Poor rains worsen food security

The late arrival of seasonal rains in Angola could further undermine food security in a country where humanitarian operations are already stretched to the limit.

The lack of rain and the delayed delivery of agricultural inputs has meant that in some areas people have been forced to eat seeds and prematurely harvest crops to avoid theft, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest monthly analysis.

OCHA listed seven provinces as facing particular problems - Benguela, Bie, Kuanza Norte, Kuanza Sul, Malanje, Moxico and Uige.

In the eastern province of Moxico, where there has been intense military activity in recent months, OCHA said that late delivery of seeds and early consumption by beneficiaries may result in a 50 percent loss of the maize harvest in Luena, the overcrowded provincial capital.

During January, the World Food Programme (WFP) planned to provide food assistance to more than 875,500 people in 17 out of the country's 18 provinces. The number of targeted beneficiaries has increased due to the onset of the lean season. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has continued to provide food assistance to approximately 28,000 persons in Huambo.

Across Angola during January, more than 49,400 people were displaced "as a result of guerrilla activities and counter-insurgency operations". That brings the total number of people reportedly displaced since the resumption of hostilities in January 1998 between the government and UNITA rebels to approximately 3.59 million, OCHA said.

According to the report, the most significant displacements continued to occur in Bié Province, where approximately 15,400 IDPs [internally displaced persons] entered Kuito, Camacupa and Cunhinga as a result of ongoing military operations in the northern areas of the province and along the borders with Huambo and Moxico provinces.

New arrivals sought shelter in over-crowded camps, reception centres, school buildings and food distribution points. In January, an estimated 21,500 new IDPs in Kuito, Camacupa and Cunhinga remained unregistered and without assistance. Large influxes of IDPs were also registered in Lunda Sul, Moxico, Benguela and Huíla Provinces.