The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a stark warning about the escalating hunger crisis in Malawi’s Dzaleka refugee camp.
With drastic cuts in funding, at least 57,000 refugees face the threat of “severe hunger” by May if additional contributions are not secured.
The Rome-based agency revealed that its funding had dropped by 40 percent this year, putting life-saving aid for 58 million people at risk globally.
“We might completely halt cash assistance in May if we do not receive further funding,” said Simon Denhere, WFP’s deputy country director in Malawi.
Refugees in the overcrowded camp, located 40 kilometers north of Lilongwe, depend on cash-based food aid of 15,000 Malawian Kwacha ($9) per person each month.
Many are displaced from conflict zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, and are unable to work due to restrictions imposed by Malawi.
Camp manager Elton Phulusa warned that halting food aid would lead to chaos, as refugees have no alternative means of survival.
The situation has been exacerbated by cuts from major donors like the United States, Germany, and the UK.
The WFP needs $10.7 million to restore full rations for the camp through December 2025.
With food supplies dangerously low, refugees like Rwandan community leader Joyce Wamuyu fear the trauma that will follow the suspension of aid
“It will be difficult for us to survive,” she said, as hundreds of refugees queued for what could be their last monthly stipend.
