Security, logistics hamper food relief in the south

In all, WFP delivered 6,692 mt of food relief to just under 616,000 beneficiaries in the southern sector of Sudan in June, with about 18 percent having been delivered by road from Lokichoggio, northern Kenya, and Koboko, northwestern Uganda, and the remainder by air from Lokichoggio, Koboko and El Obeid (Al-Ubayyid), central Sudan, the agency reported this week. The quantity delivered represented 61 percent of the volume recommended in the annual needs assessment, the shortfall resulting from technical problems with aircraft; government of Sudan flight restrictions; heavy rains making road deliveries difficult and some airstrips un-landable; low food availability in the northern sector for the southern sector; and increased aerial bombardment in areas around Aweil and Wau towns (in Bahr al-Ghazal), as well as other areas, which prevented food deliveries. In northern Bahr al-Ghazal alone, WFP could not access over 200,000 targeted beneficiaries because of insecurity, the agency’s monthly report for June reported.

In Eastern Equatoria, interventions in Kapoeta County were suspended (except for Natinga and Narus displaced people’s camps) due to food misappropriation in previous months, WFP stated. Food deliveries to Natinga and Narus were delayed because a section of the road from Lokichoggio was washed away. In Yirol, Bahr al-Ghazal, the agency had suspended interventions in Dor, following the looting of 89 mt of food and a subsequent threat to staff at gunpoint, it said. Some of the food was later recovered. About 61 percent of planned deliveries took place in Upper Nile and Jonglei during June, but 14 of 43 locations did not receive planned distributions as a result of heavy rains coupled with security incidents that rendered several locations in Latjor and Phou no-go operations for most of the month.

During June, WFP continued to deliver food to southern sector locations normally covered from the north, but it expected that the northern pipeline would improve sufficiently this month to resume airdrop flights from El Obeid in Northern Kordofan. The agency said it did not expect vegetable oil distributions or CSB (corn-soy blend) for southern Sudan until late September at the earliest, or salt in the near future, so that it was fortunate that the cereal and pulses pipelines were strong for the remainder of the year.