WFP Sends 'Urgent Food Assistance' to Aleppo
The World Food Program has sent supplies to Syria's commercial capital Aleppo to help tackle shortages triggered by escalating clashes between troops and rebels, the U.N. agency said on Wednesday.
The WFP "has sent food assistance for distribution to 28,000 people in Aleppo over the next few days, following reports of shortages of food, gas and electricity following weeks of violence," a statement said.
Intense fighting broke out in Aleppo on July 20, when rebels seized large swathes of the city of some 2.7 million people. The United Nations estimates that some 200,000 people have fled the violence.
"The humanitarian situation is deteriorating in Aleppo and food needs are growing rapidly," the WFP said.
It said it had aimed to provide food assistance to 850,000 people across Syria in July, but violence prevented it from reaching the target.
Source: Agence France Presse
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