New influx of displaced

A new influx of displaced people fleeing fighting in Angola has arrived in the northern city of Uige and the town of Matala in the southern province of Huila, a UN humanitarian official told IRIN on Thursday. Carlos Velosa of the UN Humanitarian Coordination Unit (UCAH) said at the end of last week around 1,500 displaced had arrived in Uige from the Negage area south of the city, and more were still arriving. He described them as in "very bad shape." Heavy fighting around Dongo, close to the former UNITA rebel southern base of Jamba, has caused a separate exodus of people west to Matala. Velosa explained that poor nutritional levels among the new arrivals was exacerbated by the limited supplies of food in the countryside until the next harvest. "The lean period starts now, and the critical months are November, December and January," the UCAH official said. He added that the situation continues to be "critical" in the three key besieged government-held towns of Huambo, kuito and Malanje.