UN Food Agency Halves Syria Aid and Stops Bread Subsidy Due to Funding Shortages

The World Food Programme (WFP) has halved emergency food assistance in Syria and halted a critical bread subsidy program due to severe funding shortages. The number of beneficiaries dropped from 1.3 million to 650,000 in May, with operations scaled back in half of the country's governorates. This reduction occurs despite 7.2 million Syrians remaining acutely food insecure, including 1.6 million facing severe hunger. The WFP attributes the cuts primarily to slashed foreign aid from the United States under President Donald Trump, alongside reductions from other donor nations. Consequently, the agency stopped supporting over 300 bakeries that provided subsidized bread to up to four million people daily. The humanitarian crisis extends beyond Syria, affecting refugees in neighboring countries; cash-based assistance for 135,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan has ceased, while support in Egypt and Lebanon is also reduced. The WFP states it requires $189 million between June and November to sustain essential operations. Officials emphasize that these cuts are driven solely by financial constraints, not a decrease in humanitarian needs, as millions continue to skip meals or consume less nutritious food amidst Syria's ongoing economic devastation following more than a decade of conflict.