Interview

Emilia Casella

Head of Public Information, United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
Khartoum

Emilia Casella is in Darfur working on one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises, providing food to residents of war-torn Sudan.

When was WFP created?

1962

What is WFP's relationship with the UN?

WFP is a UN agency created by a resolution of the UN General Assembly, in a similar structure as UNICEF, WHO, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, International Labor Organization, UNESCO, International Organization for Migration, UNAIDS, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), etc.

How is WFP funded?

WFP is 100 percent funded by donations. It gets NOTHING from the UN, whereas other agencies, (except for UNICEF, also donor-funded) get substantial funding from the dues that UN member countries pay to the UN body.

Most of the WFP donors are government development agencies, like the USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) and ECHO (the European Commissions Humanitarian Aid Office), Canada's CIDA (the Canadian International Development Agency), and many other countries. We also have some private donors and something called the UNCERF (UN Common Emergency Response Fund).

What are your biggest challenges right now in Darfur?

• Banditry against trucks, which is impeding the delivery of food assistance and forcing a nearly 50 percent cut in the May ration.
• The alarming lack of funding for the WFP Humanitarian Air Service, which still faces a $53 million shortfall on its 2008 budget of $77 million and risks closing by the end of May.

What are the biggest challenges for WFP overall?

The global price of food, which is severely restricting WFP's capacity to buy (or receive as donations in kind) enough food for its programmes.

In Sudan, the global food price crisis has affected us somewhat less than other countries because our donors have been very generous and have already guaranteed 80 percent of the food needed in 2008. The price rise will affect our purchase of the remaining 20 percent, but we're in better shape perhaps than other parts of the WFP family. The global price crisis has had no impact on our current ration cut in Darfur, which is entirely due to the banditry issue.

What would happen if WFP stopped doing what they are doing?

More than 2 million people in Darfur would face possible starvation. Some might find coping mechanisms, but very, very many would be left with no way to survive.

Why do you work for WFP?

Actually, for the answer above. Because without WFP, what would happen to these people? I want to contribute to that. As a journalist, I felt that my contribution to humanitarian work was minimal. Journalists most often must cover the political story (which is often interesting, and frequently causes a humanitarian crisis), but I am more drawn to the humanitarian situation itself... and that is often covered in a very superficial way, unfortunately.

What is the extent of WFP's presence in Darfur?

We have 11 offices in total: 3 area/coordinating offices for the three Darfur Capitals (El Fasher, Nyala and El Geneina) plus 8 field offices (Morni, Mukjar, Habilah, Zalingei, Kebkabiya, Kutum, Kass and Ed Daein).

We have about 790 staff in Darfur and fewer than 100 of them are internationals. The rest are Sudanese citizens. There are about 40 warehouses (tents) total at the Nyala compound, and the capacity of each Nyala warehouse is 46,000 metric tons.

Has the compound ever been raided or under attack?

No. However, we had a huge wind storm (rain and sand) last year that destroyed 19 rubhalls and knocked down the communications tower.

How long is your surplus of your food for?

We really are in a non-surplus situation right now. The banditry is so bad that our trucks are not able to deliver enough food to keep our warehouses sufficiently stocked. We're only trucking in about half as much food per day as we need (900 metric tons per day into Darfur, vs. the needed 1,800 metric tons).

So, we have only about 50,000 metric tons of food in all of the Darfur warehouses and that is barely enough for one month -- the total needed for a month during this time is about 44,000 metric tons.

We've been forced to announce a reduction in the monthly ration for May in order to ensure there is enough to also distribute in June and beyond. The ration in May has been cut by 42 percent of its kilocalorie value (1,242 kcal vs. the normal 2,156 kcal). We have cut cereals (sorghum), pulses (beans, lentils) and sugar by 50 percent, while veg oil, salt, and high-nutrient corn-soya blend will remain at full ration levels.

Where does the food come from?

The food comes from many countries including the US, Canada, all over Europe, parts of Asia, and other parts of Africa. For example, we purchase a lot of food from Uganda, Ethiopia, etc. AND, last year we bought (and intend to buy this year) about 100,000 metric tons from Sudan's own production, which is in the eastern and central part of the country. This is mainly sorghum. The locally-purchased food in Sudan about one-sixth of our requirement of 632,000 metric tons for 2008.

What are the primary foods?

The food basket contains cereals (mainly sorghum, but also wheat), pulses (lentils, beans, peas), vegetable oil, high-nutrient corn-soya blend (CSB), sugar, and salt.

What do you use refined vegetable oil for?

The veg oil is mixed in with the other foods (cereal, beans/lentils, corn soya blend) in the cooking process.

What is sorghum? What is it used for?

Sorghum is a cereal that is eaten widely in Africa. It is pounded into a flour and used to make a kind of porridge or thick paste that is then eaten, often with a kind of stew of lentils on top, or other food on top or together with it. Sorghum is used in the U.S. too, but primarily for animal feed. In the south of the U.S., you may have heard of a molasses made with sorghum, often used for baking.

Is there a threat of food shortage?

Ironically, we have enough food in Sudan (no food shortage), thanks to very generous donors -- especially the US, which provides about half of the required food. BUT, we are having trouble trucking the food from El Obeid (our main hub on the route from Port Sudan) into Darfur.

How many people does WFP feed monthly?

It varies from month to month. Last month in all of Sudan WFP fed 3.1 million people in Sudan -- 2.4 million of them in Darfur.

But the number rises during the rainy season, also known as the pre-harvest "hunger gap," when peoples' food stores have depleted since the previous year's harvest and it is difficult to get to market (or for food to get to market) due to the rains. From May to October, the number of people we feed in Darfur will rise to about 3.1 or 3.2 million. This number includes rural residents who get a supplementary ration during the hunger gap. Then the number will taper off again after the harvest starts in October, and reach the core number of IDPs (internally displaced people, conflict affected) of approximately 2.1 million.

How many trucks does WFP operate?

WFP has its own fleet of about 160 trucks in Darfur — mostly six-wheel drive DAFS and Mercedes. This fleet services the distribution points inside Darfur. In addition there are about 1,400 commercially contracted trucks bringing the food into Darfur: 800 commercially contracted trucks serving the route between El Obeid and Darfur and about 400 larger trucks between Port Sudan and El Obeid.

Distinguish the difference between WFP trucks and independent ones, please.

The WFP trucks are six-wheel drive DAFs and Mercedes trucks used on the rough Darfur roads that go into the deep field. The independent truckers belong to commercial companies that have contracts with us to move the food either from El Obeid to our warehouses, or from our warehouses to field locations throughout the Darfurs, for distribution.

Who decides if it is safe to convoy out?

We receive clearance from our own security unit, in conjunction with UNDSS (the UN Dept of Safety and Security). We also consult with local authorities and commanders on the ground and take their advice.

How many truck convoys go out daily?

The number of convoys varies in number and length. Let's say each truck carries approx 20 metric tons and we need to move about 1,800 metric tons per day into Darfur (one way... then empty on the way out) but right now the turnaround time has slowed because the banditry has required us to use police escorts and there are not enough to keep up the pace. So we are moving an average of about 900 metric tons.

Where do the truckers take the food?

The truckers you saw in Nyala were going to deliver the food to an IDP camp near Nyala -- maybe about 15 km away in that case. I believe it was to Al Salam camp. (Which ironically, means "peace").

Do the truckers carry arms?

No. Never. It is not allowed for humanitarian workers to carry arms, nor is it advisable, because it makes them targets for violence, and can make some people believe they are combatants or partial to one side or the other.

How many trucks have been hijacked since 2008?

The number in Darfur, as of May 2, is: 63 hijacked, 42 trucks missing, 29 drivers missing and 2 driver killed, both of them in South Darfur. In addition, there have been 3 drivers and one driver's assistant killed in South Sudan (but not Darfur).

How many ransoms?

Not able to say. This is a matter between the trucking companies and the bandits ... and even if I knew, I couldn't tell you. This kind of information only invites more kidnappings, alas.

Any recent incidents?

Yes, three trucks and three drivers taken this past week, all in South Darfur...

Why do the people do it?

Tough to say. They're bandits, mainly — so many of them are selling the trucks to third parties, inside or outside Sudan. Others may want the food on the trucks, though often empty trucks on their way out of Darfur are taken, and other times they dump the food and take the truck. Others may want to use the truck for their own purposes. Maybe some want to disrupt security along the roads where they are taking the trucks. It's a variety of possibilities.