10 percent of Iraq going hungry: World Food Programme

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region —  Ten percent of Iraq’s population do not have enough food, a United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) Iraq spokesperson has told Rudaw. 

"Around 3.8 million people are without sufficient food in Iraq - that is about 10 percent of the country's population," Sharon Rapose, Head of Communications at WFP Iraq, told Rudaw‘s Omar Kalo on Friday. 

The WFP works with refugees and displaced people all over Iraq and in over 80 countries worldwide, aiming at providing cash and food assistance to people in need. 

The organisation, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 9, is now working with more displaced people across Iraq, according to Rapose. 

The WFP is reaching about 35 thousand more Syrian refugees - 85 percent more than before - and 10 thousand more displaced people from within Iraq, as the financial crisis and the pandemic are making access to food harder, she said. 

Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have been gripped by an economic crisis, exacerbated by a drop in oil prices and the global coronavirus pandemic, which has left many unemployed. 

Officials have said they have seen larger numbers of people seeking governmental aid as they struggle to feed their families.

The WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this month for “efforts in combating world hunger and promoting peace in conflict- affecting areas around the world.” 

According to the organisation, 155 million people were affected by acute food insecurity in 55 countries in 2019 alone.