World Food Program Increases Aid Deliveries to Afghanistan

(80,000 tons of food delivered in December) (1,140)

Deliveries of food aid into Afghanistan reached unprecedented levels
in December, according to World Food Program (WFP) spokesman Jordan
Dey. In a December 26 press briefing in Islamabad, Pakistan, Dey said
the humanitarian agency has moved almost 80,000 tons of grain and
commodities in the month of December.

Dey said a lack of security is still preventing food deliveries to
Kandahar, but improved security has allowed the re-opening of the
important southern route from Quetta, Pakistan to Heart, Afghanistan.

In the same briefing, Fatoumata Kaba, spokesman for the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that Afghan refugees
are leaving Pakistan and returning to their homeland in ever
increasing numbers. An estimated 31,000 had gone home as of December
25, he said, characterizing many of the returnees as urban refugees
seeking jobs with the new interim administration or the international
aid effort.

Following are excerpts from the press briefing: 

(begin excerpts)

UNITED NATIONS

Press Briefing in Islamabad 

26 Dec 2001

PRESS BRIEFING BY THE U.N. OFFICES FOR PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN

The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing in
Islamabad by the United Nations offices for Pakistan and Afghanistan
(excluding question and answer session).

JORDAN DEY, SPOKESPERSON FOR WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME

Logistics

The World Food Program continues to dispatch a record amount of food
into Afghanistan during the month of December. WFP has now sent nearly
80,000 tons of food into Afghanistan in December -- enough to feed
more than 9.6 million people for one month. Obviously, we don't need
to feed 9.6 million Afghans every month, but a large part of this food
stock will be pre-positioned in the hard-to-reach, mountainous areas
where a food ration of six months may be needed.

80,000 tons -- or nearly 4,000 tons a day -- is an unprecedented level
in Afghanistan. This translates into approximately 200 to 300 trucks
moving everyday across the borders from Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan or Tajikistan. (Some of our contracted trucks carry a 5-ton
payload, where the roads are narrow, treacherous and icy, while other
trucks may carry a 40-ton payload over relatively good roads). The
chart behind me shows this dramatic increase over the past three
months.

Kandahar

Kandahar continues to be an inaccessible region for WFP due to high
insecurity in the region. The WFP warehouse and offices were looted
and destroyed, so we are currently looking for suitable warehouse in
the area. Staff, food and trucks are ready to move into Kandahar as
soon as the security situation allows. There are more than 238,000
people in the region who may be vulnerable and food insecure.

In Kandahar, some groups are apparently demanding a "tax" of $100 for
entry into Kandahar City.

I am happy to report that the important southern trucking corridor,
from Quetta, Pakistan to Herat, Afghanistan has now fully reopened.
Food is now moving from our WFP warehouses in Quetta and Spin Boldak
through the provinces of Helmand, Nimroz, Zabul, and Farah to Herat.

People

Finally, the 6th grade children of Miyazakidai elementary school in
Japan have kindly sent messages to the Afghan children living in
Jalozai refugee camp outside of Peshawar. After seeing pictures of the
camp, the Japanese school children were worried about the Afghan
children in the camp and wanted to send words of encouragement. I
would like to read just a couple of those letters -- which were
beautifully written.

From Yuki Mori (a girl):

"To the people fleeing in Afghanistan: Afghanistan is under attack now
and you may not have enough food to eat. But we'll make a donation to
give you food. With best wish, Yuki".

From Konatsu Okutomi (a girl): "The people of Afghanistan: Through TV,
I realized that Afghan people have to flee, even though most of them
are innocent. I don't know the situation well, but I really worry
about you. With regards. Kanatsu".

In total, 34 letters were written. These letters will also be read to
the Afghan children living in the refugee camp.

WFP Staffing

Staffing levels in Afghanistan are as follows:

-- 25 international staff (plus 22 Swedish road clearing crew and
support staff in Herat)
- 227 national staff 

FATOUMATA KABA, SPOKESPERSON FOR UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR
REFUGEES

. . . .

In southern Pakistan more persons are returning to Afghanistan after
the Eid holidays. Between Sunday and Tuesday, the number of those
crossing from the Chaman area went up from 3,500 to 3,800 a day, or
more than 10,000 individuals. The trend in the return movement began
in November in the Chaman area. In November 6,900 persons crossed back
into Afghanistan, the majority of them at the end of the month. For
December alone, the figure is five times higher with some 31,000
persons having returned as of the 25th.

In the Northwest Frontier Province, although we do not have precise
figures for the number of persons returning to Afghanistan on a daily
basis, our colleagues in the field report an increase in spontaneous
repatriation of refugees, many of whom are returning to Kabul. They
also reported that the bus fare to the Torkham border has risen after
the inauguration of the new government. One reason for the rise in
transp ort prices, according to the bus drivers, is that few
passengers are available for the return leg of the journey to
Peshawar.

Most of those returning to Afghanistan are urban refugees who are
hopeful of getting jobs with the UN system, the government, newly
opening embassies or aid agencies that are re-establishing their own
operations in Kabul. People who had property or business in Kabul are
also returning. The majority of those going back now leave their
families behind in the safety of Pakistan but hope to have them join
later if all goes well. Many of the new arrivals we have spoken to,
both in Jalozai and at Kotkai, have also expressed the wish to
voluntarily return.

In Kabul, we completed the distribution of winter packages yesterday
to 1,500 IDPs living in districts around the capital city. The
assistant package includes cooking and heating stoves supplied with
coal, warm clothing, blankets, jerrycans and a small cash grant. Since
we re-established our presence in Kabul earlier this month, we have
distributed aid to some 3,000 families in and around Kabul to help
them cope with the harsh winter. We are also gearing up preparations
to send to Kabul 54 trucks of relief material for distribution to
10,000 needy families in central Afghanistan. The relief items are
scheduled to be shifted from our Peshawar stock within the next two
weeks.

(end excerpts)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)