New Delhi: The United Nations World Food Program(WFP) issued an urgent appeal on Friday, warning that a severe funding shortfall could force drastic cuts to food rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
The looming reductions threaten to deepen the humanitarian crisis in the world’s largest refugee settlement. The UN would be forced to slash food assistance for Rohingya refugees from $12.50 to just $6 per month starting in April due to insufficient funding.
“Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh remain entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival. Any reduction in food assistance will push them deeper into hunger and force them to resort to desperate measures just to survive,” said Dom Scalpelli, WFP Country Director in Bangladesh, in a statement. The agency has already begun informing the Rohingya community about the impending cuts.
Bangladesh is currently home to more than one million Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled violent persecution in Myanmar in 2016 and 2017. These refugees live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, where they have minimal access to jobs or education. Growing food insecurity in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has driven thousands more to seek refuge in Bangladesh, with an estimated 70,000 Rohingya arriving in 2023 alone.
The timing of the funding cuts is particularly concerning as they coincide with Ramadan, a period of fasting and religious observance for Muslims. The WFP estimates it requires at least $15 million in April to maintain full food rations for the refugees.
Without urgent financial support, the impending reductions could exacerbate hunger and instability in the already vulnerable Rohingya communities.
