Humanitarian pipeline weak

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) warned in its latest situation report on Thursday that the WFP pipeline remained very weak with no new donor pledges received during the reporting period 10-17 May.

WFP said that between the 8 and 14 May it had transported 2,576 mt of food aid commodities and 279 mt of non-food items by air. It delivered a further 3,091 mt of food by road. “Of this amount 572 mt were delivered to the warehouses of WFP’s implementing partners in Luanda and Bengo Provinces and 2,564 mt was delivered in Malange, N’Dalatando, Sumbe and Donde.” In addition 129 mt of food was transported by rail.

In Huambo in the central highlands, WFP said, 30 Angolans arrived from Namibia on board an aircraft that had been chartered by the Angolan government. In addition, 115 other people arrived in city after fleeing insecurity in the countryside. It said that “continued insecurity” had been reported in the neighbouring municipality of Bailundo. WFP said there were 78,791 beneficiaries in Huambo Province.

According to WFP 247 new IDPs had been registered in Luena in Moxico Province.

It said that an inter-agency mission highlighted the plight of an estimated 91,320 people who had been negatively affected by a near total cereal crop failure in the municipality of Gambos in Huila Province.

“Reported insecurity along the railway line from Lubango to Matala is hampering food aid by rail,” WFP noted. there are over 147,000 beneficiaries in Huila Province.

In Kwanza Norte Province, a World Vision distribution for 1,904 IDPs in the outskirts of Zanza was not possible because, WFP said, because “beneficiaries feared outbreaks of insecurity if they attended the distribution”.

In the province of Cuando Cubango the security situation remained “very tense” and on 9 May the governor of the province recommended the temporary suspension of humanitarian activity in the area around Caiundo in the south of the province.