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News Release
SIERRA LEONE : WFP ALMOST RUNNING OUT OF FOOD IN FREETOWN
Abidjan, 19 September 1997 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned today that its food stocks have almost run out in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, where in the last three months armed men have looted an estimated 3,000 metric tons of relief food -- enough to feed 250,000 people for one month.
In Freetown, WFP has only 58 tons of lentils in its stores which are now virtually under the control of elements of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), which has ruled Sierra Leone since the coup. WFP food stocks in the country stand currently at less than 2,500 tons -- enough to feed 200,000 persons for one month. But due to the insecurity hampering the movement of vehicles on the main roads to the Sierra Leonean capital, the World Food Programme cannot rely on its food stocks up country to replenish its stocks in Freetown.
"Unless food aid is rapidly delivered to Freetown, WFP will be forced to cease all food distribution to vulnerable people and internally displaced persons to whom it is providing a vital assistance" said Paul ArËs, WFP Regional Manager for the coastal area of West Africa. "In the current situation, the only and safest means to replenish our food stocks is to launch a cross-border operation from neighbouring Guinea".
After the coup, WFP has diverted food originally destined for Sierra Leone to Conakry (Guinea) and San Pedro (CÙte d'Ivoire) to create a regional buffer stock for priority use in Sierra Leone. There are currently 5,000 tons of various food commodities in Conakry earmarked for Sierra Leone.
There are increasing reports of malnutrition throughout Sierra Leone in particular among children, while the purchasing power of the population has decreased substantially. Since the coup, the prices of basic food commodities have doubled, in some case tripled. Fuel is still available in small quantities and electricity supplies are intermittent in Freetown.
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The Sierra Leonean capital and its surroundings are hosting more than 60,000 internally displaced persons depending entirely on food aid distributed by the World Food Programme and international NGOs. The fighting and the insecurity in Freetown has cut off tens of thousands persons from relief food especially near the Lungi area scene of violent clashes between ARFC forces and Ecomog troops.
In the north of the country, the district of Kambia is hosting more than 35,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) with Kambia town alone having about 10,000 IDPs. The increased population coupled with the economic blockade has brought about increased social and economic hardship in the district.
However Kambia district remains relatively peaceful and calm. Most communities are busy with farming activities like weeding of upland rice plots, transplanting of swamp rice and harvesting and drying of groundnuts and early millet.
For more information, contact:
Paul Ares
WFP Regional Manager Tel. (225) 22 20 58 or 21 17 09
Wagdi Othman
WFP Regional Information Officer Tel. (226) 30 60 77 or 30 84 21
[Via the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs Integrated Regional Information Network for West Africa (IRIN-WA) Reports mailing list. The material contained in this communication may not necessarily reflect the views of the UN or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts from this report should be attributed to the original sources where appropriate. For further information: e-mail irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci, Tel: +225 217367 Fax: +225 216335.]
Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19970919123008.0078dfc0@pop.africaonline.co.ci> Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 12:30:08 +0100 From: UN DHA IRIN - West Africa <irin-wa@africaonline.co.ci> Subject: Sierra Leone: WFP almost running out of food in Freetown 97.9.19
Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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