PAKISTAN: Security fears prompt closure of WFP food hubs

Photo: Kamila Hyat/IRIN

Food security for IDPs could suffer due to the closure of food hubs

ISLAMABAD, 21 October 2009 (IRIN) - The UN World Food Programme has been forced to close 20 food hubs supplying food aid to over two million people in North West Frontier Province, owing to rising security fears.

WFP spokesman Amjad Jamal told IRIN “This is a temporary closure, for a few days only, depending on the security situation.” All WFP food distribution centres, in Charsadda, Swabi, Dir, Mardan, Buner, Swat and Bajaur were closed on 21 October. The situation is to be reviewed later this week.

The move comes as the security situation worsens. All educational institutions were closed on government orders following a suicide bombing on 20 October at the Islamic University in Islamabad in which at least six people were killed. Dozens of others have died in a spate of bombings over the past two weeks in other places. Earlier this month, a suicide bomber attacked the WFP office in the capital, killing five employees.

The WFP food hubs had been giving out supplies to the 2.3 million people displaced this year as a result of the conflict between government forces and Taliban militants. Though most of those displaced from Swat, Dir and Buner have returned home since fighting ended in July, a large number remain in need of food aid.

Debt

Stephen Brack of the International Committee of the Red Cross told IRIN: “Offering people in conflict-hit zones food is also important so they don’t build up more debt, since many lost livelihoods and have spent the savings they had during the displacement.”

Around 2.4 million displaced people received aid from the WFP food hubs last month, according to Jamal. News of their closure brought immediate concern from people who continue to struggle to survive.

“I still have no job, though now and again I earn a little doing odd jobs. The monthly food aid given to us helped make sure my family had something to eat, and made us feel a bit more secure,” Abdul Wahab, 35, told IRIN from Mingora in Swat.

WFP is optimistic people such as Wahab will not suffer. “We are distributing monthly food rations, which means people only come once a month to pick up their rations. We also anticipate that from last month’s distribution they still may have some food available, thus it will not affect these IDPs and hopefully the distributions will resume from tomorrow or the day after,” Jamal said.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on 20 October Pakistan was “in a state of war”. At least 2,280 people are estimated to have died during the last two years as a result of “terrorist” attacks.

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