WFP monthly ration aid cut to over half will impact Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, say officials

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Senior Bangladeshi officials have expressed concern that the UN World Food Programme's (WFP) plan to reduce food rations for Rohingya refugees in the country by more than 50%, from $12.50 to $6 beginning April 1, will have a devastating impact on them.

The WFP informed the Bangladeshi government on Wednesday of its plan to reduce the food ration per person per month for the Rohingya due to a funding shortage, Bangladesh Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman told Anadolu on Thursday.

From April 1, the Rohingya will receive a ration of $6 rather than $12.50 per capita, he said.

Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya in the southeastern Cox’s Bazar district since they fled a military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.

The persecuted people rely heavily on humanitarian aid, as Rohingya are not permitted to work legally and are even barred from leaving the barbed-wire-enclosed camps.

A Rohingya living on $6 per month will struggle to meet their basic food needs.

"The ration will have a devastating impact on the Rohingya population in the camps; even their mental health will be compromised,” Commissioner Rahman said.

Rahman attributed the WFP's decision to President Trump's administration's shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) last month. The US provides approximately 80% of the WFP's financial assistance to Rohingya in refugee camps.

Sumbul Rizvi, UNHCR’s country representative, said in a statement on Thursday that a reduction in humanitarian assistance can have significant consequences for a population that relies solely on it.

“Reductions in food assistance will have a devastating impact on the lives of Rohingya refugees. It will expose an already vulnerable population to hunger and disease and will increase insecurity and hopelessness,” he said.

The humanitarian response must address the refugees' most urgent needs. "We need the support and shared humanity of the international community," Rizvi said.

The WFP has already sought $81 million in aid from donors for the Rohingya.

When US officials recently met with Bangladesh's transitional government head, Muhammad Yunus, he urged them not to cut USAID funding for the Rohingya.

In a meeting with UN officials earlier this week in Dhaka, Yunus described it as a "big issue" for Bangladesh and said: "The UN secretary-general is coming. We are attempting to bring international attention to the Rohingya crisis."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit Bangladesh on March 13-16.