World Food Program cuts aid to Syrian refugees in Jordan

The announcement raises new concerns about more than half a million refugees who live in Jordanian communities rather than camps.

AMMAN // The cash-strapped World Food Program has cut in half food aid to most Syrian refugees in Jordan and says only a last-minute US donation prevented the programme from being scrapped.

Friday’s announcement raises new concerns about more than half a million refugees who live in Jordanian communities rather than camps. Largely unable to work legally, most urban refugees live in poverty and rely on food vouchers for survival.

Jordan hosts 629,000 Syrian refugees, including about 100,000 in refugee camps.

Of the remaining urban refugees, 440,000 have been receiving food vouchers.

In August, support for the most vulnerable among them, or about 200,000 people, will drop from $28 to $14 per person per month and for the rest from $14 to $7.

The WFP says funding is not secured beyond August.

* Associated Press