European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 26, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday july 26, 1994 crisis in Rwanda the stars and stripes Page 3 . Says by Vince Crawley staff writer Goma Zaire a . Military officials say Parachute drops of food Are a Way for the United states to provide immediate Aid to the rwandan crisis by avoiding the overcrowded Airport at Goma. A by dropping we can bypass the bottleneck Here a maj. Guy Shields . Military spokesman in Zaire said sunday at the Goma Airport. The Dusty overcrowded Airstrip is currently the Only lifeline for humanitarian deliveries to northeastern Zaire where More than -1.5, million rwandans have fled from civil War. Although Rwanda and Zaire Are bordered by Inland lakes Ocean harbours Are hundreds of Miles away across african Outback roads. During landings and takeoffs aircraft at Goma must avoid hundreds of children and adult curiosity seekers who Stream onto the runways from nearby refugee Camps. And the airports tiny unloading area is so congested that planes circled for hours sunday waiting for room to land. One . Plane carrying desperately needed water purification equipment was forced to turn Back without Landing because it was Low on fuel after circling. The roads leading to the Airport Are filled with tens of thousands of homeless rwandans and hundreds of their corpses. Parachute drops Shields said would a Cut out two links in the distribution problem by bypassing both the Airport and roadways. A and although the rwandan disaster Relief Mission called Friday by president Clinton remains in a chaotic infancy Shields pointed out that some cargo aircraft have already arrived in the theater. Shields answered critics of a . Airdrop sunday night to Catale Camp i drops from Page 1 three planes dropped the food precisely where the United nations asked them to drop it a Over a Coffee Plantation a so As to avoid hitting people. Virtually the entire 17 tons was recovered by . Soldiers and turned Over to the United nations said Navy cmdr. Ron Morse of the . European come speaking from Stuttgart Germany. A we done to want people say Irig we missed the target when we dont think we did a Morse said. Confusion Over where the food was supposed to land and complaints that so Many badly needed trucks were tied up waiting for it contributed to a less than enthusiastic response on the ground. A there Are a a lot of refugees and its going to take a lot of food a said air Force col. Jonathon Bortner who flew with the first food Parachute Mission late sunday afternoon. A Wear every Happy with the results of yesterdays drops Bortner said monday morning in Entebbe. A we went out to deliver thousands of pounds of food to starving individuals. We Are convinced that a lot of people got to eat last a  Bortner commands the 352nd special operations so based at Alconbury. The Squadron was alerted noon Fri Day and three of its Mc-130s arrived at Entebbe a Airport after a 17-Hodr flight and two midair ref clings. Too much Aid delivered too fast to rwandan refugees could overwhelm the distribution system Morse said monday a in some ways its like a funnel and As material becomes available we need to make sure that we done to overwhelm the delivery system a he said. A i know there a a lot of Effort being put into making the opening of the funnel bigger so we can push More stuff  a it was not the smoothest of starts for the american operation a Ray Wilkinson spokesman in Goma for the , High commissioner for refugees said diplomatically. Contributing to this report the associated press Zaire saying the food shortage there was a one of the things they told us about that we could do something about right  a a sip of water is better than no water a one american said of. The human itar Iari Aid parachuted sunday the Airdrop a May not be the answer a Shields said. A but Well give it a  Shields is spokesman for a 25-member . Military team that arrived saturday from the . European come Headquarters in Stuttgart Germany. The teams Mission is to assess what . Forces can do to reverse the epidemics and threat of famine among rwandan refugees. Clinton said Friday that one person is dying each minute. Githiri an hour of arriving midday saturday a we had folks in the air assessing drop zones a Shields said. The team members used a helicopter and Crew loaned by the French government. The assessment teams commander Marine col. Alan Davis stressed that rwandan disaster Relief is by no Means a .-led Effort. The . High commissioner for refugees and the French army Are both deeply involved in the area he said. A a. A. A a a they Are it and we Are in support a Davis said of the Small american Contin gent inside a sprawling French army Camp beside the Goma Airport runway. A officials with the Unher have really left me with a great Deal of respect for those people a said army maj. Russ English operations officer for the . Team. A arid certainly they can use assistance from the United  much of the air cargo unloading is done by hand so one of the first american planes into the area a c-141 Star lifter from Mcguire fab n.j., touched Down with the one thing the United nations needed most sunday morning in Goma a a 25,000-Pound forklift. Drinkable water also is a priority and assessment team members scoured the Region saturday and sunday to evaluate water resources. Goma a City of 80,000 on the Border of Zaire and Rwanda is near the shores of Large Freshwater Lake Kiva. The land is in Grassy Highlands 4,800 feet above sea level with relatively mild temperatures for equatorial Africa. Thus water is relatively plentiful Shields said., a a it a not the Quantity a he said of the water. A the distribution seems to be the  solutions include trucking water and laying pipelines to help end the Chol Era epidemic. A Wells Are being looked at too a Shields said. A but this area is All volcanic. When you dig you get below 2 inches and hit  military water purification experts Are in route to the disaster area. But Shields said it would be a a speculative to say which other service members might be deployed from Europe. Some Goma Zaire apr three thousand rwandan refugees set off for Home after Zaire reopened the Border but there was no sign that 1 million others hungry and crammed into squalid disease Ridden Camps in Goma were ready or even Able to join them. Meanwhile . Officials on monday urged the . Ambassador to Rwanda to Send american Aid to Kigali As a Way of luring millions of refugees Back Home. . Officials and the rwandan government Are concerned that providing All the Relief in Zaire will encourage millions of refugees to stay rather than return Home. As Many As 11,000 refugees have died in Goma in recent Days of cholera hunger exhaustion and dehydration their corpses filling several mass Graves. Aid workers planned to Start digging six More pits monday fearing thousands More will die before an International Aid operation is fully under Way. But refugee officials reported tentative Progress air and land Supply routes were being established to bring Relief supplies to the Camps. A we May N.W.be turning the Corner reaching Rock Bottom a Ray Wilkinson spokesman for the the . High commissioner for refugees said monday. A hopefully soon we May be Able to be climbing out of the abyss that we re now  the Goma Airport was operating nearly 24 hours a Day and Aid workers monday expected 30 flights double the average of previous Days. A truck Convoy also was to arrive monday from Kampala Uganda with 540 tons of food double the amount of the past few Days and almost the entire 600-ton daily need. Zairian authorities opened the Border sunday for the first time in two Days for those wanting to go Back to their War ravaged Homeland. Soldiers had refused to let refugees Back into Rwanda until abandoned weapons stocks along the Road could be cleaned up. A everybody is dying Here a said Farmer Jean de Dieu Kadoo As he led a Small boy across the Border. A a we a rather go  for Rwanda partial list of Aid agencies assisting Rwanda International Rescue committee 122 East 42nd St. 12th floor N.W.York by 10168-1289lutheran world Relief 390 Park ave. South N.W.York by 10016wennonlte Central committee Rwanda Relief . Box 500 Akron a 17501operation Usa 8320 Melrose ave. Los Angeles Ca 90069oxf am America 26 West St. Boston a 02111save the children Rwanda emergency . Box 975, dept. Re Westport it 06881 the episcopal Church presiding Bishops fund 815 second ave. New York by 10017the salvation army Rwanda Relief 615 slaters Lane. Alexandria a 23113united methodist committee 475 Riverside drive room 1374 N.W.York by 10115usa for Unher 2012 Massachusetts ave. Suite 500 Washington do 20036 n.w.. Committee for Unicof 333 East 38th St., 6th floor Newyork by 10016world concern Rwanda Relief . Box 33000 Seattle a 98133world Relief . Box arc dept. 3 Wheaton in 60189world vision. . Box 1131 Pasadena Ca 91131amerlcares Rwanda Relief 161 Cherry St. New Canaan it 06840 american jewish joint distribution committee 711 third ave. New York by 10017american Rad Cross Rwanda Relief . Box 37243 Washington. Do 20013care 151 Ellis St. Atlanta ga30303adventist development and Relief Agency . Box 4289 Silver Spring my 20914concern worldwide Usa 104 e. 40th St., room 903 Newyork by 10016catholic Relief services . Box 17090 Baltimore my 21298-9664church world service . Box 968 Elkhart. In 46515doctors without Borders Usa inc. 30 Rockefeller Plaza suite 5425 N.W.York by 10112 food for the hungry Rwanda Relief . Box 12272 Scottsdale a 85267-2272 Hesed jewish Relief Rwanda fund 32 Shepard St Cambridge a 02138