Concerns are mounting over the World Food Programme’s (WFP) decision to slash food support for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh due to a funding crisis.
On March 1, the WFP, citing a $125m donation shortfall, cut the monthly food vouchers for the refugees from $12 to $10 per person, warning further cuts were “imminent” without an immediate cash injection. The United Nations and the Bangladesh government on Tuesday called for more international aid to help the Rohingya in what has turned into the world’s largest refugee camp. “The response plan that has been launched today is asking for $883m from the international community,” Shahariar Sadat, an academic at Dhaka’s BRAC University, told Al Jazeera.
Rising crime, difficult living conditions, and bleak prospects for returning to Myanmar are driving more Rohingya refugees to leave Bangladesh for countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia by boat, putting their lives at risk. UN data shows 348 Rohingya died at sea last year.
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