WFP, CARE supply food aid to over 30,000 people

The World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with CARE, has begun distributing 175 mt of food to some 30,000 displaced people in the commune of Mpanda in Burundi's northwestern province of Bubanza. "The distribution that we began yesterday [Wednesday] will last three days," Isidore Nteturuye, the WFP information officer, told IRIN in Bujumbura. He said that on Wednesday 60 mt of food had been delivered to 2,818 households with an average of five members each, amounting to about 10,900 people. The commune administrator, Comes Barigenera, said each family had received a 10-day ration, comprising 20.5 kg of cereals, six kg of pulses and one kg of cooking oil. "Since they fled fighting between the government army and CNDD-FDD [Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie] nearly a month ago, these people have not received any food aid," Barigenera said, "and last week the ministry in charge of displaced people came up with just some utensils." The fighting had now stopped, he said, and many people had returned to their homes. Some people, he said, had found their homes either looted or burnt down. On Thursday, aid workers are due to begin distributing 60 mt to another group of about 10,900 people. The operation will end on Friday with the distribution of 55 mt to a third group of about 10,000.