The UN WFP announced its continued support for up to 7,500 refugees, who have fled from the insecurity in the Cassamance region of Senegal to the Foni areas of the Western Region of The Gambia.

According to a press release, the WFP has been providing emergency food assistance to the refugees, since October and has now approved a new emergency support project for the continuing of the assistance until October 2007 and also providing assistance to the local Gambian communities, who are currently hosting these refugees. The total amount of US$863,771 has been approved for the project.

Mr Malcolm Duthie, the WFP Representative, said that this support is vital for the refugee families, who are entirely dependent on this assistance to meet their food needs. It is also important for the Gambian people, as it will reduce the negative impact, such a large group of refugees will have on the communities and the areas where they are hosted.

Mr Duthie stated that "the refugees population have significantly increased in many of these communities, in some cases more than double, and this has put serious strains on the villagers who are already amongst some of the poorest in this region. Therefore, food support will also be used to help these local communities especially when the serious lean season arrives." He indicated that some of these local households had already run out of their own food supply and their situations are likely to deteriorate as the dry season progress.

Mr Duthie commented: "I found out that the generosity of the Gambian villagers is extraordinary, even if it means to depletes their own food resources and share what they have with these refugees. So, this project will also undertake some food for work activities for the local communities during the most difficult lean period aimed at ensuring that the local households do not find their situation eroded seriously due to that generosity and due to the continuing presence of a large dependent refugee population".

WFP is working with its UN partners, especially UNHCR, in responding to this matter and is using The Gambia Red Cross Society as a partners to help implement this project.

The Government of The Gambia is supporting these efforts and Mr Duthie noted "I see this as a very positive approach, whereby all are looking to avoid deterioration in the conditions for both the refugees and the host communities. With the government support we are being as proactive as possible to avoid an erosion in livelihoods and the rise of associated problems".
He added, "So far, we have not heard of any severe malnourished cases and we are now conducting a nutrition survey in collaboration with the National Nutrition Agency in order to assess the nutritional status of the refugees so that we can continue to avoid this."