Nyala, August 24 (Darfur24)
Displaced people in Kalma camp, east of Nyala in South Darfur, are facing worsening humanitarian conditions and widespread disease after the World Food Programme replaced food rations with cash assistance and reduced the number of families receiving aid, camp leaders said.
Ishaq Abdullah, head of Kalma camp, told Darfur24 that the cash assistance of 17,000 Sudanese pounds per person per month was insufficient to cover food needs because of soaring prices.
He said the number of families receiving WFP assistance had been reduced from about 64,000 to 35,000, forcing many displaced people to seek alternative sources of food and support.
Abdullah said signs of malnutrition were appearing among children and the elderly because of food shortages, calling on the WFP to increase cash assistance to reflect the rising cost of living.
More than 9,000 newly displaced people have arrived at Kalma camp since the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces began, he said, adding that they remain outside the existing aid programme.
Kalma camp was already home to more than 300,000 displaced people, with the population increasing further as people fled fighting in other parts of Darfur.
The ongoing war has disrupted humanitarian access across Sudan, worsening food shortages and disease among displaced communities.