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WFP to Scale Down Operations?

The Inquirer (Monrovia)
NEWS
October 9, 2004
Posted to the web October 11, 2004

By Melissa Chea-Annan
Monrovia
Reports reaching this paper say the World Food Program is facing a serious
resource shortfall for Liberia, and if nothing is urgently done by their donors
to arrest the situation, WFP will be forced to scale back its operations in
Liberia beginning October.
Addressing the press on Wednesday at the UNMIL Headquarters in Congo Town, WFP
Representative in Liberia, Mr. Justin Bagirishya said the food situation in
Liberia is worrisome and WFP will be forced to scale back its operations in
Liberia as soon as October 2004, if no new contributions are received soon.
According to him, an immediate cash resources of US$6.6 million are required to
purchase 10,461 Mt of food to avoid a critical pipeline break in October and
December 2004. He observed that this would be a serious setback, particularly
as an important number of returnees are expected to start arriving in October.
WFP is currently working to distribute 7,800 tons of food in Liberia monthly to
nearly three-quarters of a million women, children, displaced persons,
refugees, returnees, and people living with HIV/AIDS.
Mr. Bagirishya indicated that WFP is planning to feed 650,000 persons in
December 2004, and that any further reduction of rations might cause serious
instability in the IDP camps, which would undermine the country's delicate
transition to stability.

   

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