US pledges another $125 million to help Syrian refugees

The United States announced yesterday that it will allocate $125 million in additional humanitarian aid to help six million Syrian refugees affected by the civil war, the Anadolu Agency reported.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Kelly Clements told reporters in Geneva: “The additional humanitarian aid will go to the UN World Food Programme, which feeds nearly six million Syrians inside and outside the country every month.”

Clements said: “More than $50 million will go to support the distribution of monthly food packages to four million people inside Syria who are in desperate need for food aid.”

She pointed out that the new package of assistance “is a continuation of the humanitarian aid provided by the United States and valued at more than $1.5 billion provided to humanitarian agencies operating in 14 Syrian provinces.”

“Nearly $70 million will support electronic food card program to help Syria’s neighbouring countries respond to the large increase in the numbers of refugees” she added.

According to United Nations figures – of the country’s population of 21 million – more than nine million Syrians fled following the civil war which erupted in March 2011.