African refugees face cuts in rations as funding runs low: UN

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) – African refugees who have fled wars or persecution face cuts in their daily rations because of a $225 million shortfall for vital food programmes, the United Nations said on Tuesday. They are showing show "unacceptable levels of malnutrition", leading to stunting and anaemia in children, the World Food Programme and the U.N. refugee agency said. They include nearly 450,000 refugees in the Central African Republic, Chad and South Sudan whose rations have been halved, the sister agencies said in a joint appeal to donor countries. The WFP needs $186 million to restore full rations and avoid further cuts through the end of this year for the 2.4 million refugees in 22 countries of sub-Saharan Africa under its care.