KHAR Sunday, January 31, 2010 (IRIN) – Along a road leading to the Bajaur tribal area on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, two men cast stealthy glances around them as they guide donkeys carrying bags covered with blankets.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today began ramping up its operations in Haiti by opening 16 fixed food distribution sites offering supplies to some 2 million people affected by the massive earthquake in the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Even before this month’s earthquake, Port-au-Prince could be a difficult place to work. Now, with half the city destroyed, 1 million residents displaced and the stress from frequent aftershocks, there are new challenges to working in the Haitian capital.

The United Nations today urged international donors to fund a $700 million plan to rebuild Haiti’s critical agricultural sector, the cornerstone of the Government’s strategy to get the country back on its feet after the catastrophic 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck on 12 January.

The number of United Nations staff killed in this month’s earthquake in Haiti has reached 84, while another 15 personnel remained unaccounted for, nearly three weeks after the disaster.