Amid US Aid Cuts, WFP Cuts Food Rations for Rohingyas by Half

Rohingya refugees

By Daniel P. Sullivan , Lucky Karim

“The World Food Program has just announced that it is cutting food rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh by half. This sudden and drastic reduction of vital daily food will be devastating for over a million refugees. The decision will also result in huge knock on effects for the health and safety of the largest refugee settlement in the world.

The ration reduction is yet another compounding example of the indefensible harm caused by the Trump administration’s decision to cut aid around the world. Refugees International is equally alarmed by the further aid reduction announcements made by the United Kingdom, Germany, and other countries.

The Trump administration’s aid freeze had already led to shutting off non-emergency medical treatment and reduction in services for mental health, gender-based violence, and care for people with disabilities. The cuts also led to the laying off of hundreds of key personnel, including refugee volunteers who had been receiving small stipends that provided essential supplements to already meager rations. When taken with already existing service reductions, assistance for Rohingya refugees overall has been effectively reduced by even more than half.

We know that temporary reductions in the past by a third were marked by observable decreases in food consumption, increases in malnutrition, and related increases in gender-based violence and reductions in attendance to learning centers for children. Global Acute Malnutrition in the camps rose above the emergency threshold, reaching the highest level since hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled genocide in Myanmar to seek safety in Bangladesh in 2017.

However, at the time of the earlier ration reductions, USAID still played a leading role in restoring rations to previous levels and stemming the deteriorating conditions. Today, with USAID decimated, and other donors following suit with their own reductions, the outlook for restored food aid is dismal and will lead to the loss of life.

To stem the tide of suffering, the United States must allow clear and comprehensive humanitarian waivers to the aid freeze and an ability to access those funds, and other donors must reconsider their own aid reductions. The government of Bangladesh, for its part, must allow livelihood opportunities for refugees and work with the private sector to explore opportunities to support the self-resilience of Rohingya refugees.

Refugees International recently visited the Rohingya camps and heard widespread trepidation about the challenges arising from aid cuts even before the ration announcement.”

Refugees International Fellow, Human Rights Advocate and former camp resident Lucky Karim said: 

“This ration reduction from WFP will make the lives of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh unlivable. The situation will force people to risk their lives to flee to neighboring countries, will increase human trafficking, and may even lead people to decide to risk going back to their homeland in Myanmar, despite an unsafe and unchanged situation. 

This food cut directly affects my community even as they are already struggling with insufficient shelter, water, and other resources. The United States must allow humanitarian aid to the displaced refugees, and I request other countries to step up to fill the gaps and save the lives of the Rohingya community.”  

Rohingya community member Hujjat Ullah told Refugees International:

“The amount of food we are receiving is like a lifeline for survival, yet it is already insufficient. People are still recovering from the previous funding cuts, and now this new decision by the UN will leave the community devastated. We are already facing numerous hardships in our daily lives, such as fire accidents, human trafficking, kidnapping, domestic violence, and both mental and physical health issues—all of which are directly or indirectly linked to our daily income. 

There is a saying in our community: ‘Fet cánti, duniya cánti,’ which means, ‘If the stomach is at peace, the whole world is at peace.’ I hope the UN will reconsider its decision.” 

Rohingya community member Sahat Zia Hero told Refugees International:

“It’s shocking to hear that the UN is going to reduce our food rations from $12 to $6 per month. Even $12 was not enough before. I can not imagine how this disastrous fund cut may impact our already dire situation. The world should not keep watching this disaster which is killing only vulnerable people who are displaced due to war, violence and conflict.”  - Refugees International