The ongoing Maoist violence and the counter-insurgency operations in the mid- and far-western regions have resulted in a serious disruption of food supply chains. The UN's Food for Work program is worried because some of the most food insecure districts of Nepal are being affected. "Our suppliers are being harassed by both sides in the conflict," says Douglas C Coutts, WFP representative. Trucks carrying supplies are asked to load and off-load at the checkpoints along the main roads, and beyond the road-heads it is the Maoists who harass suppliers. "That's as good as using \'food as weapon' and it is unacceptable," says Coutts.
"It means we are also starving people who are non-combatants."

This is the time of year when all food-for-work schemes go into high-gear, building and repairing infrastructure before the rains, and when most of the food should be there. Most areas of the mid- and far-west are food insecure areas.