West Darfur refugees reject WFP decision

The food aid organization has vested distribution rights to the Chamber of CommerceRefugees in West Darfur’s El Geneina camps rejected the World Food Program’s (WFP’s) move to transfer distribution rights to the Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.The move would allow local traders to distribute food rations to refugees in camps in West Darfur instead of being directly sourced out by the WFP. Representatives of refugees voiced their opinion in a meeting held between them and WFP authorities at the WFP headquarters in El Geneina on Monday.One of the main reasons behind the refugees rejection of the new move is their lack of confidence in traders. They fear that the traders would not distribute the allocated food rations in order to make personal profits.A camp leader from El Geneina told Radio Dabanga that in the wake of the failure of the current agricultural season, handing over distribution rights to the traders is a risky decision.“I would like to ask WFP to withdraw its decision and continue distributing food rations directly to the camps like it has been doing previously,” the camp leader said.Earlier this month, the coordinator of refugee camps in North Darfur, had also expressed his concerns over the proposed transfer of distribution rights to the Chamber of Commerce. He was quoted saying that the Chamber of Commerce was a state institution which was being used as a strategic weapon by the government in Khartoum.