YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — The World Food Program warned Friday that hunger could reach catastrophic levels in parts of Cameroon if a funding target of at least $67 million is not met.
Speaking in the capital Yaoundé, Gianluca Ferrera, the WFP representative for Cameroon and Sao Tome and Principe, said progress made in the fight against hunger could be reversed without adequate funding.
“Without this funding, most of the activities that WFP and partners have been implementing will have to stop, bringing forward a number of risks,” he said.
Cameroon is the world’s most neglected displacement crisis, according to a Norwegian Refugee Council report from earlier this year.
The country faces several severe crises: Boko Haram insurgency in the north, a separatist uprising in the two English-speaking regions, and the influx of refugees from the Central African Republic in the east. These crises, combined with climatic shocks, have created a displacement crisis and worsened the specter of hunger.
Over 3.3 million people require humanitarian assistance and more than 2 million are internally displaced according to the WFP.
Ferrera said over 52,000 children will no longer receive school meals starting in January due to a lack of funds. The WFP will also scale down operations with the risk of shutting down five of its offices in Cameroon. This will put over half a million people at risk of losing food and nutrition assistance.
“So we may go backward instead of going forward,” he said.
In 2022, the WFP received funding worth $106 million for Cameroon, but this year, the amount is merely $20 million.
These funding shortages come after the Trump administration championed an unprecedented withdrawal of U.S. foreign aid, which totaled $64 billion in 2023, the last year with comprehensive figures available.
For the Trump administration, the closure of USAID was a cause for celebration. In July, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agency had little to show for itself since the end of the Cold War.
However, a in a Lancet medical study published in July, researchers credited USAID programs with preventing 91 million deaths in the first two decades of this century alone.
FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2017 file photo, the U.N. World Food Program's logo at the agency's headquarters in New York. (AP Photo/Robert Bumstead, File)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke Wilt Chamberlain's record for consecutive games with 20 points or more, extending his streak to 127 on Thursday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder guard hit two free throws in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics to reach 19 points. With the crowd on its feet, Gilgeous-Alexander pump-faked several times and drilled a jumper over Baylor Scheierman from beyond the free-throw line with 7:04 left in the period to push his total to 21.
He finished with 35 points and nine assists as the Thunder beat the Celtics 104-102.
Chamberlain's record had stood since 1963, and early on, it looked like Gilgeous-Alexander might struggle to break it. He didn't score until halfway through the first quarter, but he had 10 points by the end of the period and 17 at halftime.
Gilgeous-Alexander won his first MVP award last season, and his consistency for the defending champion Thunder could lead to a repeat. He won the scoring title last season and ranks second in scoring this year. Oklahoma City has the league's best record.
Coach Mark Daigneault credited Gilgeous-Alexander for his steady focus.
“That’s the impressive thing about him,” Daigneault said before the game. “Human nature is that you have success, you ease a little bit, and he’s the opposite. He tastes it, he wants more, he wants to come back for seconds.”
Chamberlain scored at least 20 in 126 straight games from 1961 to 1963. He had 20 or more in every game of the 1961-62 season for the Philadelphia Warriors, which included his record 100-point game in 1962. Chamberlain’s streak ended on Jan. 20, 1963, when he was ejected after just four minutes for the San Francisco Warriors against the St. Louis Hawks.
Gilgeous-Alexander tied the record on Monday, when he scored 35 points against the Denver Nuggets. He also had a career-high 15 assists and nine rebounds and hit the decisive 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
“He puts the work behind it, does it consistently,” Daigneault said. “He’s a perfectionist when it comes to his craft. He’s got an unbelievably high bar for himself, and yet, he’s incredibly empathic with his teammates.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has five games with at least 50 points during the run, including a career-high 55-point effort against the Indiana Pacers in the second game of this season. He was last held under 20 when he scored 18 on Oct. 30, 2024 against San Antonio.
Gilgeous-Alexander passed Chamberlain's second-best streak of 92 games earlier this season. The Thunder improved to 103-24 during Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak.
It's been a week of scoring feats in the NBA. Miami's Bam Adebayo scored 83 points on Tuesday, the second most behind Chamberlain's 100-point game.
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) goes to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signs autographs before an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, left, looks to shoot over Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, left, looks to shoot against Boston Celtics guard Baylor Scheierman (55) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Nate Billings)
