The World Food Program talks of a famine of Biblical proportions.

The WFP says the coronavirus crisis will push more than  a quarter of a billion people living in conflict zones to the brink of starvation.

That’s twice the number of people suffering acute food shortage last year.

The WFP’s chief economist Dr Harif Husain tells the UN Security Council  COVID 19 is catastrophic for people already hanging on by a thread.

It’s a hammer blow for millions who can only eat if they earn a wage.

Lockdowns and the economic recession has decimated their nest eggs. COVID 19 will drive them over the edge

More than 20 million people  are driven to starvation by the desert locust infestation in East Africa and the Horn.

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The charity says the rate of refugee arrivals has increased almost five-fold in the last four months.

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Up to 10 000 refugees from Burundi continue pouring into Tanzania each month.

About 250 000 Burundian and Congolese refugees are squeezed into Tanzania’s three camps – which are now full.

MSF’s David Nash says this is rapidly becoming one of Africa’s biggest refugee crises.

There have been fears that food distribution may be cut due to lack of funds.

In October, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced a cut in food rations to 60% of the daily recommended nutritional intake. This measure was only narrowly avoided by a last-minute donation.

But as the number of refugee arrivals continues to grow, the risk of further cuts in the near future is a cause of concern.

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Renewed deadly violence in the CAR has forced more than 20,000 people to flee to a UN base to seek safety and shelter.

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The withdrawal of the World Food Programme because of security concerns will impact about        120 000 people dependent on food supplies, and 35000 others living precariously in surrounding camps for internally displaced people.

The departure of humanitarian workers follows a string of incidents, including armed robberies last month.

At least 65 people have been killed over the past four weeks in violence across the western, eastern and central parts of the country

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