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Shortages in food aid affect 2 mln refugees in Africa: UN agencies

Xinhua, February 21, 2017 Adjust font size:

The UN food and refugee agencies on Monday voiced concern at "the critical shortages" which are affecting some 2 million refugees in 10 countries across Africa.

Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, told reporters here the executive director of the World Food Program (WFP), Ertharin Cousin, and the UN high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, were very concerned about the critical situation.

The number of refugees in Africa nearly doubled from 2.6 million in 2011 to nearly 5 million in 2016, he noted.

"While donor funding for refugee assistance increased during this period, it did not keep pace with rapidly rising needs," Haq said.

"As a result, the humanitarian response is significantly underfunded and this has forced cuts in food assistance for some groups of refugees," he said.

Ten refugee operations in Africa have experienced cuts and food rations have been dramatically cut -- in some cases by up to 50 percent -- in large operations including Cameroon, Chad, Kenya, Mauritania, South Sudan and Uganda, he added. Enditem