wfp, food aid and local survival in guinea-bissau, 1998-99 - Nina ...

Hjalte Tin : Food Aid in Guinea-Bissau 1998-99. June 2001 ; page 7
Ansumane Mané staged a new coup-attempt. He failed and was killed by troops loyal to
the new president Koumba Yala.
2/ THE WFP EMERGENCY OPERATION
The humanitarian access
In terms of humanitarian access to the population the war split Guinea-Bissau into two
different zones, Bissau and the ’regions.’ The frontline blocked land, sea and air-access
to Bissau untill mid-February 1999. The Nino government had access only to Bissau, a
small part of near-by Biombo province and the Bijagos islands. At the moment of
maximum displacement, July 1998, this area contained approximately 100-130.000
displaced and war-affected persons and almost no non-affected groups. This part of
Guinea-Bissau received practically no food supplies from the outside world before the
end of March 1999, and the population survived on stocks of food stored before the war
by commercial traders and WFP. WFP left Bissau when the war began, returning in
January 1999.
The Junta Militar had access to the remaining 85% of the country containing
approximately 200-310.000 displaced persons and the rest of the population numbering
650-750.000. (WFP and G-B government figures for July 1998) The Junta Militarcontroled
regions had no ports or airports of practical use, but road access from Senegal
and Guinea Conakry. WFP was not evacuated from this part of Guinea-Bissau. Food
consumed in the regions were local grains, imported rice bartered for cashew nuts and a
small amount of food aid. Stocks of locally produced foodstuffs (rice and dry-land
cereals) was at a minimum in September-October before the harvest in November.
WFP and the Guinea-Bissau emergency: remote geo-politics and few refugees