “Our donors know that innocent civilians should not be condemned to suffer for situations over which they have no control, and they will surely help us alleviate this critical situation before it deteriorates any further.”