Humanitarian Crisis Looms as U.N. Warns of Consequences from Aid Cuts for Rohingya Refugees

The U.N. has expressed grave concerns over potential aid cuts that could leave over a million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh at risk of starvation, with significantly reduced food rations scheduled for April. U.N. Secretary General António Guterres emphasized that these cuts could lead to dire humanitarian consequences.

In the sprawling confines of the world's largest refugee camp in Bangladesh, over a million Rohingya refugees may face starvation as aid cuts loom. The United Nations has reported that from April, the food rations will drastically decrease, allowing each person only 18 pounds of rice, two pounds of lentils, a liter of cooking oil, and a modest amount of salt for an entire month.

The reductions in aid are attributed to budget freezes under the Trump administration, leaving humanitarian organizations scrambling to compensate for a notable decline in one of their most significant sources of funding. The situation is compounded by simultaneous cuts to humanitarian aid from several European nations, which are reallocating resources to military expenditures as tensions with Russia escalate.

During a recent visit to the Rohingya camp, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres painted a bleak picture regarding the potential fallout from these cuts. He warned that the available resources for humanitarian aid could drop to as low as 40 percent of what was needed in 2024. Addressing a gathering of thousands of refugees, Guterres stressed, “That would be an unmitigated disaster. People will suffer, and people will die.”

Nonprofit organizations and humanitarian agencies continue to face challenges in meeting the soaring needs, with leaders reinforcing the call for urgent funding to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. The current situation poses a serious risk of prolonging and intensifying an existing crisis among the Rohingya, a community already grappling with displacement, malnutrition, and unmet medical needs.