Un Warns Of Food Crisis For Syrian Refugees

The United Nations predicted decline in the size of food aid given to the Syrian refugees in neighboring countries over the coming period as a result of shortfall in funding from donor nations. The UN reported that donors who were providing aid Syrian refugees shifted their focus to counter crises in different regions, such as Ebola in Africa. The World Food Program (WFP) said it does not have enough funding to provide food aid to Syrian refugees during February, especially in light of the bad weather conditions. WFP spokeswoman Abeer Etefa said the warning sent out by WFP in December that it was stopping providing food to Syrian refugees due to shortage of funding allowed to secure funding that will enable the program to meet its obligations towards refugees in the coming months. However, Eteffa added that WFP will provide 70% of the food aid for Syrian refugees over the coming period given the lack of the necessary funding to cover all costs. She explained that this procedure would not affect the refugees in Zaatari and Al Azraaq refugee camps in Jordan. She also warned that the cut of food aid may continue throughout 2015, which may reflect negatively on the health of refugees. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Al Jazeera)