WFP forced to cut aid to Syrians by around half amid lack of funds

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday that it has been forced to cut its aid to Syrians in need of basic food supplies by around half amid a lack of funding.

"An unprecedented funding crisis in Syria is forcing the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to cut assistance to 2.5 million of the 5.5 million people who rely on the agency for their basic food needs," said the agency in a statement.

It added that after "exhausting all other options," it took the decision to stretch its "extremely limited" resources by prioritizing "three million Syrians who are unable to make it from one week to the next without food assistance."

The WFP also noted that if it kept providing aid to 5.5 million people, it would "run out of food completely by October."

"Instead of scaling up or even keeping pace with increasing needs, we’re facing the bleak scenario of taking assistance away from people, right when they need it the most," said WFP Representative and Country Director in Syria Kenn Crossley.

The WFP’s statement came as the European Union is scheduled to host the seventh Brussels Conference on “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region” on Wednesday.

Syria has been mired in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Over the past decade, around half a million people have been killed and more than 12 million had to flee their homes.