Aid agencies advised to leave Kuito

The provincial government of Bie on Friday advised aid agencies working in Kuito to leave the area due to the deteriorating security situation. Relief workers told IRIN on Monday that the governor of Bie informed aid agencies last Friday that due to the worsening security situation, it would be advisable for them to remove non-essential staff from the town as a precautionary measure. Relief workers said the situation is desperate in Kuito following the closure of the airport after it suffered bombardment and heavy rains, making it inoperable. “Some aid agencies have already left Kuito while others are scaling down their personnel presence,” the sources said. The closure of the airport at the weekend, according to the relief workers, will lead to difficulty in transporting food to the people who need it in the province. “The roads are dangerous to transport food to people outside of Kuito as civilian convoys come under constant attack. “ The sources said in Kuito alone there are at least 55,000 people who depend on food supplies from aid agencies. Meanwhile, the BBC reported this morning that Issa Diallo, the UN special representative to Angola, said he is ready to leave Angola for good. Diallo’s move follows the expiry of the mandate of the UN’S Mission to Angola (MONUA).