In October 2025, the World Food Programme (WFP) was forced to reduce food rations for 780,000 refugees across 27 camps in Ethiopia, cutting assistance from 60% to just 40% of the standard ration. This translates to fewer than 1,000 calories per person per day. Only 70,000 newly arrived refugees from Sudan and South Sudan continue to receive full rations for the next six months, despite facing very high rates of hunger and malnutrition.
Zlatan Milisic, WFP Ethiopia country director, highlighted the dire situation, noting that ration cuts are putting lives at immediate risk. He stressed that without additional funding, continued reductions could lead to a complete halt in food distribution, affecting children, mothers, and entire families who rely on the program for survival.
To sustain operations for the next six months, WFP urgently requires $230 million. Supplies of specialized nutritious foods for malnourished children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers are also dangerously low and expected to run out by December, which would end support for 1 million vulnerable individuals unless additional funding is secured.
Earlier in April, WFP issued an urgent appeal due to dwindling nutrition funds. Donor support at that time allowed programs to continue, but funding gaps have widened since May 2023, when rations were last reduced.
WFP is also working with the Ethiopian government to support 700,000 people in the southeastern Somali region, which has been affected by both drought and flooding. The agency is trying to stretch limited supplies to provide full rations where possible while preparing for new crises, including refugee influxes, droughts, or other climate shocks.
From January to October 2025, WFP provided food assistance, nutrition support, school meals, and resilience activities to 4.7 million vulnerable people in Ethiopia. However, ongoing insecurity, particularly in the Amhara region, continues to disrupt humanitarian operations and worsen the gap between needs and resources.
