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Philippines: UN offers food aid to 200,000 displaced in south
(AKI) - The United Nations World Food Programme said on Thursday it would boost food assistance to more than 220,000 people displaced by fighting in the southern Philippines. Government troops on Thursday overran a rebel Muslim stronghold in Mindanao in the south of the country after weeks of fighting that has left over 140 dead, a military spokesman said. Over 40 civilians and soldiers have been killed along with 100 rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. More than 360,000 have been displaced by the fighting, according to the government. WFP is delivering nearly 1,000 metric tonnes of rice -- around one month's ration -- to civilians caught up in the conflict, it said in a statement. "WFP is responding to a request from the government to provide food assistance to meet urgent needs among the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the sudden upsurge in violence in southern Mindanao," said Stephen Anderson, WFP Philippines Country Director. "We have rice stocks at a warehouse in Cotabato, close to the affected area, and we've acted quickly to move food out to where it is most needed," he added. WFP has so far dispatched some 650 metric tonnes of rice to 160,000 displaced families from Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato. Another 250 metric tonnes of rice are being delivered to some 60,000 people in the provinces of Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan. Staff from the agency's sub-offices in Iligan and Cotabato City are assessing the areas affected by the conflict to figure out a targeted response to the upsurge in violence in Mindanao. Posted by: Fred 2008-08-29 |
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