But due to the insecurity hampering the movement of vehicles on the main roads to the Sierra Leonean capital, the World Food Programme cannot rely on its food stocks up country to replenish its stocks in Freetown. There are currently 5,000 tons of various food commodities in Conakry earmarked for Sierra Leone. There are increasing reports of malnutrition throughout Sierra Leone in particular among children, while the purchasing power of the population has decreased substantially. Since the coup, the prices of basic food commodities have doubled, in some case tripled.
Fuel is still available in small quantities and electricity supplies are intermittent in Freetown.
The Sierra Leonean capital and its surroundings are hosting more than 60,000 internally displaced persons depending entirely on food aid distributed by the World Food Programme and international NGOs. The fighting and the insecurity in Freetown has cut off tens of thousands persons from relief food especially near the Lungi area scene of violent clashes between ARFC forces and Ecomog troops. The increased population coupled with the economic blockade has brought about increased social and economic hardship in the district. However Kambia district remains relatively peaceful and calm. Most communities are busy with farming activities like weeding of upland rice plots, transplanting of swamp rice and harvesting and drying of groundnuts and early millet.