afrol News, 5 June - Trucks from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) carrying 127 tons of urgently needed food arrived today in northeast Namibia, where thousands of people fled their homes after being hit by the worst flooding in decades.

- WFPs emergency assistance will contribute substantially to the efforts of the government of Namibia in alleviating the desperate plight of those affected by the flooding in the Caprivi region, WFP Country Director for Namibia Francisco Roque Castro said, referring to the food dispatched from the agency's warehouse in southern Angola following a request from the Namibian government.

The food will assist 12,000 people in 22 villages who suffered the flooding after a period of prolonged torrential rainfall in neighbouring Congo Kinshasa (DRC) burst the banks of the Zambezi River downstream in Caprivi in the north-eastern part of Namibia.

Spanning more than 40 square kilometres, the floods destroyed large tracts of farmland and drowned many cattle, further undermining the Caprivi's fragile food security situation following a long severe drought in the region.

The WFP supplies to the flood victims - which include maize, corn-soya-blend, vegetable oil and salt - are expected to last for about three months and will augment the government rations.

WFP said its staff in Namibia was undertaking a rapid assessment mission in the region and were to discuss with the regional authorities and committees on the implementation of food assistance to the flood affected people.

The agency however warned it was "running dangerously low on food to assist Angolan refugees in Namibia, with a corn-soya blend pipeline break expected in June and breaks for virtually all other commodities in the food basket, including the staple maize meal, in July."

- Donations are urgently needed for the WFP emergency refugee operation, which is expected to feed about 16,000 refugees in Osire camp and support the planned repatriation over the next 12 months, WFP already warned on Friday.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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