The United Nations refugee agency and World Food Programme on Tuesday appealed for US$266 million to safeguard more than 3 million refugees in East Africa after funding shortages forced the world body to cut their rations by up to 60%.
In a statement, UNHCR and WFP warned of growing risks including increased malnutrition and anaemia and stunted child growth, amid economic hardship compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic has been devastating for everyone, but for refugees even more so.” said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, UNHCR’s Regional Bureau Director Bureau for the East, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.
“Unless more funds are made available, thousands of refugees including children will not have enough to eat.”
COVID-19 lockdowns and measures to contain the pandemic’s spread, had already reduced the availability of food in markets in refugee camps and wrecked many refugees’ hopes of helping to support their families through casual labour and small businesses.
“Protection concerns are growing," Nkweta-Salami added.
"Food rations or cash cuts are resulting in negative coping strategies to meet their (refugees') basic food needs – such as skipping or reducing meals, taking loans with high interest, selling assets, child labour, and increased domestic violence.
"There is often a desperation and a feeling of no alternative,” she said.
The UN has never previously faced such a dire funding situation for refugees in the region and "the immediate priority" must be to ensure they receive "minimal levels" of aid so they are not forced to return to unsafe areas, said WFP's top official in the region.
“The immediate priority for us all must be to restore assistance to at least minimum levels for refugees, many of whom lost the lifeline of remittances due to the global impact of COVID-19,” said Michael Dunford, WFP Regional Director for Eastern Africa.
“We’ve never had such a terrible funding situation for refugees. We have a US$266 million shortfall for the next six months for refugees’ minimum needs. We are deeply concerned that if cuts continue, they will be faced with a very difficult decision: stay in the camps where food and nutrition security is deteriorating or consider risking going back when it is unsafe.”
In the 11 countries covered by UNHCR’s Bureau for the East and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, 72 percent of 4.7 million refugees face food cuts on top of funding shortfalls already for the agency's non-food assistance and support, WFP and UNHCR said.
Funding shortfalls have forced WFP to slash its monthly aid for refugees by up to 60 percent in Rwanda, 40 percent in Uganda and Kenya, 30 percent in South Sudan, 23 percent in Djibouti and 16 percent in Ethiopia, according to the statement.
WFP's huge cuts to refugees in Rwanda is unprecedented and will only worsen hunger, the UN agencies warned.
WFP largely supports refugees in Rwanda with cash transfers so relatively little additional funding could reverse the cuts, the agencies said.
WFP said it needs US$11 million to provide refugees in Rwanda with full cash or food rations through August.
Almost 140,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in Rwanda, mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. WFP supports 138,000 refugees in camps and 12,500 children from the host community who attend the same schools as refugees and receive school meals.
Uganda hosts the largest refugee population in Africa and in February WFP cut food assistance to 1.27 million refugees by 40 percent of the basic survival ration. US$77 million is needed through August to provide full rations. In South Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti, WFP requires US$82 million to provide full assistance through August for almost 1 million refugees.
Only refugees in Burundi and Sudan are receiving full rations and need a total of US$18 million through August.
