WFP welcomes Japan’s $1m for refugees and IDPs in Sudan

April 3, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed Japan government’s contribution of $1 million to provide life-saving food assistance to refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Sudan.

The agency said an estimated 60% of IDPs and 50% of refugees are food insecure in Sudan, adding that the funding will enable it purchase 568 mt of sorghum and 400 mt of salt to support the food needs of more than 650,000 refugees and IDPs.

“A record number of people are facing hunger in Sudan due to the combined effects of economic crisis, conflict, displacement, weather-related disasters and high food and fuel prices,” said Eddie Rowe, WFP’s Country Director in Sudan.

“This generous contribution from Japan will enable WFP to support some of the most food-insecure families in the country,” he added.

According to aid agencies, an estimated15 million people faced hunger during the 2022 lean season and that early indications are that there would be little improvement to the food security situation in 2023.

“It is our honour to continue our work with WFP Sudan through our project ‘Emergency Grant Aid for global food security – Sudan’, which is part of Japan’s global response to the deterioration of food security worldwide. Given the dire and deteriorating humanitarian situation here in Sudan, I sincerely hope that our contribution would help support vulnerable people, including refugees and IDPs,” said Takashi Hattori, Japan’s Ambassador to Sudan.

In 2022, WFP said it supported more than nine million people in Sudan, of which over 700,000 were refugees and around 3.6 million were IDPs.

This contribution is in addition to $5.5 million provided by the Government of Japan in 2021 and 2022 for WFP’s emergency food assistance response in Sudan.

(ST)