Aid agency criticises food airdrops

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, OCT. 11. The international relief aid agency, Medecin Sans Frontieres, which has been working in Afghanistan since 1979, today cast doubt on the ``humanitarian airdrops'' by the U.S. and British military forces, which have accompanied the military strikes over the last 48 hours.

In a strongly worded statement issued here, the agency said the airdrops did not answer the needs of the Afghan people and were likely to undermine attempts to deliver substantial aid to the most vulnerable. Dr. Jean-Herv Bradol of the agency said the so- called ``humanitarian'' action was, in fact, a purely propaganda tool, of little real value to the Afghan people. Moreover, the deliberate adoption by the military of a ``humanitarian'' task was likely to cause real problems for truly independent non- government aid organisations who were less likely to be perceived as impartial actors in the future.

``How will the Afghan population know in the future if an offer of humanitarian aid does not hide a military operation,'' asked Dr. Bradol. ``We have seen many times before, for example in Somalia, the problems caused for both the vulnerable population and for aid agencies when the military try to both fight a war and deliver aid at the same time.'' Dr. Bradol said the impact of the 37,500 single-day rations on the burgeoning crisis within Afghanistan was likely to be minimal. ``What is needed is large- scale convoys of basic foodstuff, rather than single meals designed for soldiers. Until yesterday, the U.N. and aid agencies such as us were still able to get some food convoys into Afghanistan. Due to the air strikes the U.N. have stopped all convoys, and we will find delivering aid also much more difficult.''

Doctors from MSF also expressed concern at the reported air dropping of medical supplies. ``Medical relief is not the same as dropping medicines by plane. Unless they are administered by qualified medical staff, medicines can actually do more harm than good'', said Dr. Bradol.

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