World Food Program warns of catastrophic hunger in Cameroon without additional funding

Cameroon Faces “Catastrophic” Hunger Crisis as WFP Funding Falls Short

The World Food Program issued a stark warning Friday that parts of Cameroon could face catastrophic levels of hunger if the organization fails to secure at least $67 million in urgent funding.

Speaking from Yaoundé, WFP representative Gianluca Ferrera emphasized that the progress made in combating hunger throughout the country risks being undone without immediate financial support.

“Without this funding, most of the activities that WFP and partners have been implementing will have to stop, bringing forward a number of risks,” Ferrera said during his address in the capital city.

The funding shortfall has already forced WFP to make difficult decisions about its operations. Starting in January, over 52,000 children will no longer receive essential school meals. The organization also plans to scale down operations significantly, potentially shutting down five of its offices across Cameroon – a move that would leave more than half a million people without critical food and nutrition assistance.

“So we may go backward instead of going forward,” Ferrera warned.

The financial picture has deteriorated dramatically in recent years. In 2022, the WFP received $106 million for its Cameroon operations. This year, that figure has plummeted to just $20 million – less than one-fifth of previous funding levels.

Cameroon’s humanitarian crisis remains largely overlooked on the global stage. A report published earlier this year by the Norwegian Refugee Council identified Cameroon as the world’s most neglected displacement crisis, despite the country facing multiple severe and overlapping emergencies.

The country grapples with three major crises simultaneously: the Boko Haram insurgency in the north, a violent separatist movement in its two English-speaking regions, and a significant influx of refugees from the neighboring Central African Republic along its eastern border. These conflicts, combined with increasingly severe climate shocks, have created a massive displacement crisis and worsened food insecurity throughout the country.

According to WFP data, over 3.3 million people in Cameroon currently require humanitarian assistance, with more than 2 million classified as internally displaced persons – forced to flee their homes but remaining within the country’s borders.

The funding challenges for Cameroon come against a backdrop of broader cuts to international aid. The Trump administration’s push to reduce U.S. foreign assistance has significantly impacted global humanitarian funding. In 2023, U.S. foreign aid totaled $64 billion, but the administration has championed further withdrawals from international commitments.

For the Trump administration, reducing the scope of agencies like USAID has been portrayed as a policy success. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in July that the agency had “little to show for itself” since the Cold War ended.

However, this perspective contradicts findings from a study published in The Lancet medical journal this July, which credited USAID programs with preventing approximately 91 million deaths in the first two decades of the 21st century alone.

The situation in Cameroon highlights the real-world consequences of reduced humanitarian funding. Without immediate international intervention, millions of vulnerable people – including children, displaced families, and refugees – face increasing food insecurity in a country already struggling with multiple conflicts and climate challenges.

Aid experts warn that allowing hunger to reach catastrophic levels could further destabilize the region, potentially worsening displacement, increasing cross-border migration, and undermining peace efforts in Cameroon’s conflict zones.

As the January deadline approaches for the planned reduction in school meal programs, humanitarian organizations are urgently appealing to international donors to bridge the funding gap before the situation deteriorates further.