Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kinshasa (Fides Service) - United Nations World Food Programme WFP has completed a first food airlift in Katanga province in south east Democratic Congo to about 34,700 refugees but warns that due to shortage of funds it is unable to reach many more people in need. “We are pleased to say that we have successfully completed this first food airlift in Democratic Congo - said Felix Bamezon, head of WFP in the country -. But we are not satisfied. We have to reach more people in the months ahead especially in northern Kivu”. Although more expensive WFP chose air aid because the rain season, the growing cost of land transport and insecurity render difficult the use of roads. Food aid trucks took eight weeks to reach places of distribution from the capital of the province of Lubumbashi.
NGOs taking part in the UN programme completed the distribution of cereals, oil and salt to more than 8,750 people at Sampwe. Distribution of air food aid will continue in the next few days to 9,972 people at Mitwaba and 16.000 people at Dubie. North Kivu has been devastated by war since 1993. The eruption of a volcano in 2002 made the situation in the province still more serious. WFP plans to assist refugee children without food, former child soldiers, victims of sexual abuse and more than 30,500 school children in the province. Operations of humanitarian organisations and NGOs are all the more difficult because of the size of the territory, the lack of security in the east and lack of funds. (R.F.) (Agenzia Fides 10/5/2006 - righe 33, parole 386).
