Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning regarding a potential hunger crisis threatening refugees residing in Ethiopia. A severe funding shortfall is forcing the organization to drastically reduce food rations, placing hundreds of thousands at risk.
The WFP reports that it was compelled to cut rations in October for approximately 780,000 refugees from Sudan and South Sudan, spread across 27 camps throughout Ethiopia. These cuts have reduced rations from 60% to a mere 40% of the recommended daily allowance. This translates to individuals receiving less than 1000 calories per day, a dangerously inadequate amount for sustaining health and well-being.
“We are making impossible choices,” stated Zlatan Milisic, WFP Country Director and Representative in Ethiopia. “We are striving to reach as many refugees as possible with meaningful amounts of food assistance. However, without additional funds, these reductions are merely a step toward a complete halt to food distribution, endangering the very lives of those we are currently assisting.”
Milisic emphasized the dire consequences of each ration cut, stating that it means “one more hungry child, one more mother forced to skip a meal, and one more family pushed further towards the brink.”
The WFP urgently calls for $230 million in funding to sustain its humanitarian operations over the next six months. Without immediate financial support, the organization may be forced to completely suspend food assistance to all refugees in Ethiopia in the coming months.
Furthermore, the WFP’s stock of specialized nutritious food for malnourished children and mothers is dwindling rapidly and is projected to be completely depleted by December. This impending shortage will halt the WFP’s support for approximately one million malnourished children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers unless additional funding is secured. The WFP issued an urgent appeal in April, cautioning about the impending depletion of funds allocated for essential food supplies.
