US donation for food supply

The US government has confirmed a new contribution valued at about US $12.6 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) in Angola to support relief activities, a WFP spokeswoman told IRIN on Tuesday. According to Maria Flynn, the US contribution will be used to buy 4,200 mt of cooking oil and 10,800 mt of maize to distribute to nearly one million displaced Angolans who depend on food aid. Flynn added that the Canadian government has confirmed contributions valued at US $1.3 million. The Canadian contribution, said Flynn, will help purchase 1,600 mt of split peas. Said WFP: “Despite the recently confirmed contributions, the WFP food aid pipeline remains weak with only 42 percent of project requirements covered by confirmed donations.” WFP added that it plans to extend the current operation to next March. “This will put additional pressures on the existing pipeline but will allow sufficient time to incorporate transition strategies into the new project.” At the same time, WFP said it will distribute a total of 1.3 mt of relief food aid to Angolan refugees in the Osire camp in Namibia. The food aid, according to WFP, will benefit about 14,000 refugees per month at a cost of nearly US $700,000 in a new emergency operation expected to start in August and last until next January. WFP said about 1,120 new Angolan refugees arrived at the Osire camp in June, bringing the total number of registered refugees at the camp to approximately 11,950 as at 27 June.