WFP distributes food aid to urban poor

As the political deadlock in Madagascar continues, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has stepped in to assist the urban poor.

WFP on Tuesday said it has started emergency food distribution to help feed 35,000 malnourished children in the capital, Antananarivo, and other major cities across the country

A WFP statement said: "In some areas, malnutrition levels among children under five have risen by up to 45 percent as a result of the crisis that has gripped the country following the presidential elections held in December 2001."

The food organisation will provide 350 mt of corn soya blend, "a highly nutritious mixture to make enough porridge to feed 18,000 children in Antananarivo, as well as 17,000 children in five other major cities across the country".

WFP's Country Director for Madagascar, Bodo Henze, said: "Emergency food relief is absolutely crucial at this stage if we want to prevent a tragedy. Even if political reconciliation is achieved in the short run, the effects of the crisis will be felt for months to come."

The road blocks put in place to isolate the newly declared president in Antananarivo have destroyed the economy and hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs. Aid agencies have warned of an impending humanitarian crisis as the price of essential commodities in the capital increases.

According to WFP, the cost of rice has risen by 375 percent, pushing it beyond the reach of many families.

"Further aggravating the precarious situation is the lack of fuel in the country, preventing the commercial flow of food items between provinces, and making it impossible for farmers to transport their products to existing markets," the WFP statement read.

Adding to the country's woes, Cyclone Kesiny passed over northern Madagascar in April, causing extensive damage and flooding to the island's main commercial port, Tamatave.

To assist victims of the unseasonable storms, WFP has launched a food-for-work programme.

"Initially, 15,000 people will receive food aid through these projects," said Henze. "But as we closely monitor the situation, it's possible we will have to increase significantly the number of families being helped."

Last year, the agency provided food aid assistance to 500,000 people in Madagascar, WFP said.

Also on Wednesday, in an apparent about-turn, President Marc Ravalomanana loaded his newly-appointed government with loyalists, excluding allies of his arch-rival, former president Didier Ratsiraka.

Ravalomanana on Monday had said that he was prepared to form a national government of unity, one of the key recommendations put forward by African mediators. The government, headed by Jacques Sylla, is Ravalomanana's third attempt since February to consolidate his political power on the Indian Ocean island.