DHAKA: Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh expressed concern on Wednesday (Mar 25) as the cash-strapped UN World Food Programme (WFP) prepares to cut aid for large portions of the 1.2 million-strong group.
Bangladesh’s vast refugee camps shelter Rohingya who fled persecution in neighbouring war-torn Myanmar, with more than 150,000 new arrivals since 2024, according to the WFP.
The agency is the sole provider of monthly food assistance for the community. But with global funding stretched thin and more people needing aid, resources are already under pressure.
Currently, Rohingya in the Cox’s Bazar camps receive food aid equivalent to US$12 per month.
From Apr 1, rations will be cut to just US$7 for groups deemed to be at lower risk, and US$10 for a middle category.
Only those deemed “extremely food insecure”, who make up around a third of the current beneficiaries, will maintain the same US$12 payment. The designation includes households headed by children or women, or the elderly or physically challenged.
WFP spokesperson Kun Li said the changes aim to “deliver assistance more equitably and in line with real needs”.
“Every household continues to receive support according to their food gap, with the most food-insecure receiving the highest level,” she added.
But refugee representative Sayed Ullah, president of the United Council of Rohingya civil rights platform, said people were already struggling on meagre rations.
“Do you think US$12 is enough for a person to have food for an entire month?” Ullah told AFP.
“How on earth will a person survive on US$7 to US$10 worth of food assistance?”
Refugees are officially not allowed to work, and Ullah said smaller rations may push many to engage in “illegal activities just to survive”.
Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman acknowledged that aid agencies are “facing a funding crisis” but warned of the potential fallout.
“The ramifications of this decision will be reflected on multiple fronts,” he said.
“Hungry people are angry people, and there may be law and order issues.”
Many of the Rohingya escaped Myanmar during a brutal military crackdown in 2017.
The campaign, which saw Rohingya villages burned and civilians killed, is the subject of a genocide case at the United Nations’ top court in The Hague.
Worldwide WFP funding fell by about 40 per cent in 2025.
US President Donald Trump slashed foreign aid after taking office last year, dealing a heavy blow to humanitarian operations worldwide.
In March 2025, following the cuts, the WFP said it would have to cut monthly aid to US$6, but the measures were not implemented.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/rohingya-refugees-in-bangladesh-worry-ahead-food-aid-cuts-6016131
