ReliefWeb

Kampala, May 31 2007 - The UN interim Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) joins the rest of the humanitarian community in condemning the attack on a World Food Program (WFP) truck in Karamoja, in which a staff member Richard Achuka was killed. The unfortunate event, which forced WFP to temporarily suspend its operations in Karamoja region, occurred on Monday as the WFP convoy was returning from delivering food to schools and other sites in Kaabong district.

The humanitarian consequences of this development cannot be underestimated. Karamoja is the poorest region in Uganda. The population is afflicted by food insecurity, regular health emergencies, human rights violations and little or no access to basic services. Since January, WFP has been providing food assistance to more than 500,000 people in the region, hit by a third drought in six years. Another 200,000 people in Karamoja currently receive WFP assistance through other projects such as food for education, food for assets and food for health. A large percentage of the region's entire population benefits from WFP food for emergency relief or development. In the face of heightened insecurity, WFP has found it necessary to temporarily suspend these operations.

The interim Humanitarian Coordinator appeals to civil and traditional leadership to pursue and bring to justice the person(s) responsible for this dastardly act. WFP and the wider humanitarian community require sufficient security so that they may continue serving vulnerable populations in Karamoja region.