The World Food Program (WFP) has issued a grave warning about the current global humanitarian funding shortfall, a situation threatening the lives of millions of Sudanese refugees seeking to escape the war in their country. According to the announcement made this week, the UN agency may be forced to implement “drastic cuts” in food assistance, with the possibility of it being completely halted in countries like the Central African Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya in the coming months.
The humanitarian crisis is worsening after more than two years of conflict between the Sudanese national army and paramilitary rebels, forcing over four million people to flee. In Uganda, many of these vulnerable refugees are surviving on less than 500 calories per day, which is less than a quarter of what is necessary to meet their nutritional needs. This situation becomes even more dire with the steady increase in new arrivals overwhelming the support systems established to assist the refugees.
In Chad, where about 25% of Sudanese refugees are housed, the WFP has warned of an imminent reduction in food rations if new donations are not received. This would further exacerbate the already critical food crisis in the region.
Children, who are particularly vulnerable, face a high risk of malnutrition. The agency has reported that malnutrition rates among young refugees in reception centers in Uganda and South Sudan have exceeded emergency levels. Many newcomers arrive in neighboring countries already in a state of severe malnutrition, often before receiving any form of assistance.
“We are facing a full-blown regional crisis,” warned Shaun Hughes, WFP Emergency Coordinator for the Regional Crisis in Sudan. Hughes emphasized that millions of people are entirely dependent on WFP support and that without additional funding, the organization will be forced to further cut food aid, putting the most vulnerable families, especially children, at serious risk of hunger and malnutrition.
Source: MiMub in Spanish
