WFP TO AIRLIFT EMERGENCY RELIEF TO EASTERN ZAIRE

30 October 1996

Press Release
WFP/1039

WFP TO AIRLIFT EMERGENCY RELIEF TO EASTERN ZAIRE

19961030 ROME, 30 October (WFP) -- The World Food Programme (WFP) has decided to launch an emergency airlift of relief supplies to eastern Zaire. The airlift will begin with a Hercules C-130 now in Kampala, Uganda, and will grow in scope in the coming days and weeks, depending on needs and conditions on the ground.

"Our intention is to establish an emergency stockpile of food and emergency relief items in Goma which we can use depending on needs", said WFP spokesman Trevor Rowe.

Currently, the WFP is distributing food to the estimated 727,000 refugees in the Goma area. Another distribution is planned for next week, at which time WFP foodstocks will have been exhausted.

"By establishing an emergency stockpile, we will be in a better position to care for the refugees in the event they don't return to Rwanda", Mr. Rowe said. "The airlift will begin as soon as the Zairian authorities give us the green light, which we hope will be within the day."

The scope of the airlift will depend on security on the ground, the availability of ground transport, and the amount of airport tarmac space to be allotted to the WFP. The first flight is expected to carry mainly emergency food rations. Additional flights will also ferry supplies for other relief agencies.

Current food needs in Goma are estimated at 300 metric tons per day. The capacity of a Hercules C-130 is 20 metric tons. However, if conditions permit and humanitarian needs continue at current levels, the WFP will consider chartering additional, higher capacity aircraft that could meet most of Goma's needs.

The WFP is already looking into the possibility of calling for airlift and ground support facilities from donor governments. Efforts also continue to find overland transport routes that would bypass areas where security conditions have deteriorated, preventing deliveries.

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"We are pulling out the stops and making every effort to ensure that humanitarian relief gets to Goma", Mr. Rowe said. "But ultimately, everything will depend on the ability of the Goma airport and the local infrastructure to absorb large amounts of food, as well as on access to the camps, especially those north of the town."

On 26 October, the WFP suspended a planned airlift to Bukavu because of worsened security conditions. Because of continued fighting and looting, the WFP is still unable to contemplate airlifting supplies there.

The World Food Programme is the largest international food aid organization. Last year, it helped feed over 50 million people, including half of the world's refugees and displaced persons.

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