About 2 000 families in five Angolan provinces are facing famine with malnutrition affecting up to 60% of the population, according to a recent study by the United Nations World Food Programme.
In some remote areas, Angolans are living on one meal a day, while babies aged six to 20 months are suffering the most from malnutrition as drinking water is not available, said the study.
The study carried out in the provinces of Huambo, Kwanza-sul, Bie, Huila and Benguela in southcentral Angola where 1,7-million people live was to assess humanitarian needs.
It found shortages of fertilisers and agricultural equipment with none of the communities polled having access to a hospital, while only 32% could go to a clinic, located at more than 20km from the villages.
At least 80% of the families’ earnings were devoted to food, said the WFP report.
Once Angola’s breadbasket, the southcentral region was wracked by fighting during the 1975-2002 war that left half a million dead.
The study said that villagers are unable to move freely in the region due to the high number of landmines left over from the war, while the rainy season can leave up to 31% of them isolated in their villages. – AFP