HARARE Der I I More than 2 million people in war-ravaged Angola will need emergency food aid in the first half of next year, a UN agency said Friday, reports AP

Only a countrywide ceasefire would enable the World Food Programme to mount a full-scale relief operation to reach the needy all over Africa s fourth-largest nation, said a statement issued in Harare

The relief agency said dellv cries of food aid rose sixfold between June and November partly because of a unilateral cease-fire declared by the UNFTA rebel movement Sept 21 But much more was needed to reach areas where malnutrition has risen dramatically since June.

"Whole communities are now wholly dependent on food Basis -tance Pockets of moderate to severe malnutrition exist all over the country." the agency said

It estimated 2.06 mihion Angolans — a fifth of the popu tattoo — will need 178.0M) tons of food aid tn the first half of ISM.

Around the besieged town of Malangr women routinely cross government and UN FT A tren cbes to forage for camava and green leaves for their children, the agency said Many have been killed or maimed by mines

or taken prisoner

The World Food Programme recounted the plight of a family with five children in the town of Menongue living on leaves, cats and rats Mercedes Velasquez, a World Food Programme nutri tlonist. said the family s two youngest children died of star vation in one week

UN mediators at peace talks under way In Zambia estimate as many as 1000 Angolans are dying dally from fighting, famine and disease

The World Food Programme said its aid projections did not include requirements for medicine. shelter, clothing and other essentials nor the needs of hundreds of thousands of people in the government-held coastal cities of Benguela Lobito and Luanda not directly affected by fighting

It said meagre salaries and soaring food prices meant many urban families could not feed themselves

in towns where the average minimum monthly salary remained at teas than 1 dollar the coat of food rose almost 2.500 per cent in the past 12 months.

UNITA — the Portuguese acronym for National Union for the Total Independence of Angola — says it signed a de tailed cease fire agreement with the government Wednesday in