WFP Closes Southern Africa Bureau Amid Funding Cuts and Severe Drought

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WFP Closes Southern Africa Bureau Amid Funding Cuts and Severe Drought

Johannesburg: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced the closure of its Southern Africa bureau due to financial constraints, as the region grapples with a devastating drought.

The decision follows significant reductions in foreign aid under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which has scaled back funding for international assistance programs, including critical U.N. relief efforts.

The U.S. is WFP’s largest donor, contributing nearly half of its $9.8 billion budget last year. However, the Trump administration has slashed more than $58 billion in global aid and cut over 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) foreign aid contracts. Although WFP did not specify the exact financial impact of these cuts, regional spokesperson Tomson Phiri acknowledged that donor funding had become increasingly strained.

An El Niño-induced drought has further exacerbated the crisis, prompting countries like Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia to declare national disasters.

Despite the closure, WFP operations in individual Southern African countries will continue. The agency will now consolidate its Eastern and Southern Africa programs, managing both from Nairobi in an effort to maximize resources.

"The goal is to stretch every dollar and ensure our frontline teams receive the necessary support," Phiri stated.

WFP, which sources more than 60% of its food supplies from within the region, was already facing a funding shortfall before the latest budget cuts. Last year, it managed to secure only 20% of the funding required for its drought relief operations.

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