WFP Convoys heading from Port Sudan to Zamzam, Kadugli and Dilling to deliver lifesaving food aid to conflict affected communities. Photo: ©WFP/Abubakar Garelnabei
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has received US$118 million from the United States Government, through USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, to provide life-saving assistance to over 1 million displaced people in Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The number of displaced people in Eastern Africa has doubled over the past four years, rising from 13.2 million in 2020 to 26.5 million in 2024. This increase is largely due to conflict, with the war in Sudan forcing record numbers of people from their homes, as well as extreme weather events such as the 2020-2023 Horn of Africa drought.
“People who have lost their homes and livelihoods represent a significant portion of those WFP aims to reach across eastern Africa this year. This funding from the US is critical to ensure we can support these vulnerable displaced people, many of whom rely almost entirely on humanitarian assistance to survive,” said Laurent Bukera, WFP’s Regional Director for Eastern Africa.
The growth in the number of displaced people in recent years has not been matched by a growth in resources, forcing WFP to make difficult decisions about who receives food assistance and how much. Due to funding pressures, none of the displaced people that WFP supports in Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, or Uganda are receiving a full ration (equivalent to 2,100 kilocalories).
The timely contribution from the US will enable WFP to provide cash transfers and in-kind food assistance to over one million displaced people, including refugees, asylum seekers, returnees, internally displaced persons, and some food-insecure host communities. In Rwanda, it will prevent a pipeline break in WFP’s refugee operation, ensuring continuity and stability for the most vulnerable through early 2025.
