Libya opens humanitarian corridor for WFP food aid into Sudan

TRIPOLI, July 15, 2004 (dpa) — Libya will allow the safe passage of food aid and other humanitarian supplies from the United States and other countries destined to Sudan and Chad, the World Food Program (WFP) announced Thursday.

In what was described as a “landmark deal”, the United Nation’s agency and the Libyan government have signed an agreement establishing a corridor through which aid can be transported, either by air, water or road.

WFP says it is currently engaged in delivering life-saving assistance to 1.2 million people displaced by conflict in western Sudan’s Darfur region and some 175,000 who have fled to eastern Chad.

The first shipment of 450 metric tons of wheat flour from Switzerland is expected to arrive in the Libyan port of Benghazi in early August, WFP said.

“The Libyan corridor provides a vital link to the refugees and internally displaced population which allows us to dramatically increase the amount of food aid we can deliver,” WFO Deputy Executive Director John Powell said.

“It also has great potential for providing food more efficiently to cope with other emergencies in Central Africa,” Powell added.