Sudan: Over 2.4 million people get food assistance, says WFP
June 9, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – The World Food Programme (WFP) said it provided food and nutrition assistance to over 2.4 million people in Sudan in April alone, with 2 million of them benefitting through in-kind food and cash-based transfers.
The United Nations agency, in its county brief, said the volume of food and cash distributed in April amounted to 5,500 million tons and $5.2 million respectively.
It, however, said $326 million six months net funding requirements are needed to enable it to provide food and nutrition assistance between May and October 2022.
According to preliminary reports provided to WFP, intercommunal fighting which erupted on 22 – 24 April in West Darfur’s Kereneik and Geneina resulted in at least 165 deaths and an estimated 98,000 people displaced.
“Food and livelihood needs are high as the majority of the people lost all their food stocks and possessions during the conflict and are unable to carry on with their usual livelihood activities. Due to the security situation, WFP temporarily suspended food distribution and United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) suspended its flights in and out of Geneina for 3 days,” partly reads the brief.
WFP, in its latest country briefing, said it scaled up its mobile cash-based transfers to four new locations in East Darfur and the West Kordofan State with its partner MTN, following the pilot in Jamaa Internally Displaced Person (IDP) Camp, Geneina.
As such, the world’s largest humanitarian agency said it delivered SIM cards to 15,400 beneficiaries and trained partners and community leaders on how to activate and use SIM cards to access cash entitlements.
“In April, 730,000 beneficiaries received their entitlement through cash-based transfers,” it noted.
Meanwhile, WFP and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reportedly signed an agreement to rehabilitate roads and drainage systems in three refugee camps in Gedaref State. The project, the agency disclosed, would be implemented in May and June ahead of the rainy season and is expected to improve accessibility to these camps during the rainy season.
(ST)