US CALLS FOR HELP IN FEEDING REFUGEES IN KENYA

Somalia refugees stand in front of an entrance to the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya on October 14, 2011. The United States has called on other donor countries on Tuesday to help feed over half a million refugees in Kenya. FILE PHOTO | AFP  

By KEVIN J. KELLEY

The United States called on other donor countries on Tuesday to help feed over half a million refugees in Kenya whose rations were recently cut in half.

The US is “profoundly concerned about funding shortfalls being experienced by humanitarian organisations” in Kenya and many places around the world," a State Department spokesman said.

“We welcome the important contributions the United Kingdom and Denmark announced recently for Kenya and urge other countries and entities to make further donations as well to address the growing food insecurity for refugees, both in Kenya and worldwide,” the spokesman added.

Washington's request for assistance came in response to the World Food Programme's decision earlier this month to reduce rations for refugees in Kakuma and Dadaab from about 2,100 to 1,050 kilocalories per person per day.

‘LAST RESORT’ MOVE

The United Nations agency said it was making this “last resort” move due to a $38 million funding deficit for feeding programmes it operates in the camps in northern Kenya.

The cuts, which will remain in effect until the end of January, affect some 350,000 Somalis in the Dadaab complex and another 125,000 refugees, mainly from South Sudan, in the Kakuma camp.

In urging other nations and organisations to act, the US noted that it has provided more than $111 million to assist refugees in Kenya this year.

The State Department also pointed out that the US is the world's single-largest donor to the World Food Programme.

CREDIT SOURCE: DAILY NATION