DAMASCUS, Syria, March 4 (UPI) -- Thousands of Syrians have fled areas of the drought-wracked eastern parts of the country amid declining food stocks, said a World Food Program report.
A midterm analysis by the WFP of the drought in eastern Syria said more than 60,000 families have fled the region since early 2009.
The eastern parts of Syria rely heavily on agriculture. The country is in the grips of its third consecutive year of drought, causing widespread food insecurity in some of the poorest parts of the country, the U.N. news agency said.
"This has led to a dramatic decrease in communities' resilience capacity," said WFP representative Selly Muzammil.
Reports from Damascus and the United Nations say more than 1 million Syrians are affected by the drought. As much as 80 percent of the eastern Syrian population live on a diet of bread and sugar.
"Most families have not consumed animal protein in months," said the WFP report. "Daily meals have been reduced from three to one for adults and to two for children."
