25 June 2008
Food shortages in northern Nepal
(PTI) Hundreds of thousands of Nepali people are in need of food aid, particularly those suffering from severe drought in the Himalayan state's far west. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said strikes and shutdowns in the country have limited its ability to provide humanitarian assistance. "I urge all parties to work together to resolve this crisis so that the trucks and fuel needed to carry WFP humanitarian food assistance to drought and conflict-affected populations, so that WFP can continue its efforts to protect the lives of vulnerable families across Nepal", Richard Ragan, WFP country representative to Nepal, said in a statement. There has been severe food scarcity in the country's northern districts due to Beijing restricting movement at its border with Nepal following the protests of March-April 2008 in Tibet. Mustang, depending entirely on Tibet for its food supplies, has been suffering most since the Chinese authorities restricted the movement of Nepalese citizens at the border post of Choser, officials said. Reports earlier said that residents of north-eastern Nepal's Taplejung district also faced one of their worst food crises after China sealed its border.