Search
  1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Angola
  • News

WFP flights to Kuito not suspended

    JOHANNESBURG

    The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday it had not suspended aid flights to the Angolan city of Kuito, about 560 km southeast of Luanda, but the number of flights using the damaged runway had been cut.

    Ronald Sibanda, WFP representative in Luanda, responding to media reports last week alleging a suspension, told IRIN that Kuito airport was open, but there were "restrictions on the number of food aid flights". "This averages up to four flights a day, compared to some 10 daily flights that are
    required to feed over 200,000 people," Sibanda said.

    Kuito's runway is urgently in need of rehabilitation. WFP forecasts that it can only deliver 40 percent of food requirements, or 1,200 mt, in April. Sibanda said that WFP was engaged in "constructive dialogue" with the authorities to "ensure minimal flights continue in order to target the more
    vulnerable groups of beneficiaries" while maintenance is carried out on the badly potholed runway. He added that WFP was continuing to explore more "practical options for delivery".

    Sibanda said that rehabilitation work on Kuito's airport was expected after the rains, possibly during May.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join