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 25 November 2009
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WFP scales up assistance to displaced people in the Congos

25/11/2009

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up deliveries of food to feed thousands of people displaced by inter-ethnic violence around Dongo village in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Equateur Province.

DRC refugees

DRC refugees

WFP is currently assessing exact needs in localities around Dongo and is planning to start food distributions the second week of December, with stocks already in the country.

The agency is also delivering food to neighbouring Republic of Congo, where close to 40,000 fled at the end of October.

WFP spokesperson Emilia Casella says more than 20 trucks carrying over 450 metric tons of WFP food have arrived in Betou in the northern part of the country from the Central African Republic.

"As well we have provided 8,000 litres of fuel to facilitate humanitarian assistance and we have sent a cargo plane chartered by the World Food Programme in Brazzaville to deliver medical and other supplies for the World Health Organization, the UNFPA and UNICEF in Impfondo. We are also moving quickly to launch barge deliveries of food assistance along the Ubangi River."

Emilia Casella says this should be done by mid-December because the river will not be accessible to large barges due the rainy season.

The United Nations has sent missions to both sides of the river, which separates the two Congos, to assess the food needs of people, mainly women and children, who have been on the run for several weeks now.

Diane Bailey, United Nations Radio
(duration: 1'37")

Sound bites

Emilia Casella, WFP Spokesperson Cut 1

"As well we have provided 8,000 litres of fuel to facilitate humanitarian assistance and we have sent a cargo plane chartered by the World Food Programme in Brazzaville to deliver medical and other supplies for the World Health Organization, the UNFPA and UNICEF in Impfondo. We are also moving quickly to launch barge deliveries of food assistance along the Ubangi River."
Duration: 00:00:25

Emilia Casella, WFP Spokesperson Cut 2

"On the 30th of October more than 38,000 people from the Democratic Republic of Congo fled into neighbouring Republic of Congo after clashes. And some 14,000 people are also estimated to be internally displaced inside DRC and too scared to return to their villages. This was in and around Dongo village in DRC's Equateur province."
Duration: 00:00:26

Emilia Casella, WFP Spokesperson Cut 3

"In response the United Nations World Food Programme is scaling up deliveries to northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo and to the Republic of Congo next door to feed the people who have been displaced. Quite a number of things are actually going on to responD to this situation. In the DRC we are currently assessing exact needs around Dongo, and we are beginning to do distributions in the next coming days. In the republic of Congo already, a total of 23 trucks carrying 455 metric tons of food have arrived in Betou, in the northern the Republic of Congo from next door in the Central African Republic."
Duration: 00:00:42

Emilia Casella, WFP Spokesperson Cut 4

"And we really need to get that done by mid-December, because then the river will not be accessible to large barges due to the rainy season. In addition, we are also coordinating with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to start distributions in Likouala province of the Republic of Congo next week."
Duration: 00:00:22

Emilia Casella, WFP Spokesperson Cut 5

"We have been working hard to get food already to as many people as we can and have already done emergency distribution of 10 tons of rice to people in Betou district ON last Sunday, on 22 November. And we are going to be continuing, obviously to monitor this situation as it unfolds and continue providing assistance to really tens of thousands of people who are currently homeless due to the situation."
Duration: 00:00:25