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afrol News, 23 June - According to the latest report on the food crisis among Liberian refugees in Côte d'Ivoire, malnutrition is now brought under control. The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Ivorian government have led a costly programme to take care of the growing influx of Liberians. According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), a total of 21,769 refugees have entered Côte d’Ivoire since May 2001, including 6,766 since early May 2002 when fighting renewed in Liberia's Bong county. WFP, in collaboration with Caritas, was assisting "all those who settle in Nicla refugee camp with food aid," the agency stated in its latest Emergency Reports. The Nicla camp - built in 1995, deep in the forest - is located at Guiglo, 516 km west of Abidjan. A Joint Food Assessment mission had been carried out by the Ivorian government, UNHCR and WFP earlier in June to evaluate the level of food security among the refugees in Nicla camp and the Danane transit centre. At Nicla camp, "beneficiaries expressed that they are satisfied with the organisation of the distributions," WFP reported. The UN agency says that the mortality rate in the camp is 0.03 per day per 10,000, well below the 1 per day per 10,000 which is seen as the threshold for an emergency. Birth-weight for new-borns was between 2.7 kg and 3.3 kg, well above the 2.5 kg which can be an indicator of malnutrition. - At the Danane transit centre, the moderate malnutrition rate is 7.8 percent with no cases of severe malnutrition, WFP reports. "The refugees receive 1-2 hot rice-based meals per day provided by UNHCR. Based on the recommendations of the mission, WFP will take over the feeding of the centre and provide a full daily ration for the 500 refugees." Most Liberian refugees living in the camps however do not receive food aid from WFP or Caritas. They share the soil resources with local inhabitants, growing their crops outside the camp. Sources: Based on WFP, UNHCR and afrol archives
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