• The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will halve food rations for nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
• Monthly food vouchers will drop from $12.50 to $6 starting in April due to severe funding shortages.
• Officials warn the cuts will exacerbate dire nutritional conditions among the already vulnerable refugee population.
• Bangladesh shelters over a million Rohingya who fled violent purges in Myanmar since 2016, leading to struggles for basic livelihood support.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has made a troubling announcement regarding the fate of around one million Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh. Due to a significant funding shortfall, the UN aid agency will be compelled to halve food rations starting next month, drastically reducing monthly food vouchers from $12.50 to $6 per person. This decision is a direct consequence of "severe funding shortfalls" affecting humanitarian efforts globally, particularly in relation to the Rohingya crisis, as noted in an official letter from the WFP Source.

This situation has triggered alarms among aid workers and Rohingya community leaders alike, as the reduction in food assistance is described as a potential "death sentence" for those already dealing with hunger and malnutrition. Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, the Commissioner for the Refugee Relief and Repatriation in Bangladesh, confirmed that the aid cut will be effective from April 1st, highlighting the dire implications of the impending shortages. He stated, “What they are receiving now is already not enough, so it’s hard to imagine the consequences of this new cut” Al Jazeera.

The WFP's urgent plea for funding comes amidst a backdrop of escalating humanitarian needs in the world's largest refugee settlement. “Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh remain entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival,” remarked WFP Country Director Dom Scalpelli. This acute dependency highlights the severity of the situation, with many refugees now facing the grim reality of relying solely on provided food aid Reuters.

With the food cuts approaching at such a sensitive time—coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan—there is a growing concern that these changes will plunge the Rohingya deeper into starvation. Previous rounds of aid reductions had already led to rampant malnutrition, with as many as 90% of the camp's population struggling to secure adequate diets. As the funding crisis continues, humanitarian organizations are calling on international donors to prioritize life-saving efforts for the Rohingya, ensuring they do not suffer further due to administrative costs elsewhere CNA.