OLS responds to MSF allegations

The Executive Directors of UNICEF and WFP together with the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator said today they were disappointed over MSF-France’s “inaccurate and unbalanced criticisms” of Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) and its efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan. In a joint statement, they said that in 1998, OLS members had worked to turn around famine and reduce malnutrition rates from a high of 45-50 percent to 10-15 percent in the most affected areas. “While many lives were lost because of war and resulting famine, it is important to recognise that hundreds of thousands of lives were saved,” they added. In a report released last week, MSF had accused OLS of responding slowly to last year’s famine and of failing to prevent the diversion of food. The joint UN statement said it would be “unrealistic” for OLS to cease functioning until a perfect system for access and distribution in Sudan was guaranteed. “The result may be better consciences for some, but for the people of southern Sudan, the inevitable result would be further loss of life,” the statement said. “The overriding imperative is to continue with the difficult but necessary humanitarian task, to negotiate with those who cause war on behalf of those who suffer from it - and, finally, to do our best to save innocent lives,” the statement said. 500,000 households to receive OLS seeds Fifteen OLS agencies have started distributing about 4,000 mt of seeds in southern Sudan with a view to fostering self-reliance and reducing dependence on food aid, UNICEF said. In a statement dated 28 February, UNICEF said the programme was targeting 500,000 households in Bahr al Ghazal, Upper Nile and Equatoria. UNICEF is providing 1,150 mt of seeds for the programme, it said. The seed planting season will begin in April.