Refugees’ hopes for restoration of full food rations may take longer to materialize as Rwanda chapter of World Food Programme (WFP) decries prevailing funding deficit to reverse aid cuts implemented since May last year.

On Monday, the agency, which caters for the food needs for thousands of refugees hosted in different camps in Rwanda, announced it received $5.5 million additional contribution from the United States to provide cash transfers to the refugees.

However, the organization says it was still unable to provide full rations to meet the minimum food requirements for more than 114,153 Congolese and Burundian refugees affected by the aid reductions more than ten months ago.

“WFP requires an additional $9.8 million to provide full rations to all registered refugees living in camps in Rwanda until December 2022,” the agency said.

Only refugee families deemed highly vulnerable have been receiving aid which is equivalent to 92 per cent of the full food rations.

The rest of the refugees have seen rations cut by 60 per cent while estimated 10,000 refugees receive no food assistance as they were found least vulnerable after the social economic profiling.

Almost a year later, however, many of the affected refugees say the impact of the slashed aid and subsequent pandemic-induced restrictions, income and job losses continue to make it difficult to cope.