Congolese refugees to receive food from WFP

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has committed US $280,000 towards a six-month programme to provide a minimum of food security for some 12,000 Congolese refugees in Gabon, a WFP official told IRIN on Wednesday. However, the programme still faces a shortfall of over US $300,000.

WFP’s contribution has allowed for the purchase of two months’ worth of food, WFP’s Gian Carlos Cirri told IRIN. He said this was “emergency food aid” destined for refugees who had received no relief food since mid-April. WFP’s contribution, drawn from its Immediate Response Account, represents a “big effort” as donors have not given money for this initiative, Cirri said.

The funding shortfall - about US $340,000 - has created a “tense and critical situation”: a total of US $620,000 is needed to buy 950 mt of food for the six months. “We are waiting for new contributions to cover the remaining four months,” Cirri said.

Earlier this month, heads of the UN’s main humanitarian agencies deplored financial shortfalls for humanitarian assistance and appealed to donors to continue funding their work.