WFP aid for Ethiopian and Eritrean refugees in Sudan

The World Food Program (WFP) has earmarked $15 million in food aid for Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees living in Sudan, according to a memorandum of understanding signed between Sudan and the program Tuesday.

Sudan's Commissioner For Refugees, Mohammed el Aghbash, said in a statement reported by the local media on Wednesday that the amount will be used to provide various food items for about 132,000 Eritrean and Ethiopian refugees in the eastern parts of Sudan for 18 months as from 1 May.

The program also approved another $1,555,000 emergency operation to feed some 15,000 Burkinabe forced to flee Cote d'Ivoire November after a land tenure dispute with local people.

Between March and November, the agency plans to distribute more than 2,300 metric tons of food to cover the displaced people's food needs until the next harvest. More than 70 percent of the displaced population are women and children.