The World Food Programme is preparing to fly three plane-loads of food to the central Angolan city of Huambo, to feed tens of thousands of Angolans who fled recent fighting between government forces and UNITA rebels.

It's the first of eighteen flights planned over the next two weeks.

The World Food Programme says the situation around Huambo, and the city of Kuito in neighbouring Bie province, is now calm.

But the agency estimates that more than two hundred thousand civilians have been displaced since the fighting broke out earlier this month.

A spokeswoman said most had fled with nothing.