Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh Face Crisis as Aid Dries Up

TaiwanPlus News

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face an escalating crisis as humanitarian aid funding dwindles. The U.N. World Food Program warns that food rations may be cut from US$12 to just US$6 per month, worsening malnutrition and increasing school dropouts. Aid workers fear the cuts will also lead to rising unrest, as refugees are not allowed to work outside the camps.

Transcript

00:00This is no ordinary shantytown.

00:03It's a refugee camp for Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh,

00:08forced out of their homes in Myanmar nearly a decade ago

00:12after armed attacks targeted this Muslim minority.

00:16Since then, they have been largely reliant on international humanitarian assistance.

00:22But now, they face another crisis as that assistance disappears.

00:30We don't have food, we don't have water, we don't have food.

00:35We don't have water, we don't have food.

00:40The looming cuts to humanitarian aid follow an order by U.S. President Donald Trump

00:45to freeze most foreign aid funding.

00:48While no cuts have taken effect yet,

00:51the U.N. World Food Program warns that without additional funding,

00:55it will be forced to have food rations from 12 to just 6 U.S. dollars per month.

01:00The U.N. Secretary-General has criticized the U.S. and European countries

01:05for scaling back their aid.

01:07That would be an unmitigated disaster.

01:11People would suffer and people would die.

01:17I strongly appeal to the international community

01:21to allow us to avoid this tragedy.

01:25Aid workers say that any drop in humanitarian aid

01:28could have devastating effects on Rohingya refugees,

01:31both physically and mentally.

01:34The World Food Program warns that it will worsen already rampant malnutrition among refugees

01:40and lead to more school dropouts.

01:43It says treatment for medical issues will also become out of reach.

01:48Refugees are heavily reliant on aid as they are not allowed to work outside their camps.

01:54Some here worry that it will also fuel unrest inside.

01:58We are not getting enough food.

02:01We are not getting enough food.

02:06We are not getting enough food.

02:11We are not getting enough food.

02:17We are not getting enough food.

02:23The cuts are expected to take effect on April 1st.

02:27But for the Rohingya stranded in Bangladesh,

02:30this means an uncertain future,

02:33with even basic necessities becoming harder to secure.

02:37Andy Xue and Gino Lopez for Taiwan Plus.

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