DR CONGO / FOOD DROP

The World Food Programme has airdropped more than 500 Metric tons of food into Dungu, in the North-Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since mid-May to reach more than 130,000 displaced people and their host families cut off by heavy seasonal rains. WFP

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:59
• Production Date: 12 June 2009
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME - WFP
• Subject Topical: NUTRITION; HUMANITARIAN RELIEF; REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
• MAMS Id: U090612h

Description

STORY: WFP / AIRDROP CONGO
TRT: 1.59
SOURCE: WFP
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 26 MAY 2009 / 24-25 APRIL 2009, NORTHEASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Shotlist

26 MAY 2009, BAMUKANDI VILLAGE (5KMS FROM DUNGU), HAUT-UELE, NORTHEASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

1. Various shots, huts burned by recent attacks from armed men from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
2. Various shots, people who are still in the village.

26 MAY 2009

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephanie Savariaud, WFP spokesperson:
“We have been doing an emergency intervention in these areas since last November when the firsts attacks from the Lord Resistance Army against the population started. But because of the seasonal rains we couldn’t deliver food anymore by trucks, by road, so we really had to drop food to this area to make sure people get the life-saving food they need.”

26 MAY 2009, DUNGU, NORTHEASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

4. Various shots, WFP plane flying low and dropping WFP food bags
5. Various shots, view from the plane of the bags been dropped
6. Various shots, WFP staff collecting bags on the ground

24 APRIL 2009, DUNGU, NORTHEASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

7. Various shots, WFP food distribution to displaced people after attacks by Lord Resistance Army
8. Various shots, food distribution
9. Various shots, MONUC soldiers at food distribution

25 APRIL 2009, DON BOSCO CENTER, GOMA, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

10. Various shots, WFP providing food for supplementary and therapeutic feeding as well as programs for former child soldiers
11. Various shots, children eating

25 APRIL 2009, BULENGO IDP CAMP, GOMA, NORTH KIVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

12. Various shots, WFP food distribution to 18,000 internally displaced people (IDPs)
13. Various shots, IDP camp

Storyline

In Orientale Province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), more than 1,000 civilians have been killed in attacks by the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) since December 2008. According to the UN in DR Congo, at least 24 rebel attacks occurred in May with 47 people kidnapped, including 34 children.

As part of its emergency intervention to help the people being terrorized by the LRA, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has resorted to airdrops to reach more than 130,000 displaced people and their host families now cut off by heavy seasonal rains.

SOUNDBITE (English) Stephanie Savariaud, WFP spokesperson:
“We have been doing an emergency intervention in these areas since last November when the first attacks from the Lord Resistance Army against the population started. But because of the seasonal rains we couldn’t deliver food anymore by trucks, by road, so we really had to drop food to this area to make sure people get the life-saving food they need.”

WFP has airdropped more than 500 metric tons of food into Dungu in northeastern DRC since mid-May.

Air dropping involves sliding bags out the rear door of an aircraft to plunge to ground into a cordoned-off ‘drop zone’ where specialized teams await to carry out distributions.

The food is airdropped in one zone close to Dungu airstrip, the bags are then stored in WFP warehouses in Dungu and dispatched in different areas for distributions to displaced people.

WFP distributes ten-days’ to two-weeks’ rations for security purposes so that stocks do not remain in villages too long. As far as possible people who became victims from recent attacks are the priority for food dispatches.

WFP continues to combine airdrops with airlifts when weather permits and also road deliveries, although the rainy season slows down food deliveries by trucks.

WFP provides food assistance to one million people in eastern DRC. Permanent displacements of people in North and South Kivu in the eastern part of the country are due to the ongoing military operations of the Congolese forces against the FDLR rebel group.

In North Kivu, WFP completed its emergency food distribution to 300,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in South Lubero with Caritas and is starting now to operate in more remote areas in partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council. Over 500 tons of food will be distributed to another 34,000 IDPs in new sites of South Lubero this week.

WFP and its partner Caritas has started registration in western part of Masisi (Mokoto), also in North Kivu, where arrivals of new IDPs had been reported.

In the same area, the French non-governmental organization “Premiere Urgence” will start an emergency food-for-work operation to rehabilitate a 13-kilometer road to reach an estimated 12,000 IDPs in Mpati with emergency food rations.