N’DJAMENA: The United Nations has issued a warning that it will no longer be able to feed around 600,000 refugees in Chad within weeks unless it receives urgent international funding.
The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has said that Chad is currently hosting the largest refugee population in West and Central Africa, with numbers rising due to unrest in neighboring Sudan.
Despite refugees being a priority, the WFP has had to reduce its plans to support nearly 455,600 refugees down to about 270,000 in April.
“We have already made a drastic targeting to ensure assistance for the poorest among the poor ,” said WFP’s Chad country director Pierre Honnorat. However, “we have absolutely no available funding from May onwards to feed the refugees and displaced people. It’s really catastrophic.”
The WFP is requesting $142.7 million for the coming six months to feed all crisis-affected populations in Chad, including refugees, the around 380,000 internally displaced, and other Chad citizens who have been hit by extreme weather in recent years.
“If no further funding was made available, food assistance to the crisis hit population will come to a 100% halt in May 2023 for both internally displaced and refugees,” the agency said in a statement.
Very high severe food insecurity in Chad
Chad is currently facing its fourth consecutive year of very high severe food insecurity, suffering the worst lean season in a decade last year, along with the most devastating floods in 30 years. The WFP has said there are currently 1.9 million people in Chad who are food insecure.
Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency has said it is looking to raise $172.5 million funding to provide protection and relief assistance to around one million forcibly displaced families and their hosts in Chad.
“That is just 15% funded, so we desperately need money for that country,” said UNHCR spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh.
The situation in Chad highlights the urgent need for more international funding to support vulnerable populations, both in Chad and elsewhere around the world.
Without this support, millions of people will continue to suffer from severe food insecurity and displacement, with devastating consequences for their health and well-being.
