World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

The Gant Flair ship arrived in Dakar after a two week journey from the US, carrying 6,000 metric tons of rice from USAID for WFP's response to the Sahel food crisis in Mali. On its way to Dakar, the ship unloaded rice in Nouakchott, Mauritania for WFP's response there. 

A crane lifts the rice to pour through a machine, which will funnel it into sacks. 

The rice will be part of the food ration that WFP will provide to Malians hit by the Sahel food crisis as well as those who have been displaced from their homes by the conflict in the north of the country. 

The sacks of rice are loaded onto a truck to be transferred to the train station in Dakar, where they will be transported to Mali by rail. 

The sacks are loaded into the train for their journey to Mali, where WFP is implementing an emergency operation to assist more than 1.3 million people until the end of 2012. Around 117,000 are currently being supported through targeted food distributions in the regions of Mopti, Koulikoro and Kayes, soon to be expanded to the regions of Segou and Sikasso. 

A few days later, the rice has arrived at the train station in Bamako, Mali .