World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

Months after he left Tripoli because of civil unrest in Libya, El Badri Mahrous Mohammed still finds himself struggling to make ends meet in his native Egypt. (..) In March, the Egyptian government asked the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to help in providing assistance to the returnees' families under a food-for-training scheme, where they learn vocational skills, such as plumbing, or business skills.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has sent food aid to about 47,000 people displaced by fierce fighting in the cities of Sirte and Bani Walid, 450km east and 180 km southeast of Tripoli respectively.

The World Food Programme on Tuesday said it has delivered food aid to thousands who have fled fighting in Bani Walid, where Libyan authorities claim Moamer Kadhafi's son Seif al-Islam is holed up. "A WFP convoy delivered 137 metric tons of mixed food assistance on Sunday to Shmaikh, where thousands of people have fled from Bani Walid, 180 kilometres (110 miles) south-east of Tripoli,"

The United Nations World Food Programme is planning to tender for 250,000 tonnes of diesel fuel on behalf of Libya's National Transitional Council, not gasoline as it previously stated, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

(..) The World Food Programme uses the Commission’s assistance to reduce food insecurity and to ensure the provision of nutrition to residents, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, refugees and other vulnerable groups in Libya. The funding also contributes to provide the humanitarian community with adequate logistics capacity, coordination mechanisms and passenger Humanitarian Air Service to deliver relief aid to the beneficiaries.

Tripoli is beginning to move again. Bottled water from the World Food Program relieves the beleaguered city’s thirst. The Gadhafi clan’s rants seem irrelevant. And rebels are moving on his last strongholds. But while it’s increasingly clear Moammar Gadhafi will have no role in the future of Libya, his influence remains.

The mission will assess and provide assistance in restoring the water supply in Tripoli and surrounding areas, look into the protection of civilians and assess the food situation. The team includes officials from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

(..) The World Food Programme has sent about 600 metric tons of food to help 35,500 people for one month, the statement said. To help alleviate gas shortages, the World Food Programme also is procuring 250,000 metric tons of gas to "cover immediate life-saving humanitarian needs for one month."

Ten days ago the vanguard of rebel forces streamed into the Libyan capital. Moammar Gadhafi's forces put up virtually no resistance and it seemed that the end of Libya's six-month conflict was imminent. (..) Supplies are beginning to arrive. The World Food Program sent in a convoy from Tunisia, carrying water, medical supplies and blood.

The Libyan capital Tripoli has enough fuel for the short term and food supplies are starting to get through, but there is no end in sight to a water shortage there, a crisis report from the European Union's humanitarian office (ECHO) said on Thursday. (..) But the NTC has also asked the World Food Programme to help it buy 250,000 tonnes of gasoline.