NORTHERN PROVINCE

GICUMBI — Congolese refugees living at the Gihembe Refugee Camp in Gicumbi district have received dry maize grains donated by the World Food Programme (WFP). 

The donation of 30 tonnes of maize was delivered to the refugee camp last Thursday, according to Gicumbi district vice Mayor for Social Affairs, Eugenie Uwamahoro.

The refugees had last month rejected the same maize flour supplied by WFP, claiming that it was not fit for human consumption. 

Uwamahoro, said the rejected food supplies were returned to the donors.

She added that a report from the Rwanda Bureau of Standards, assessing  whether the rejected maize flour had a problem making it unfit for human consumption had not been received yet.

"The report from the Rwanda Bureau of Standards on whether the maize flour earlier on supplied by WFP was not fit for human consumption has not been released,” Uwamahoro said on Monday.

The refugees had alleged that the maize flour supplied was decayed and contained stone particles, an allegation that was strongly refuted by WFP official, Viateur Ngiruwonsanga.

At a meeting convened to address the problem, Ngiruwonsanga, instead claimed that the refugees’ refusal of the maize flour was their trick to get another type of food because they didn’t want ‘posho’ on their menu.

That meeting was attended by Refugee committee representatives, district officials, WFP, Ministry of Local Government officials and UNHCR representatives. 

"These refugees don’t like maize flour and that is why they have hatched a plan to say it is decayed and contains stone particles,” Ngiruwonsanga said.

The WFP official explained that the refugees preferred dry maize grains and beans, which were reportedly out of stock.

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