WFP needs $3 million for troubled northwest, official says

In an appeal to the international donor community, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says it needs US$3 million for its activities in the troubled north-western Central African Republic (CAR). "Most of the people in the region are having one meal a day and are resorting to wild roots and herbs to survive," Charles Dei, the agency's representative in the CAR, said at a news conference on Thursday in the capital, Bangui. Thousands of civilians have been displaced in the north-west province of Ouham and Ouham-Pende since late 2005 when attacks by armed groups began. More have been displaced in recent months after the nation's armed forces were deployed in the area to flush out the insurgents. Dei said WFP would use some of the additional funds to re-open an office in the central province of Kaga-Bandoro to be closer to the people in need of aid. He decried the fact that donor response to aid appeals by the UN and other agencies in the country had been poor, with only 30 percent of the requested funds being provided. Dei said this extra money would help to meet the immediate needs of people affected by fighting in the north-west. The money would also be used to rebuild bridges in the region and to hire lorries to transport the aid during the rainy season. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), at least 100 towns and villages are eligible for aid in the region. On Wednesday, the ICRC and the CAR Red Cross began a month-long aid distribution to the internally displaced in the north-western town of Markounda, Ouham province. The aid comprises non-food items such as buckets, soap, tarpaulins, mats and blankets. Dei said the food situation in the northwest was serious. He added that most of the people in need were women and children. Most of the displaced are living in the bush and urgently need food and medicine as they are exposed to malaria or water-borne diseases and malnutrition. Since unrest broke out in the north-west, thousands of civilians have been living in difficult conditions. Schools are not operating and most medical centres have closed. Farmers have abandoned the land due to escalating hostilities, creating more food shortages. An official of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in CAR, who requested anonymity, said at least 40,000 civilians had crossed the border to seek refuge in neighbouring Chad while 50,000 others had fled their homes and were internally displaced, living in fear of further attacks by the armed groups and members of the presidential guard who have been deployed in the area. jb/mw/js