ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is extremely concerned by the destruction this week of food intended for hungry people in the besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta, about 15 kilometres from the Syrian capital, Damascus. The food was destroyed during fighting inside the enclave when food distribution points belonging to one of WFP’s local partners in Duma were hit. Fortunately, no people were in the buildings at the time of the strikes.

The distribution points were hit in the past 48 hours and a quantity of WFP food was destroyed. WFP and its partner are working to verify the exact amount of food in question. It is believed to have been approximately enough food to feed 90 families for a month.

WFP last delivered food assistance to Duma, one of Eastern Ghouta’s sub-districts, on 12 November, bringing food rations for more than 20,000 people and special nutrition products for nearly 10,000 children. Most of WFP’s food stocks for the enclave were safely distributed prior to this week’s strikes.

WFP condemns the destruction of desperately-needed food assistance inside Syria. We urge all parties to the conflict to respect humanitarian principles and allow the safe delivery and distribution of food to families in need, no matter where they are located.

Since September, WFP has delivered food assistance to more than 110,000 people in besieged parts of Eastern Ghouta including Harasta, Kafr Batna, and Duma, as well as nutrition supplies for more than 20,000 children. Throughout the crisis, WFP has continued to operate in Syria, delivering food assistance to nearly four million people every month.

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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.

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For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):

Marwa Awad, WFP/Damascus, Mob. +963 958 882 900

Abeer Etefa, WFP/Cairo, Tel. +2010 66634352

Dina El-Kassaby, WFP/Cairo, Tel. +2010 15218882

Bettina Luescher, WFP/Geneva, Tel. Mob. + 41-79-842-8057

Jane Howard, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 06 65132321, Mob. +39 346 7600521