UN says 1.4 million refugees in Chad risk hunger due to lack of funding
No fewer than 1.4 million refugees in the Republic of Chad who are fleeing the war in Sudan could face hunger due to limited financial power.
The World Food Program (WFP said 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.
Many of the displaced made their way to neighboring Chad, putting additional strain on the already impoverished country as it hosts one of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing refugee populations, according to the World Food Programme.
Sudan was thrown into chaos in April when internal tensions escalated between the country’s military and the rival Rapid Support Forces.
The war has taken the lives of more than 5,000 people and displaced at least 5.2 million others amid reports of mass killings, rapes, and widespread destruction.
The UN agency said cutting 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.
It stressed that it urgently needs $185 million to continue its support to the crisis-affected populations in Chad over the next six months or make “brutal choices” of prioritizing certain needs and groups in the absence of the funding.
