Bangladesh calls for urgent donor action as Rohingya crisis deepens
Bangladesh’s interim leader meets UN food chief in Rome, warning that funding cuts and global indifference threaten survival of 1.3 million refugees from Myanmar
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladesh urged renewed international funding for Rohingya refugees after high-level talks in Rome between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and World Food Programme (WFP) acting executive director Carl Skau, warning that shrinking aid risks pushing the crisis into neglect.
At the meeting, WFP reaffirmed that the Rohingya operation remains a priority and said the agency will continue a monthly food stipend of $12 per person following fresh commitments from key donors.
Officials also acknowledged that earlier ration cuts were driven by a global funding squeeze, including reductions in US support channelled through USAID, which left refugees more dependent on bare-minimum assistance.
Nearly 1.3 million Rohingya live in Bangladesh’s camps in Cox’s Bazar and on the remote Bhasan Char island, most of them survivors of Myanmar’s 2017 military purge. With repatriation stalled and legal status unresolved, families rely almost entirely on aid for food, shelter and basic services.
WFP faces historic strain as conflicts multiply, with resources redirected to simultaneous emergencies in Gaza and Sudan and hunger affecting hundreds of millions worldwide.
Bangladesh said it is seeking diversified funding from multilateral development banks and high-income states to restore pre-cut rations and stabilize deliveries. Dhaka has warned that prolonged shortfalls will deepen malnutrition, raise security risks inside the densely packed camps and heighten vulnerabilities to fires, trafficking and climate-driven disasters along the cyclone-prone coast.
Officials also discussed the politics of donor fatigue. Rights groups have long accused wealthy governments of double standards: emergency pledges surge for high-visibility wars while protracted refugee crises like the Rohingya slide down the agenda.
Aid agencies say that without predictable, multi-year financing, nutritional gains will reverse and a generation of children will lose access to schooling and safe spaces.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
