Bangladesh, March 5, 2025 — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that it will halve the food aid for approximately one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh starting next month, citing severe funding shortages.
The Rohingya, a persecuted and stateless ethnic group, live in overcrowded and unhygienic camps in Bangladesh. Many of them fled Myanmar following a brutal military crackdown in 2017. Over the years, the situation for these refugees has worsened, with successive reductions in aid exacerbating malnutrition and other hardships in the already dire conditions of the camps.
According to a letter from the WFP on March 5, the lack of funding has led to a significant reduction in the food vouchers provided to refugees, from US$12.50 to US$6 per person per month. The WFP explained that despite efforts to save costs, these measures are insufficient to cover the ongoing needs of the refugees.
“We have still not received sufficient funding, and cost-saving measures alone are not enough,” the WFP letter stated.
Md. Shamsud Douza, an official from Bangladesh’s refugee agency, confirmed that his office plans to meet with community leaders next week to address the impending cuts.
The global funding crisis has been partly triggered by cuts to U.S. foreign aid under former President Donald Trump’s administration, which have affected humanitarian initiatives worldwide. However, WFP spokesperson Kun Li emphasized that the United States continues to be a donor for Rohingya aid. The reductions in rations, she explained, are a result of a “funding gap across multiple sources,” with agencies receiving only half of the US$852 million they had sought to address the refugee crisis.
This funding shortfall comes just days before the anticipated visit of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is scheduled to meet with Rohingya refugees to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Rohingya crisis dates back to 2017, when a brutal crackdown by Myanmar’s military forced approximately 750,000 Rohingya to flee the country. Many of the refugees have shared harrowing accounts of murder, rape, and arson. The United Nations is currently conducting a genocide investigation into the events in Myanmar.
Bangladesh, which has taken in the majority of the Rohingya refugees, is facing significant challenges in providing support. With little prospect of a safe return to Myanmar or resettlement elsewhere, the refugees remain in limbo. In the camps near Cox’s Bazar, Rohingya refugees are prohibited from seeking employment and are heavily reliant on international aid to meet their basic needs.
Amid the ongoing crisis, many refugees have risked dangerous sea crossings in search of a better life. In January, more than 250 Rohingya refugees made it to Indonesia after perilous journeys across the Bay of Bengal.
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