Damascus, Dec 2 (IANS): Syrian National Coalition president, Hadi Al-Bahra, has voiced concern over suspension of food aid to 1.7 million refugees due to lack of funding in the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

He said the suspension of food aid has endangered the lives of thousands of Syrian families, MENA news agency reported Tuesday.

More than 1.7 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt are facing a disastrous and hungry winter after a funding crisis forced the UN’s World Food Programme to suspend food vouchers to hundreds of thousands forced into exile by the conflict.

Since the war began in March 2011, the WFP has brought food to millions of Syrians inside the country, and has used the voucher programme -- which allows refugees to buy food in local shops -- to inject about $800 million into the economies of those countries hosting them.

But after finding itself unable to secure the $64 million it needed to support Syrian refugees in Dec, the WFP announced Monday that it was halting the scheme. Severe funding shortfalls have already led the UN body to reduce rations within Syria, where it is trying to help 4.25 million people.