BANGLADESH — Rations will be halved for around 1 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh from next month due to a lack of funds, the United Nations food agency has said.
Huge numbers of persecuted and stateless Rohingya live in squalid relief camps in Bangladesh, most arriving after having fled the 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar.
Successive aid cuts have already caused severe hardship among Rohingya in the overcrowded settlements, who are reliant on aid and suffer from malnutrition.
On Wednesday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) stated that “severe funding shortfalls” had forced a cut in monthly food vouchers from US$12.50 to $6 per person.
“Unfortunately, we have still not received sufficient funding, and cost-saving measures alone are not enough,” the agency said.
Shamsud Douza of Bangladesh’s refugee agency told the media that his office would meet community leaders next week to discuss the cuts.
A decision by US President Donald Trump’s administration to cut foreign aid has sent shockwaves through humanitarian initiatives.
But WFP spokeswoman Kun Li said the US remained a donor for Rohingya aid and the ration cuts reflected a “funding gap across multiple sources”.
Funds raised were only half the $852 million sought by foreign aid agencies, she said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is due to visit Bangladesh to meet Rohingya refugees during the Muslim Ramadan fast.
The 2017 crackdown in Myanmar, which is now the subject of a UN genocide investigation, sent around 750,000 Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh with stories of murder, rape and arson.
Bangladesh has struggled to support the refugee population and the prospects of a return to Myanmar or resettlement elsewhere are remote.
Rohingya living in the camps around Cox’s Bazar are not allowed to seek employment and depend on aid to survive.
Large numbers of refugees have attempted hazardous sea crossings, including more than 250 Rohingya who arrived in Indonesia in January.
