The World Food Program continues to provide assistance to internally displaced people living in aid camps and communities across Darfur.
This is according to Challis McDonough, WFP senior spokeswoman for east, central and southern Africa, who dismissed some reports that the U.N. program has withdrawn from the Zam Zam camps and several communities in South Darfur.
“WFP continues conducting regular food distributions to displaced people in the Zam Zam camps,” McDonough told Devex on June 25. “We distributed food rations to nearly 110,000 displaced people in the Zam Zam camps in April and May, and the June round of distributions in the Zam Zam camps began today.”
Meanwhile, a four-month long seasonal food ration program for the communities of Mershing, Manaoshi and Duma in South Darfur is set to start June 26, McDonough said. She noted that WFP transitioned from year-round food rations to seasonal food assistance in these areas in 2009. The last seasonal distribution was in October 2011.
McDonough explained further that WFP has shifted “30 percent of its operations in Darfur from relief to early recovery” over the past three years. In addition, WFP is supporting efforts to fight malnutrition, boost resilience and improve overall food security in Darfur, McDonough said.
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About the author
Ivy Mungcal
As former senior staff writer, Ivy Mungcal contributed to several Devex publications. Her focus is on breaking news, and in particular on global aid reform and trends in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Before joining Devex in 2009, Ivy produced specialized content for U.S. and U.K.-based business websites.
