UN AGENCY AIRLIFTS FOOD AID TO GEORGIA FOR CONFLICT VICTIMS

UN AGENCY AIRLIFTS FOOD AID TO GEORGIA FOR CONFLICT VICTIMS New York, Aug 13 2008 11:10AM Two cargo aircraft chartered by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) set off this morning for Tbilisi, Georgia, with 34 tons of high energy biscuits to assist thousands of people displaced by the recent conflict.

UN officials say some 100,000 people have been displaced since heavy fighting began last Thursday between Georgian and South Ossetian forces, with some having fled to other parts of the country while others to North Ossetia in Russia. Russian forces have become involved in South Ossetia, and in the separate region of Abkhazia in north-western Georgia, in recent days.

WFP <"http://www.wfp.org/english/?ModuleID=137&Key=2902">said two Antonov 12 aircraft departed from the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Brindisi, Italy. The biscuits will augment in-country food stocks which WFP started distributing over the weekend to thousands of people.

"The number of people in need of food assistance continues to escalate," said WFP Georgia Country Director Lola Castro, adding that more than 10,000 people were now registered as displaced.

Many of the displaced people have no access to cooking facilities, and the high energy
biscuits require no preparation.

WFP will distribute 2,300 rations today, with more planned for the following days. The agency has been providing 10-day food rations to more than 4,500 displaced people living in shelters in the capital, Tbilisi.

It has also identified bakeries near areas where internally displaced persons (IDPs) have concentrated, and the agency will supply wheat flour to make bread for distribution to the displaced.

In addition, WFP is coordinating food assistance and offering logistical support to other humanitarian organisations, drawing on capacity from its existing operation in the country.

Before the crisis erupted, WFP was providing food to more than 212,000 people, mainly poor rural communities, as well as primary schoolchildren, tuberculosis patients and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Yesterday a humanitarian airlift – chartered by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – arrived in Georgia, bringing 34 tons of tents, jerry cans, blankets and kitchen sets for those in need. A second UNHCR flight is scheduled for today.
2008-08-13 00:00:00.000

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