The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that refugees in Ethiopia are facing a heightened risk of hunger due to critical funding shortages, which have forced cuts to food rations. As of October, the WFP has been compelled to reduce rations for 780,000 refugees in 27 camps across Ethiopia from 60 percent to 40 percent. This reduction translates to each person receiving less than 1,000 calories per day.

Only 70,000 newly arrived refugees, who fled conflict in neighboring Sudan and South Sudan, will continue to receive full rations for the next six months. Hunger and malnutrition rates are particularly high among these new refugees. According to Zlatan Milisic, WFP Ethiopia Country Director and Representative, “We are making impossible choices, trying to reach as many refugees as possible with meaningful amounts of food assistance.” However, without additional funding, these reductions may lead to the complete suspension of food distributions, putting the lives of those currently assisted at risk.

The WFP is urgently seeking $230 million to sustain humanitarian operations for the next six months. Without immediate new funding, the organization may be forced to completely suspend food assistance for all refugees in Ethiopia in the coming months. Furthermore, supplies of specialized nutritious foods for malnourished children and mothers are running low and are expected to be depleted by December. This would end support for one million malnourished children and pregnant and breastfeeding women unless additional funds are received.

The WFP had previously issued an urgent appeal in April, warning that it was running out of funds for nutrition supplies. Donors responded, enabling the continuation of nutrition programs. The organization is also working closely with the Government of Ethiopia to meet the needs of 700,000 people in the southeastern Somali region, which has been affected by both drought and flooding.

The funding challenges and ongoing insecurity, particularly in the Amhara region, continue to disrupt WFP’s humanitarian operations. Between January and October this year, the WFP supported 4.7 million vulnerable people in Ethiopia with food assistance, nutrition support, school meals, and resilience activities. The situation underscores the need for urgent funding to prevent further reductions in food assistance and to ensure the continuation of critical humanitarian operations.