Food assistance to 1.4 million refugees in Chad who fled the conflict in parts of the Sahel could end because of limited funding, the United Nations food agency warned on Tuesday.
Most of the refugees escaped the war in Sudan and crossed into Chad in the last six months in numbers not seen in the last 20 years, the UN's World Food Programme said in a statement.
Food assistance to 1.4 million refugees in Chad who fled the conflict in parts of the Sahel could end because of limited funding, the United Nations food agency warned on Tuesday.
Most of the refugees escaped the war in Sudan and crossed into Chad in the last six months in numbers not seen in the last 20 years, the UN's World Food Programme said in a statement.
바카라This forgotten crisis has metastasized as the world's eyes are on other emergencies 바카라 We cannot let the world stand and allow our life-saving operations grind to a halt in Chad,바카라 said Pierre Honnorat, WFP's country director in Chad.
Sudan plunged into conflict in April when long-simmering tensions escalated between the country's military and the rival Rapid Support Forces, resulting in the death of more than 5,000 people and displacement of at least 5.2 million people amid reports of mass killings, rapes, and widespread destruction, according to the UN.
Many of the displaced found their way to neighbouring Chad, piling pressure on the already impoverished country as it becomes host to one of the largest and fastest-growing refugee populations in Africa, the WFP said.
바카라Collectively we must find a way to support the women, children and men who are bearing the full brunt of this crisis. Cutting our assistance is simply not an option because it will have untold consequences for millions of people, jeopardizing years of investment in fighting hunger and malnutrition in Chad,바카라 Honnorat said.
The WFP said that malnutrition is a major concern, with nine in 10 new arrivals reporting 바카라poor or borderline food consumption.바카라
Honnorat said the WFP urgently needs USD 185 million to continue its support to crisis-affected populations in Chad over the next six months. In the absence of that funding, he said, the agency is being forced to make 바카라brutal choices바카라 to prioritize certain needs and groups.
바카라In December, WFP will be forced to suspend assistance to internally displaced people and refugees from Nigeria, Central African Republic, and Cameroon due to insufficient funds," Honnorat said.
바카라From January this suspension will be extended to 1.4 million people across Chad 바카라 including new arrivals from Sudan who will not receive food as they flee across the border.바카라