US to provide additional $55m in food assistance to Syrian refugees

The US said on Thursday it will provide an additional $55 million in food assistance to Syrian refugees through USAID, Jordan News Agency reported.

The new funding aims to assist the World Food Programme (WFP) in meeting the emergency food needs of more than 460,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, as well as providing cash-based assistance for families to buy food in stores, thereby supporting local economies.

“Since the start of the war in Syria nearly 12 years ago, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have crossed into neighboring Jordan to seek refuge from the conflict,” USAID said in a statement.

“As of March 2023, Jordan hosts more than 670,000 registered Syrian refugees, the third-largest population of Syrian refugees in the world.

“With support from USAID, WFP provides critical food assistance to 460,000 at-risk Syrian and other refugees in Jordan each month.”

The agency added that the US continues to be the biggest humanitarian donor to Syria, having provided almost $16 billion in humanitarian aid throughout the country and region since the beginning of the civil war.