By Sukhdev Chatbar
Arusha - The United Nations food agency cut rations for 400 000 Burundian and Congolese refugees in western Tanzania by 24 percent because of "severe funding shortages", the agency's country director said on Monday.
The World Food Programme will make further cuts if donors do not give money to buy 39 000 metric tons of food to feed the refugees in the first of 2005, Patrick Buckley said in a statement.
"This harsh measure was unavoidable and could have serious implications as the refugees rely entirely on WFP food aid for their survival," Buckley said.
The agency also gives food to more than 8 000 Tanzanian school children, street children and others in the area surrounding the refugee camps. Their rations are also affected, Buckley said.
The Burundian and Congolese refugees fled conflict in their countries to live in camps in Tanzania near the Burundian border.
Burundi has had civil war for the past 11 years and Congo is undergoing a shaky transition period after a five-year war involving six countries.
The camps have been a constant source of controversy.
Burundi's government has said Hutu rebels fighting the government use the camps as bases to recruit and launch attacks into Burundi. The government has also accused Tanzania of assisting the rebels, a charge Tanzanian authorities have denied.
Tanzania officials say the refugees are a burden on the country's economy and should be repatriated or resettled in another country. - Sapa-AP