The UN food agency urgently requires $620 million to ensure continued support to crisis-affected people across the Sahel and in Nigeria over the next six months.

The United Nations World Food Programme, which relies on the U.S. for nearly half its budget, is closing its Southern Africa bureau due to funding constraints, the agency said on Monday as the region struggles to withstand a severe drought.

The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP), which gets much of its funding from the United States, is closing its southern African bureau, Bloomberg News said on Monday. The decision was communicated to staff around the world in an email on Friday from Global Executive Director Cindy McCain,

WFP is closing its Southern Africa bureau due to US aid cuts, impacting food assistance amid a severe regional drought.

The WFP provides up to 90 per cent of food assistance in Somalia, making it an essential lifeline for thousands of people, including many internally displaced by conflict.