Algiers, February 27, 2015 (SPS)- The World Food Programme (WFP) and other United Nations agencies have urged on donors to continue their food aid for the Sahrawis living in refugee camps Tindouf (Algeria), warning of the insufficient funding to meet their needs in the second half of current year.
WFP Deputy Director in Algeria Francesca Caponera said that "a halt in WFP food assistance would have a severe impact on the food security and nutritional status of the refugees and may have unpredictable consequences on the stability of the area."
She warned that "the Sahrawi refugees live in a desert area near the town of Tindouf, where living conditions are extremely harsh and they remain heavily dependent on external humanitarian assistance to survive," the source said.
WFP made this appeal during a briefing session held Wednesday in Algiers.
For his part, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Algeria Ralf Gruenert said that "the unprecedented scale of humanitarian emergencies around the world has overshadowed the long-lasting Sahrawi refugee crisis and negatively impacted donor support."
"Food assistance is particularly affected and unless new funding becomes available, the UN will be forced to suspend part of its food assistance in July 2015," he added.
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Algeria Thomas Davin underlined that "there is great anxiety among the camp population about cuts in food aid, as coping mechanisms are very scarce."
WFP has been supporting Sahrawi refugees in Algeria since 1986. (SPS)
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