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Madagascar

UN grants Madagascar 6.5 mln USD in aid to drought victims

ANTANANARIVO, Jun 10, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The United Nations has provided 6.5 million U. S. dollars in aid to 190,000 victims of drought, cyclones and political crisis in southern Madagascar, the Indian Ocean island state's transitional authority announced on Wednesday.

The grant goes to emergency projects in southern areas of the country undertaken by the World Food Program (WFP), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agricultural Organization ( FAO) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the Madagascan High Transitional Authority said in a communique.

WFP has 3.8 million dollars from the funds to reduce mortality and malnutrition in the southern region of the island, while 1.5 million dollars is earmarked for UNICEF to supply water and sanitation, distribute hygiene kits and train local people to maintain water quality in the areas.

UNICEF has been working with World Health Organization to prevent possible outbreaks of waterborne diseases in the southern parts of the world's fourth largest island.

UNICEF warns that malnutrition among children ages six months to five years has increased in southern Madagascar since December, when the political crisis began in the country.

International non-humanitarian assistances to the island country were suspended due to the power takeover in March by the military-backed High Transitional Authority, which is widely seen as unconstitutional.

Madagascar's southern regions were hit by a prolonged drought and the plague of locusts early this year.

The United Nations appealed to the international community to give emergency assistance to the victims of the natural disaster.