UN begins aid lift to Liberia

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) today announced the launch of an emergency operation to fly critical aid supplies into the Liberian capital of Monrovia, where hundreds of thousands of people are in need following two weeks of fighting.

The first consignment of high-energy biscuits for around 4,000 people arrived in the city on Saturday from Sierra Leone, and the agency plans to fly in more than 10 times that amount over the next few days.

Manuel Aranda da Silva, the agency's Regional Director for West Africa, said: "This is the first time WFP has been able to move food into Monrovia since the latest fighting erupted and [it] will help us to save the lives of thousands of malnourished people."

The 12 tons of biscuits will be distributed by WFP and its partners to approximately 100,000 of the most vulnerable people. Some of the food will also be sent to area hospitals that are short of supplies and to camps for internally displaced people - sites may not have received aid since June.

"It is an expensive operation but we have no choice," said Mr da Silva.

"People are crying out for food and this is the only way we can get aid into the city at the moment."

Before the fighting, WFP had pre-positioned over 10,000 metric tons of food in Monrovia, including bulgar wheat, maize meal, lentils and vegetable oil. But the agency has not been able to access those stocks since mid-July when rebels launched their third attack on the capital.

Announcing the airlift today, WFP urged the warring parties to agree to the establishment of a secure humanitarian corridor across the frontline so that relief supplies can start moving.

(GMcG)