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afrol News, 5 June - Faced with a new and sudden influx of thousands of severely malnourished war displaced persons arriving in Angola's central highland township of Camacupa in the war-ravaged Bié province, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) over the weekend began general food distribution to families in the area. - Urgent distribution of food started for children some three weeks ago, but security constraints delayed more comprehensive assistance, the WFP reports in statement from Luanda. "With the general distribution, WFP will now be able to reach 7,292 newly displaced persons in the Camacupa area." This number adds to the 2,572 children already being fed by WFP through a Caritas "Community Kitchen", 1,226 severely malnourished children in Supplementary Feeding Centers run by Medicins Sans Frontières (Belgium) and another 735 families who receive family rations. The majority of the over 7,000 new internally displaced persons have traveled 70 kilometers on foot to reach Camacupa - located 700 kilometers from the Angolan capital, Luanda - from Cuemba and other municipalities. At least 60 new arrivals are registered in the camps each day. - People are displaced by the war, which keeps them from their normal economic activities, said Giancarlo Stopponi, head of programmes for WFP in Angola. "They are arriving in a state of extreme vulnerability, with many already suffering from advanced malnutrition." The situation came to a head at the end of May, but WFP has been providing food supplies to Camacupa through kitchens run by Catholic non-governmental organization Caritas since September of last year. Additional kitchens were opened in the Cuemba camp for the new internally displaced people. Another 1,200 moderately malnourished children are being fed with corn soya blend, vegetable oil and sugar in supplementary feeding centers (SFCs) run by Médicins sans Frontièrs-Belgium (MSF-B) in Camacupa and supported by WFP. Over 734 families of malnourished children have received family rations. - All severe cases of malnutrition are being transported to the province capital, Kuito; so far over 600 children have been admitted to therapeutic centers, where they receive commodities provided by WFP, the UN agency reports. General food distribution in Camacupa is being carried out by the US-based non-governmental organization CARE International. All the food aid is airlifted through Kuito airport. However, the runway in Kuito airport is in a state of advanced disrepair, limiting the amount of food that can be flown in. WFP has been in operation in Angola since 1989, its programmes currently feed and assist over 1 million people in this war-ravaged sub-saharan African nation.
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