Refugees in Ethiopia face rising hunger as WFP forced to reduced rations

In October, WFP was forced to reduce rations for 780,000 refugees in 27 camps across Ethiopia from a 60 percent ration to just 40 percent. This means each person will now receive food assistance equivalent to less than 1,000 calories per day. Only 70,000 newly arrived refugees who fled conflict in neighbouring Sudan and South Sudan will continue to receive full rations for the next six months. Hunger and malnutrition rates are very high among the new refugees.

“We are making impossible choices,” said Zlatan Milisic, WFP Ethiopia Country Director and Representative. “We are trying to reach as many refugees as possible with meaningful amounts of food assistance. But without more funds, these reductions are just another step towards stopping food distributions completely, putting the lives of those we currently assist at risk.

“This isn’t a future risk — it’s happening right now. Every ration cut is a child left hungrier, a mother forced to skip meals, a family pushed closer to the edge,” said Milisic.

WFP is urgently calling for US$230 million to sustain humanitarian operations for the next six months. Without immediate new funding, WFP could be forced to completely suspend food assistance for all refugees in Ethiopia in the coming months.

WFP’s supplies of specialized nutritious foods provided to malnourished children and mothers are also running dangerously low. They are expected to run out completely by December, meaning that WFP’s support for one million malnourished children and pregnant and breastfeeding women would also end unless additional funds are received.

WFP issued an urgent appeal back in April warning that it was running out of funds for nutrition supplies, putting support for children and mothers in need at risk. Donors thankfully responded and WFP’s nutrition programmes were able to continue.

WFP is also working closely with the Government of Ethiopia to meet the needs of 700,000 people in the southeastern Somali region. The area has been hit by both localized drought and flooding. WFP is working to stretch the limited humanitarian food supplies available so it can continue to provide full rations.

“Our operations have been hanging by a thread for months now,” said Milisic. “This is not only undermining our ongoing support to food insecure Ethiopians and refugees, but also our preparedness to respond to new crises, which could span new refugee influxes, drought conditions or other climate shocks.”

WFP last reduced rations for refugees in May 2023. Since then, the gap between humanitarian needs and available resources has only widened.

WFP supported 4.7 million vulnerable people in Ethiopia between January to October this year with food assistance, nutrition support, school meals and resilience activities. In addition to funding challenges, ongoing

insecurity, particularly in the Amhara region, continue to disrupt WFP’s humanitarian operations.

Notes to editors:

High resolution photos available here.

Broadcast quality footage available here.

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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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