Funds Crunch Forces WFP to Cut Darfur Flights

A shortage of funds has forced the World Food Programme (WFP) to cut back on air travel by aid workers in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region, depriving millions who depend on humanitarian aid. WFP’s Sudan Representative, Kenro Oshidari, said the cutback is the only way the agency can keep vital services going for longer while seeking new funding. An estimated 3,000 humanitarian workers use WFP helicopters each month to reach remote parts of Darfur, where insecurity, banditry and dilapidated roadways have rendered road travel nearly impossible. [PE]