A refugee family has reportedly died of hunger in Kenya following the suspension of U.S. food assistance, highlighting the severe humanitarian impact of recent funding cuts under former U.S. President Donald Trump, Peak Newspaper reports.
The crisis followed the withdrawal of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a key donor that had helped the World Food Programme (WFP) purchase food for refugees. With the sudden shortfall, WFP was forced to make urgent and painful decisions to stretch its limited resources.
Aid officials said the agency had to prioritize families based on vulnerability, ultimately determining that only half of the refugee population would receive food assistance. Refugees learned whether they would get food through a number stamped on the back of their ration cards, a system that starkly divided communities between those who would eat and those who would not.
Humanitarian workers warn that the consequences have been dire. Families left without rations have struggled to survive, with reports of acute hunger, illness, and deaths emerging from affected camps. The situation has renewed global concern about the impact of political decisions on vulnerable populations who rely entirely on international aid for survival.
The World Food Programme has continued to appeal for emergency funding, warning that without urgent support, more lives could be lost in refugee settlements across the region.
