Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Esther FOSSI
Published on 2024-04-09 14:35:20
The World Food Programme (WFP) is warning of a decrease in its resources that could lead the UN agency to suspend food distributions to refugees in Cameroon.
“We find ourselves in a particularly deficit financial situation that has led us to recently make ration reductions. Initially, by 70%, then by 50%, and today, after the end of April, we have no visibility on possible financing,” said Aboubacar Guindo, Deputy Head of WFP in Cameroon, to RFI.
“What is happening is that if you have refugee camps, let’s say 77,000 for example in the Far North region, they will certainly, if nothing is done, be forced to adopt what we call negative coping mechanisms. And there, we are talking about a majority of young people, a majority of young women, you can imagine what could happen. It’s also worth noting that this is an area where armed groups are still recruiting. There are also health risks in relation to the psychomotor development of children we support in malnutrition programs. So it’s a situation that greatly concerns us.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has identified 460,000 refugees in Cameroon. Among them, over 220,000 refugees from Nigeria and the Central African Republic are currently receiving humanitarian assistance from WFP.
According to Journaldutchad.com, WFP has announced the suspension of its programs in Chad. The World Food Programme (WFP) says it is facing an unprecedented financial crisis and has already made budget cuts. As a result, Chad, a country with over a million refugees, one of the largest and fastest-growing refugee populations in Africa, will be cut off from refugee assistance starting next month. In addition to the funding deficit, the UN organization is warning about the imminent rains.
Read the original article(French) on Journal du Cameroun
