According to the World Food Programme (WFP), over 900 tons of wheat and edible oil with a value of approximately one million dollars were lost to armed assaults in the NWFP province. The United Nations is greatly concerned over rapidly increasing losses of humanitarian food aid destined for the under-nourished population of Afghanistan and Pakistan has been requested for a close co-ordination with the local authorities for the safe passage of WFP food aid.
On Tuesday, 10th of November, eleven trucks carrying 441 tons of wheat for WFP assistance programme in neighbouring Afghanistan were hijacked in a massive armed attack. Despite tedious efforts the wheat could not be recovered. On 28th of October, four trucks carrying 208 metric tons of wheat for Afghanistan were looted in Khyber agency. The attackers were carrying heavy weapons.
In another incident on 21st of October, 263 metric tons of edible oil was set on fire by miscreants in Swat district. The oil was meant for the WFP school-feeding programme in the district and was stored in the provincial education department facility.
"The deteriorating security situation in NWFP is hampering WFP''s ability to provide much needed food assistance for the poor of both sides. We are very concerned that people who are already hard hit by food shortages and rising prices are additionally deprived due to such incidents", said Wolfgang Herbinger, WFP Country Director in Pakistan.
Earlier, last month there was also an example where WFP managed to prevent loss of food commodities. A consignment of 177 metric tons of WFP wheat meant for Food-for-Work activities in Batagram was off loaded at a flour mill on-route. WFP and higher officials of the NWFP immediately followed-up on the attempted misappropriation identified by the transporter and noted that junior staff of the forestry department were the culprits. They succeeded in recovering the commodities from the flourmill.