The World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning that critical food aid for millions of Sudanese refugees across four neighboring countries could cease within the next couple of months without an urgent influx of new funding. The UN agency also highlighted escalating malnutrition levels, particularly among children, as the humanitarian crisis deepens.

The WFP’s warning, reiterated in statements on Monday, June 30, and Tuesday, July 1, emphasizes that operations providing life-saving food assistance are severely underfunded. Without immediate contributions, support could grind to a halt in the Central African Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya. While food assistance is provided across seven countries hosting Sudanese refugees, these four are at the most immediate risk of a complete suspension of aid.

Over four million people have fled Sudan since conflict erupted in April 2023, seeking safety and sustenance in neighboring nations. However, many are now encountering worsening hunger and despair across the border. The WFP reports that malnutrition rates among refugee children in reception centers in Uganda and South Sudan have already exceeded emergency thresholds, indicating that many refugees arrive severely malnourished.

Shaun Hughes, WFP’s Emergency Coordinator for the Sudan Regional Crisis, described the situation as a “full-blown regional crisis” impacting countries already grappling with high levels of food insecurity and conflict. “Millions of people who have fled Sudan depend wholly on support from WFP, but without additional funding we will be forced to make further cuts to food assistance,” Hughes stated, warning that this would leave vulnerable families, especially children, at severe risk of hunger and malnutrition.

To sustain its emergency response for Sudanese refugees in neighboring countries for the next six months, WFP urgently requires just over $200 million. An additional $575 million is needed for life-saving operations within Sudan itself, where millions remain on the brink of famine. The humanitarian agencies are calling for immediate international funding and, critically, political action to end the conflict and allow Sudanese people to return home.

By: TPA News Desk | editor@thepointafricanews.com