Ethiopia, 10 October 2025 – The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has warned of the deteriorating situation for refugees in Ethiopia after announcing reductions in food rations due to a drop in funding.
The UN agency announced on Friday it had been forced to reduce food rations for 780,000 refugees in 27 camps across Ethiopia from 60 per cent to 40 per cent.
This means each person will receive food assistance equivalent to less than 1,000 calories per day, which is below the minimum nutritional requirement for an adult.
WFP also confirmed that only 70,000 refugees who recently fled the ongoing conflict in Sudan and South Sudan will continue to receive full rations for six months, as hunger and malnutrition remain high among the new arrivals.
Zlatan Milisic, WFP's Ethiopia Director, highlighted the pressure of the situation, stating that without additional funding, the ration cuts would continue, eventually leading to a complete halt of food distributions, a move that would jeopardize the lives of those the agency is currently assisting.
“This is not a future risk. It is happening right now,” Milisic said. “Every ration cut brings vulnerable family members closer to death,” he added.
WFP also warned that its specialized nutritional supplies for malnourished children and breastfeeding mothers are running low and could run out by December if new funding is not secured.
The Humanitarian organization noted that it was at risk of being unable to assist one million children suffering from malnutrition, along with pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The UN agency urgently requested $230 million to continue its operations for the next six months.
WFP has assisted 4.7 million vulnerable people in Ethiopia since January, providing food, nutrition, and school feeding programs, but reduced funding and security issues, particularly in the Amhara region, have hampered its efforts.
The humanitarian organization is facing a worsening financial crisis after its largest donor, the United States, unexpectedly cut nearly all of its contributions, disrupting humanitarian efforts in the region.
Washington has been the main pillar of WFP support, providing nearly $4.5 billion in 2024 — more than four times the second-largest donor, Germany — and nearly half of all historical funding.