As worries continue to prevail over shortage of food in refugee camps of Gihembe, Nyabiheke and Kiziba, the World Food Programme (WFP) has expressed concern over shortage of food and finances.

In a letter addressed to the Minister of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, Marcel Gatsinzi, reacting to the current situation, WFP Country Director, Abdoulaye Balde, informed the Minister that there is an alarming shortage of food and finances at WFP.

"A serious limitation of financial resources to assist the refugees is currently jeopardizing the implementation of our work,”

"Due to the shortages in maize, beans, Corn Soya Blend (CSB) and salt, we will be forced to cut the standard of food rations by 50% from September to the end of December 2011 when our current PRRO is expected to end,” Balde said in a letter.

According to WFP, to date, only less than 54% of the required contributions to the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO 20030) to support the camps for the two years have been received.

It says it needs 2,250 metric tonnes of combined commodities valued at US$ 3.8 million to be able to distribute full rations to the mainly Congolese refugees until the end of this year.

"At the moment, no contribution is forecasted. If funding is not urgently identified, rations will be cut by 50% through December, when resources will run out entirely,”

"I am concerned unless WFP has the resources needed to carry out its vital work in the refugee camps, an already alarming food insecurity will rise further, damaging for life the brains and bodies of young children,” Balde said in the alarming letter to the Minister.

Efforts to contact Minister Gatsinzi were futile as he is out of the country, but in an interview with The Sunday Times, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry, Antoine Ruvebana, said that the situation is indeed alarming.

"We share responsibilities on the day-to-day running of the camps. The government, UNHCR, WHO and WFP jointly run the camps, but WFP solely provides food, and if they say there is no money, there is reason for all of us to worry,” he said.

"The government also doesn’t have the money to feed the refugees as it was not provided for in the budget. This is a big problem and currently we don’t know what to do”.

Ruvebana blamed the problem on the food crisis in Somalia as donors have diverted 60% of the money that has been coming to Rwanda to Somalia.

"While the problem in Somalia is very urgent, we call upon the countries and donors that have been funding WFP programmes in Rwanda to reconsider because the situation is equally becoming appalling,” Ruvebana said.

He noted that the three camps have a population of about 53,000 refugees, though there are more foreign refugees living in Rwanda but not in camps, noting that those in camps are the ones with an urgent problem.

Ruvebana called on donors to intervene before the situation worsens in the 3 camps located in Karongi, Gatsibo and Gicumbi districts.

The PS noted that Rwanda is also facing a challenge of increasing refugees returning home as the cessation clause nears and cannot have enough funds to cater for foreign refugees.

"The transit camps at Rusizi in Nyagatare and Nkamira are receiving overwhelming numbers. While we don’t have a problem of food yet, the government is spending a lot of money trying to resettle the returnees in normal life.”

He noted that the transit camps receive more than 1,000 people a month, a number which is overwhelming. Transit camps are also fed by WFP.

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