Food aid for 1.4 million people in Chad to ‘grind to a halt’ soon, WFP says
Al JazeeraFood aid is due to stop in January in a country taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees from Sudan’s war. The United Nations World Food Programme says food aid to 1.4 million people in Chad, including newly arrived refugees fleeing violence in Sudan’s Darfur region, will end in January because of a shortage of funds. More than 540,000 refugees have crossed from Sudan into Chad since war erupted seven months ago between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, according to the International Organization for Migration. “It is staggering, but more Darfuris have fled to Chad in the last six months than in the preceding 20 years,” said Pierre Honnorat, WFP’s Chad country director. “We cannot let the world stand and allow our life-saving operations grind to a halt in Chad.” The WFP said it requires $185m to support people in Chad for the next six months.