Elham Asaad Buaras
Rations for nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will be cut in half starting next month due to a critical funding shortfall, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) has announced.
The Rohingya, a stateless and persecuted minority, have been living in overcrowded and impoverished refugee camps in Bangladesh, largely reliant on humanitarian assistance. Most fled there in 2017 following a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar, now the subject of a UN genocide investigation.
With successive aid reductions already pushing the refugees into deeper hardship, the latest cuts threaten to exacerbate their struggle for survival. Malnutrition is rampant, and restrictions on employment leave them with few options beyond international aid. In a letter issued on March 5, the WFP cited “severe funding shortfalls” as the reason behind the decision. As a result, monthly food vouchers will be slashed from $12.50 (£9.70) to just $6 (£4.60) per person.
“Unfortunately, we have still not received sufficient funding, and cost-saving measures alone are not enough,” the letter stated.
Bangladesh’s refugee agency is set to meet with community leaders next week to discuss the impending reductions, according to agency official Md. Shamsud Douza.
While the United States remains a donor for Rohingya aid, WFP spokesperson Kun Li emphasized that the funding gap extends across multiple sources. So far, aid agencies have secured only half of the $852 (£660) million they initially sought.
The announcement comes just days before UN Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to visit the camps, where he will meet with Rohingya refugees ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
As prospects for repatriation to Myanmar or resettlement elsewhere remain bleak, many Rohingya are turning to desperate measures. In search of a better future, hundreds have risked their lives on perilous sea journeys, including more than 250 who arrived in Indonesia earlier this year.
Photo: Rohingya refugees wait in line to receive food aid at Kutupalong refugee camp in Maynar Guna, near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
(Credit: Mustafa Kamaci/AA)
