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CNN Saturday Morning News
World Food Program Hopes to Aid Afghans
Aired September 29, 2001 - 10:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The trial of eight Western aid workers in Afghanistan has been pushed back to Sunday now -- that trial originally set to begin today. The Taliban government accuses the aid workers of spreading Christianity in the Muslim nation. The attorney for the eight visited them briefly today and said they were in good health. Among other things, those aid workers were helping provide food to a country that's been devastated by three years of a drought.
More on that, to Kyra Phillips in Atlanta with more.
Kyra, hello again.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi Bill.
Well, a U.N. aid convoy with 200 metric tons of food and supplies has left Pakistan for the Afghan border. Trucks will take the supplies as far as they can go, then transfer the cargo to horses and mules for the rest of the trip into rugged northern Afghanistan. On Tuesday, the Taliban seized 1,400 tons of food from the U.N.'s World Food Program and shut down the program's facilities in Afghanistan.
Khale Mansour of the World Food Program joins us now from Islamabad, Pakistan to talk more about this.
Sir, thank you for being with us.
KHALE MANSOUR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Mr. Monsieur, do you think that you will be able to get the food through this time around?
MANSOUR: We hope that we will be able to get the food. Our trucks left Peshawar in Pakistan, heading towards Kabul, and more trucks will leave tomorrow to go to the western part of the country. This is being conducted on a trial basis. If we can insure that the food will get to the people who need it, then we will continue.
There is a slight correction I need to make to the earlier report. Because of the very bad communication we have with the country, we don't have the full picture. But we established yesterday that the World Food Program is still in control of the warehouses in Kandahar, while the Taliban has seized only the office and seized the communication equipment.
PHILLIPS: So did the Taliban seize any of the food?
MANSOUR: They did not seize any of the food. There has been no reports of looting. And this is partly why we are moving food into the country now, because there is a massive need, and our food aid stocks inside the country are decreasing.
PHILLIPS: Let's talk about the situation that the refugees are in. Describe how the people are dealing with life on a day-to-day basis. If you could just give us that mental picture.
MANSOUR: Until now, only a few thousands have crossed the borders into neighboring countries, and they went to live with families and friends, especially in Pakistan.
Our main concern is what is happening inside Afghanistan, because there are 300,000 people in the north that might run out of food stocks before the end of next week. I was there a couple of months ago, and I saw with my eyes people eating locusts, eating grass. I met families that sold their daughters as young as 9 into marriage. And that's why we are resuming. We are trying to reach those people as soon as possible.
PHILLIPS: And what type of food and supplies are you trying to get in there?
MANSOUR: It's mainly wheat, because it's very easy for them to store and to move and to bake, as bread is the main staple in Afghanistan.
PHILLIPS: I understand that drought has caused quite a devastation also. Is it true that crops are deteriorating and livestock is being destroyed?
MANSOUR: This is correct. The drought is entering its fourth year next year. The harvest this year was only 50 percent of what the country needs for a whole year, only 2 million tons. So many people, especially in the north, had either to sell their houses, move and leave -- go to urban centers. One million people over the past 12 months had to migrate to urban centers, trying to scavenge at bazaars, trying to do casual work, trying to do it by any means necessary to survive.
PHILLIPS: If resources do not reach the Afghan people, how many people are we talking about that could starve to death?
MANSOUR: Well, we are not there yet. Afghanistan doesn't have walking skeletons as yet, and hopefully it will not happen. But we are particularly concerned about 300,000 people in the northern provinces that may run out of their food stocks before the end of next week. And if we cannot reach others for a longer period, we think 1.6 million people will run out of food stocks by December.
Our main concern is that if we cannot continue working into Afghanistan, where we plan to work with 5.5 million people for an extended period of time, millions will face severe food shortages. There can be a devastating consequence for that. PHILLIPS: In addition to the food shortage, what about the rise in water-borne diseases and other medical issues? Do you need medical supplies? What are the needs on that front?
MANSOUR: Well there is a huge need in Afghanistan for all sorts of supplies. We are talking about a country in which one out of every four children doesn't make it past his 5th birthday. We are talking about a country with the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. We are talking about a country in which thousands of children die of diarrhea.
Of course there is a massive need for medical supplies, for all basic necessities for a big portion of the population in that country.
PHILLIPS: Khale Mansour, our prayers are definitely with you right now -- we understand it's quite a trying time -- with the World Food Program. Thank you for being with us this morning.
And we want to let you know that we do have a Web site: www.wfp.org, World Food Program is taking donations, anything that you are able to give. They ask that you get in touch with them through this e-mail and their Web site.
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