UN to Halve Food Aid for Rohingya Refugees Due to Funding Shortfall

The United Nations has announced that food rations for around one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will be halved starting next month due to a severe lack of funds.

The Rohingya, a persecuted and stateless minority, have been living in overcrowded, squalid refugee camps in Bangladesh since fleeing a violent military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017. The aid cuts come on top of already severe hardship, with refugees suffering from widespread malnutrition and relying heavily on humanitarian assistance.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed in a letter on Wednesday that funding shortfalls had forced the reduction in monthly food vouchers, cutting support from $12.50 to $6.00 per person.

“Unfortunately, we have still not received sufficient funding, and cost-saving measures alone are not enough,” the WFP stated in the letter.

Md. Shamsud Douza, an official from Bangladesh’s refugee agency, told AFP that his office would meet with community leaders next week to discuss the impacts of these cuts.

The timing of the announcement coincides with a visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is expected to meet with Rohingya refugees during the annual Ramadan fast.

The 2017 crackdown in Myanmar, now under investigation by the UN for genocide, forced around 750,000 Rohingya to flee, sharing harrowing accounts of murder, rape, and arson. Since then, Bangladesh has faced tremendous challenges in supporting the vast refugee population, with hopes for their return to Myanmar or resettlement elsewhere remaining slim.

Rohingya refugees living in camps around Cox’s Bazar are not permitted to work and are completely reliant on humanitarian aid. Many have risked perilous sea crossings, including over 250 Rohingya who arrived in Indonesia in January, in search of a better life outside the camps.