By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-22 03:31:29 | Updated at 2025-03-22 10:16:00
7 hours ago
They first faced persecution in their country. Then a deadly crackdown by Myanmar’s army sent hundreds of thousands fleeing into Bangladesh. Driven from their homes, many of the Rohingya have since lived in refugee settlements entirely dependent on humanitarian help.
That help – largely led by the United States – is at the risk of being cut, following President Donald Trump’s decree to freeze most of his country’s foreign aid. For more than 1 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, it means they could be left with too little food and money for survival.
No cuts have happened yet. But the UN World Food Program (WFP) said if it was not able to raise funds, it would have no option but to halve food rations to US$6 a month from the previous US$12.50 in the country’s southern coastal district of Cox’s Bazar, where the Rohingya lived in sprawling camps.
It was not immediately clear if the WFP’s decision was directly related to the Trump administration’s action, but during a recent visit to the refugee camps, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticised the US and other countries in Europe for halting or reducing their aid budgets.
To be sure, a large portion of funds needed for supporting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has come from the US Agency for International Development, but the country’s government and dozens of aid organisations also look after their daily needs. Yet, any drop in humanitarian aid could have an extreme effect on the lives of Rohingya refugees.
