The World Food Programme (WFP) says it urgently needs U.S.$162.4 million to support the Chadian government in assisting 2.3 million people in need of food assistance.
Development Diaries reports that newly arrived refugees from Sudan and the 600,000 refugees in Chad need life-saving aid during the June to August lean season.
Since fighting started in Sudan, over 30,000 people have crossed the border into Chad to escape violence, and thousands more may arrive in the coming weeks, according to the government and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
WFP said in a statement that funding shortfalls mean food assistance for refugees and internally displaced people will come to a complete halt this month if no additional funds are received.
‘We need urgent funding to provide rapid food assistance to all vulnerable people in the country’, said Pierre Honnorat, the WFP Representative and Country Director in Chad.
‘We are prepositioning food to respond to the Sudan refugee crisis, but it is a race against time as the rainy season hits in June and access to many areas in Chad will get cut off.
‘Rapid support from the international community is essential if we are to continue supporting the Chadian government in providing a coordinated, effective, and life-saving response’.
The humanitarian situation in Chad is dire as the country is experiencing a fourth consecutive year of acute food and nutrition insecurity.
Photo source: United Nations
