The United Nations World Food Program announced that it is suspending its aid flights in Angola after two of its planes came under missile attack near the city of Kuito. This comes after another aid plane was hit by a missile a little over a week ago. That plane managed to land safely.
Unita, the rebel group that has been waging civil war in Angola for 25 years now, admitted that it fired on the first plane, though so far no one has taken credit for the most recent missile attacks.
Over a million people in Angola are dependent on food that the World Food Program has been airlifting into the country. The BBC reports that because they were fearful that soldier would confiscate their crops, farmers harvested early this year which reduced crop yields to levels far lower than what the country will need to feed itself until next year’s harvest.
Source:
Angola aid flights suspended. Justin Pearce, The BBC, June 16, 2001.