UN must reconsider its food aid slash decision for Rohingyas
It is worrying that the United Nation has announced to reduce its monthly food aid for over one million Rohingya refugees camped in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char in Bangladesh from April due to fund crunch.
These refugees from the Arakan State of Myanmar have been living here solely depending on humanitarian assistance since 2017.
And slashing of this aid will bring catastrophe for them. Even officials engaged in relief work said the present allocation of $12.50 per month per person is also insufficient.
It is to be noted that the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) in a letter on Wednesday said that severe funding shortfalls are forcing it to cut in monthly food vouchers of the refugees living in the different camps.
It is feared that this measure will put a heavy strain on their families and leave them in a state of dire hunger and malnutrition Unfortunately, when the Rohingyas faced persecution in their own country in 2017, they were forced to flee to Bangladesh to seek asylum.
Despite its own challenges, Bangladesh sheltered them solely on humanitarian grounds.
At that time, the international community also came forward to extend their support out of a sense of responsibility and fraternity.
But as time elapsed, this huge humanitarian crisis involving more than one million people turned insignificant in the eyes of the world.
As the Rohingays are unable to work freely for their livelihood, many of them engaged in criminal activities like drug trafficking and smuggling.
If the UN cuts its aid drastically at this moment, this will force many of them to commit more violent crimes.
There is also fear that these people might come into contact with armed rebel groups in the hilly regions, which will pose a big threat to the entire subcontinent.
We urge the UN that it should reconsider its decision and not cut its food aid for these helpless people at a time when their issue has not yet been resolved. Such a move would endanger the stability of Bangladesh.
Indeed, this is not the appropriate time for the international community to withdraw its support for the Rohingyas.
Instead, they should accelerate the process of resolving the Rohingya crisis. The world community must not turn its back on the Rohingyas until their safe return to Myanmar is ensured.