Food shortage looming on Tindouf refugees, UN warn

A serious lack of food aid and insufficient funding are combining to threaten the health and welfare of refugees living in quarter-century old Tindouf camps in Algeria, two United Nations agencies warned Thursday.

Without a new infusion of funds, by October the refugees will get only 11% of their daily food aid requirements -- about 231 kilocalories for each person -- compared to the standard UN ration of flour, lentils, beans, vegetable oil and other items totaling 2,100 kilocalories daily, said the World Food Program (WFP) and the High Commissioner for refugees (HCR) in a joint statement.

In order to meet the refugees' nutritional needs through this year, WFP needs 8,336 metric tons of food valued at $3.7 million.

Director of the WFP bureau in Geneva, Daly Belgasmi, warned that without new contributions, "the drastic reduction in October's food package will have severe consequences on the health of the refugees, particularly for children under five, pregnant women and lactating mothers."

UNHCR's budget to care for the Tindouf refugees is also experiencing a cash crunch, with only $1.5 million pledged so far out of the $4.6 million required. While the agency can pool funds to cover part of the gap, its overall annual budget also faces a shortfall.

"35% of the children suffer chronic malnutrition, and 13% of the children are acutely malnourished, leading to a high level of stunting among young children," said UNHCR's Radhouane Nouicer, who oversees operations in North Africa and the Middle East.

In September, UNHCR and WFP will conduct a comprehensive nutritional survey of the refugees, the release concluded.