UN calls for aid to feed 320,000 refugees in Tanzania

KAMPALA, Uganda – The United Nations World Food Program says it has reduced food rations for 320,000 refugees living in northwest Tanzania as a result of funding shortfalls.

WFP said in a statement Sunday that it urgently requires $23.6 million to meet the food and nutritional needs of refugees through December. The affected refugees are primarily from Burundi and Congo.

Michael Dunford, the WHO representative in Tanzania, said “further ration cuts will be necessary” if donors do not respond immediately.

WFP says rations were reduced for the August distribution, reaching only 62 per cent of the recommended daily intake of 2,100 kilocalories.

The U.N. has also been urging the international community to donate toward supporting over 2 million South Sudanese refugees sheltering in neighbouring countries.