Staff Reporter :
The United States has announced $73 million in new aid for Rohingya refugees, aimed at improving their living conditions and meeting their basic needs.
On Thursday, March 27, the Trump administration confirmed that the financial assistance would be provided through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), benefiting over one million refugees who fled Myanmar for Bangladesh. U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce shared the news on social media platform X, noting, “This food and nutrition assistance, provided through WFP, will support more than a million people.”
The aid package will primarily support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and will be distributed through international humanitarian organisations, including the UN and other aid agencies. The U.S. initiative is expected to be a significant component of the broader humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya people.
The aid aims not only to improve the living standards of the refugees but also to provide essential supplies to meet their immediate needs.
Bangladesh has been hosting over a million Rohingya refugees in camps in Cox’s Bazar since they fled military operations in Myanmar. Approximately 70,000 more refugees arrived last year.
The Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) in Bangladesh, which oversees the refugee camps, stated that the food rations would help maintain food security and improve nutrition among the refugees.
The office also called on the international community to step forward with necessary funding to sustain these life-saving programs in the long term.However, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has been facing funding shortages, which have led to a reduction in food rations for the refugees.
According to the latest reports, under the revised system, each refugee in Cox’s Bazar will receive $12 per month, down from $12.50 previously. Refugees in Bhasan Char will receive $13 per month.
Earlier this month, WFP warned that due to an urgent funding shortfall, it might be forced to halve food rations in April, reducing the allocation to just $6 per person.
A similar reduction in food rations occurred in 2023, when the amount was reduced to $8 per person, resulting in a sharp increase in malnutrition. Following this, the amount was increased to $12.50 per person.
WFP officials have stated that the funding shortfall has been addressed “through timely contributions from donors,” although they did not provide further details.
