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By Libya Herald reporters.
Tunis, 26 July 2017:
The World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a $1.6 million donation from Italy but warned that it is still short of $9.5 million which it needs to feed Libyan families displaced by the fighting. Meanwhile it reports that faced with soaring food prices, a quarter of those forced to flee their homes are now struggling to survive.
Last year Italy also supported the WFP Libyan appeal and in March Japan gave $700,000.
The WFP’s Libyan director Wagdi Othman said: “We thank Italy for this generous contribution to WFP’s emergency operation in Libya, which will help to alleviate the suffering of people living in difficult conditions with little access to food and other life-saving assistance”
The WFP says it is aiming to feed to 175,000 internally displaced people (IDP). It hands out food packages sufficient for one family for one month. These consist of rice, pasta, wheat flour, chickpeas, vegetable oil, sugar and tomato paste.
It claimed that in 2015 only six percent of IDPs were suffering from food shortages and were cutting back, not least on healthcare and education. But in a survey published this February, the WFP said that a quarter of all IDPs were suffering from food shortages. It said that the worst-hit area was Bani Walid where fully 58 percent of IDPs lacked sufficient food.
