The program said that the number of beneficiaries of emergency food aid decreased in May from 1.3 million people to 650,000, while its operations decreased from all 14 Syrian governorates to only 7 governorates.
According to the program, 7.2 million people in Syria still suffer from acute food insecurity, including 1.6 million facing severe hunger, at a time when many families have begun to reduce their meals, rely on foods of less nutritional value, or abstain from eating.
World Food Programme’s country director in Syria, Marian Ward, said the reduction in aid was “driven only by financial constraints, not by decreased needs.”
The program also stopped the bread subsidy that supplied more than 300 bakeries with subsidized wheat flour, which helped provide bread to up to 4 million people daily in some of the most vulnerable areas.
Syria is experiencing a severe economic crisis after more than a decade of conflict, which has destroyed infrastructure, displaced millions, and weakened sources of livelihood, while relief organizations confirm that humanitarian needs are still urgent despite the decline in fighting in several areas since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024.
The World Food Program confirmed that it needs $189 million between June and November to continue and resume aid inside Syria.
The impact of the lack of funding extends to Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, as the agency in Jordan stopped food cash assistance to 135,000 Syrian refugees in host communities, while maintaining reduced support for about 85,000 refugees in camps. Support for 20,000 Syrians in Egypt was also reduced, while many families in Lebanon still depend heavily on aid.
