Syrian refugees are seen at the Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria, Jordan June 17, 2021. (Reuters/Alaa Al Sukhni)
Jordan's foreign minister on Thursday called on the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) to reverse a decision to cut food subsidies to Syrian refugees by Aug. 1.
The WFP office in Amman told Reuters that an "unprecedented funding crisis" had forced it to cut food help for 50,000 out of some 465,000 refugees it was helping in Jordan.
"This is not on Jordan," Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said in a Twitter post. "It is on those who are cutting support. We can't carry this burden alone."
"We urge WFP and others cutting subsidies to Syrian refugees to reverse decision," he added.
The United Nations' humanitarian agencies and other aid groups are struggling to keep up aid to Syrians as needs skyrocket and funding streams dry up.
More than 15 million people need aid across the country - a record number - and malnutrition rates are at an all-time high. But the U.N. said in June that its $5.4 billion appeal for humanitarian work in Syria this year had only been 11% funded.
At the time, the WFP announced it would cut food aid to 2.5 million of the 5.5 million people it supports. It was not immediately clear if those figures included refugees outside of Syria's borders.
The WFP's Amman office on Thursday said it had "exhausted all options" and that even after taking this step, it was still facing a critical funding shortage.
"Without the necessary funds, WFP will be compelled to reduce its response further," it said.
Millions of Syrians have fled their homeland since conflict broke out there in 2011 following protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad, who was then isolated across the region for his crackdown on demonstrations.
The Arab League welcomed Syria back into the fold earlier this year, and Arab countries say it is time for Syrians seeking refuge on their territory to go home.
Safadi said on Thursday that the UN "must work to enable voluntary return. Until then, its agencies must keep sufficient support."