Aid pipeline in danger, WFP

Relief efforts in Angola face disruption due to a lack of food aid, landmines and poor transport infrastructure, the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned. In its latest emergency update, WFP said: "Despite two new donor contributions, WFP Angola is still facing shortages in the key commodity, maize, from February. By March 2003, the cereal pipeline will break affecting food aid distribution around the country without further urgent donor contributions. Pipeline breaks for other commodities are expected from April." WFP spokesman in Luanda, Marcelo Spina-Hering, told IRIN that the agency had so far received pledges for 35 percent of its US $241 million appeal. "In order to avoid disruptions in March, contributions have to be made right now, we urgently need at least US $90 million to keep operations afloat until June. "If it happens that by the end of February/beginning of March we do not have any maize at all, it will affect more than 2 million beneficiaries," he said. WFP planned to brief representatives of major donors in Luanda on Thursday, "to put to them the seriousness of the situation". A break in the food aid pipeline was a "threat to the whole process here in Angola". Spina-Hering said Angola's peace process still "needs to be stabilised [and] the aid that will be given in 2003 will be very important to stabilising the peace process". Already WFP had had to ration its distributions. "We have had to cut a lot of things, only the most needy get distributions as normal. Maize is the main component of the food basket, with no maize [should there be a break in the pipeline] the nutritional standards [of distributions] will not be met," he added. Meanwhile, the WFP report also warned that the "two WFP special transport operations, upon which the Angolan humanitarian community relies, were also threatened by a lack of resources". Heavy rains were also hampering deliveries of food aid by air to several dirt airstrips including Mavinga, in the southern Kuando Kubango province, and Cuemba, in the central Bié province. Emergency repairs to the Mavinga airstrip had already begun, the agency said. While in the western Huambo province four damaged bridges were "putting distribution in jeopardy to another 100,000 people. All Family Reception Areas [quartering areas for relatives of former rebel soldiers] served by Huambo are either not accessible (Sambo) or with severe obstacles slowing down and endangering access (Chiteta, Menga, Lunge)," WFP added. A rapid assessment in Pambangala commune, in the western Kaunza Sul province, showed that the situation of the population was critical and that urgent food aid was needed. While registrations of beneficiaries had begun, a distribution partner for the area had not been found yet, WFP noted. Landmines have also added to the challenges faced by aid agencies in carrying out relief operations. "In Huambo province a mine incident and discovery of other mines along main roads have forced suspension of food distribution to 50,000 people. [While a] mine incident between Cujamba and Mavinga last week resulted in closure of several roads in Kuando Kubango. Access to about 10,000 beneficiaries has been cut off," WFP said. In Bié province, a truck returning from delivering a cargo of non-food items in Kuito hit an anti-tank mine on 7 December. "The driver regrettably died on the spot. The road has been closed for use by UN personnel. This is affecting distributions to beneficiaries in the Katchiungo area and a safe solution to access these people is urgently being sought," the agency added.