KIGALI, Rwanda 

The World Food Program (WFP) announced Friday that it will have to cut food assistance to refugees in Rwanda by 60% in March because of a funding shortfall.

The decision is likely to cause widespread food insecurity within the refugee community and will affect 135,000 Burundian and Congolese refugees in camps in Rwanda who rely on assistance to meet basic food needs each month.

“This is a desperate situation and, without an immediate response from donors, we simply have no choice but to reduce our assistance to the refugees,” WFP Rwanda Director Edith Heines said in a statement. “While WFP appreciates the support received so far, we are urgently appealing to donors to quickly come to the aid of the refugees and provide additional funding so that we can return to full rations and avoid any prolonged negative impacts.”

The WFP provides refugees with a monthly cash transfer to buy food in local markets, where each person receives 7,600 Rwandan francs ($7.72) under a full ration allocation.

The WFP requires $9 million to avert ration reductions from March through June and $20.6 million to continue full assistance through 2021, according to the statement.

It warned that without new funding deeper reductions would be necessary in coming months.

But the WFP promised to maintain full rations of targeted nutritional support to 51,000 refugees identified as particularly vulnerable, including children under 2 years old, schoolchildren and pregnant and nursing mothers, as well as those living with HIV and tuberculosis patients under treatment.

Many refugees have been particularly hard hit by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

WFP data from June and November indicated an increased reliance on external aid among refugees since the onset of the pandemic.

From 2017 through mid-2018, WFP was compelled to reduce rations by 25% due to funding shortfalls.