By: RO Maung Shwe
The United Nations will do everything in its power to prevent the reduction of food rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres stated during his recent visit to the world’s largest refugee settlement.
Guterres visited Cox’s Bazar, a district in southern Bangladesh, following the U.N. World Food Programme’s (WFP) announcement of potential food ration cuts due to a funding shortfall.
Bangladesh currently shelters over one million Rohingya—members of a persecuted Muslim minority who fled violent military crackdowns in neighboring Myanmar.
These refugees live in overcrowded camps with limited access to education and employment opportunities. Guterres expressed deep concern over the “dramatic” cuts in humanitarian aid, primarily due to reduced contributions from the United States and European countries, which could significantly impact food availability in the camps.
“I will be talking to all countries in the world that can support us to ensure that funds are made available to prevent further suffering,” Guterres declared.
The WFP has warned that, starting in April, food rations for Rohingya refugees may be reduced from $12.50 to $6 per person per month due to the funding crisis. This potential reduction has raised serious concerns among humanitarian organizations about rising hunger in the already overcrowded and under-resourced camps.
“My voice will speak loudly to the international community,” Guterres emphasized, “We urgently need more support because this population requires assistance to live with dignity here in Bangladesh.”
Later, during his visit to Cox’s Bazar with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Guterres described the area as “ground zero” for the consequences of global budget cuts on vulnerable populations.
“U.N. agencies and humanitarian organizations are facing massive funding shortages, which will directly and severely impact people in need,” he added.
During the visit, tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees gathered for Iftar—the meal breaking the daily fast during Ramadan—holding placards that read, “UN, take us back to our home!” and “We are Rohingya, not Stateless!”
The Human Impact of Food Ration Cuts
For many Rohingya families, the anticipated reduction in food rations spells disaster. Among those deeply concerned is Solima Khatun, a 43-year-old Rohingya woman who fled Myanmar in 2017 during the military crackdown.
Solima was born in Pwa Chaung village in northern Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State, Myanmar. Her father, Nozir Ahamed, and mother, Mazuma Begum, raised their seven children in a middle-class household.
“We didn’t need to buy much, except only oil and soap. Everything else came from our farm, where we raised fish, grew vegetables, and cultivated rice,” Solima recalls.
In 2001, her parents arranged her marriage to a neighboring villager, Abdul Goni. With her husband’s income, the family managed their daily needs and supported their children’s education. Life was stable until the violent military operations against the Rohingya population began in 2017.
During the crackdown, one of Solima’s brothers-in-law was arrested and killed without any justification. Many young men from her village were also detained under false accusations of being affiliated with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), known locally as “Alikhin.” Fearing for their lives, Solima’s family and other villagers decided to flee Myanmar.
“The journey to the Naf River on the Bangladesh border took us seven days,” she recounts. “It was unspeakably difficult, we had to cross hostile Rakhine villages and military checkpoints under constant threat.”
Upon reaching Bangladesh, local citizens and the government welcomed them, sharing food and providing shelter. International humanitarian organizations such as UNHCR, IOM, and the WFP stepped in to offer vital services, including food rations.
However, these rations barely meet their needs. “In Myanmar, we could farm and eat whatever we wanted. Here, we receive only a few eggs, oil, red lentils, and rice. If we want to eat beef, chicken, or good fish, it’s impossible due to a lack of money and restrictions on earning opportunities,” Solima explains.
The WFP’s announcement of reducing rations to $6 per person per month is terrifying for Solima’s family of nine. “We already eat less so the children can eat enough,” she says. “Two of my children are currently being treated at a nutrition center due to malnutrition. If these cuts happen, I fear my children will die from hunger.”
A Plea to the International Community
For Rohingya refugees like Solima, the reduction in food rations is not just a statistic, it is a matter of life and death. “In Myanmar, no one died of hunger,” she laments. “But in these refugee camps, people will die without food.”
She urges the international community to extend their financial support and maintain humanitarian aid. “We see on the internet how people help those in need worldwide. So why is the world turning its back on us during this crisis?”
“If the world cannot sustain us here, let them work to secure our rights in Myanmar and send us home,” Solima appeals. “If we die there, it will be acceptable. But watching our children starve in these camps while the world looks on is unbearable.”
The Rohingya refugees’ plea is clear: without continued and increased support, the consequences will be devastating. The international community must act swiftly to prevent further suffering and uphold the dignity and survival of this vulnerable population.
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