WFP resumes food distribution in Lakes and Jonglei states

May 14, 2011 (JUBA) – The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has, after nearly a month of suspending its operations, officially resumed distribution of food rations to the population in Lakes and Jonglei states of South Sudan.

The organisation’s decision to halt normal operations in the two states followed an incident in which Santino Pigga Alex Wani, WFP’s senior programme assistant was killed by unknown assailants. The incident occurred in Duk county, located about 180km north of Jonglei state capital, Bor on 27 April 2011.

In Lakes state, the aid agency’s operations were suspended when a truck was reportedly seized by members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). The same truck was later found empty and abandoned in a neighbouring state.

In a statement issued on Friday, WFP said it will renew food distribution in both states after it reportedly received assurances from local authorities of protection from any form of insecurity. An estimated 240,000 people will, as a result, receive food rations, courtesy of WFP.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune from Sudan’s capital Khartoum, Amor Almagro, WFP’s public information officer said the organisation resumed its normal operations after a safety assurance was given by the joint security assessment team of the UN, working in collaboration with state authorities.

“It is true we resumed our normal operations of distributing food rations to the population in Lakes and Jonglei states. But this was after our joint assessment team had informed us that the security situation was back to normal,” Almagro said.

Leo Van der Velden, the head of WFP’s Southern Sudan office, lauded officials from Southern Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC) and the Lakes state governor for their efforts towards addressing insecurity in the regions.

The aid agency, he said, is “very pleased with the positive response we received from the Southern Sudan Rehabilitation Commission and State Governor [of Lakes], who assured us that no commandeering will be allowed to take place in his state.”

WFP, the world’s leading humanitarian agency is reportedly providing food assistance to 1.5 million people in southern Sudan, assisting returnees to the south, and helping communities to recover from decades of instability and conflict.

(ST)