UN warns of hunger and malnutrition in East Africa

The World Food Programme (WFP) has said serious hunger and malnutrition looms for millions of refugees across eastern Africa who depend on assistance from the food agency to survive.

It said that the socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has reduced vital funding from donors.

The WFP has already reduced food or cash transfers by up to 30% for more than 2.7 million refugees in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, and Djibouti, it said.

"Refugees are especially vulnerable to the spread of Covid-19 because they are crowded together in camps with weak or inadequate shelter, health services and access to clean water and sanitation," the WFP Eastern Africa Regional Director Michael Dunford said.