US Aid Cuts Leave Rohingya Refugees Facing Dire Hunger Crisis
A significant reduction in US aid is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis faced by Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The cuts, amounting to $8 billion annually, have left many children, like Sofiya, suffering from acute malnutrition. In Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp, aid organizations report an alarming increase in malnutrition rates among children. According to UNICEF, there has been an 11% rise in the number of children with acute malnutrition from January to September 2023.
In a makeshift home within the refugee camp, Fatima Begum cares for her daughter, Sofiya, by administering therapeutic food paste designed to combat severe malnutrition. These vital supplies, marked with the logo of USAID, are dwindling as the remaining resources run low. “Before, they gave more food, but now they don’t,” Begum lamented. She fled from Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017, escaping military violence that the US and UN have labeled as genocide. Now, within the camps housing 1.2 million Rohingya, she faces a relentless struggle to keep her child alive.
Children in Cox’s Bazar typically receive 2.5 portions of ready-to-use therapeutic food packets daily, each providing 500 calories. Unfortunately, UNICEF has had to reduce the number of packets distributed per child, attempting to stretch limited resources. “Cox’s Bazar is ground zero for the impact of budget cuts on people in desperate need,” stated United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres following a visit in March. He warned that “people will suffer and even people will die” due to the ongoing aid shortfalls.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the aid reductions, insisting they are necessary to cut bureaucracy and prioritize national interests. Despite this, a recent study published in The Lancet forecasts that these cuts could lead to 14 million deaths globally over the next five years. An online tool developed by a Boston University professor estimates that there are currently 88 deaths per hour attributable to the reduction in aid.
In September, the US announced an additional $60 million in humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees, including emergency food aid and therapeutic food packets. A spokesperson for the State Department emphasized the administration’s commitment to delivering life-saving assistance while ensuring accountability to American taxpayers.
The ongoing crisis in Cox’s Bazar reveals a grim reality for many children. At a nutrition center in Camp 15, operated by Concern Worldwide with support from UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP), staff measure children’s arms to assess malnutrition levels. UNICEF reports a chronic malnutrition rate of approximately 41% in the camps. “More and more children are being detected with the severest form of malnutrition,” said Deepika Sharma, Chief of Nutrition and Child Development for UNICEF in Bangladesh, highlighting the increasing risk of mortality.
As international assistance decreases, the impact is felt far beyond the camps. Job losses among aid agencies have surged, with nearly 5,000 positions cut at the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Essential services, including medical care and vaccination programs, are also under threat. Many aid organizations are bracing for a “funding cliff” in 2026, raising concerns about the sustainability of support for vulnerable populations.
“People are suffering,” emphasized Shamsud Douza, joint secretary of the Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Office in Cox’s Bazar. “Humanitarian aid decreased, funding is going down, some people are losing jobs, education programs, everything.” In response to the deepening crisis, the Bangladeshi government organized a conference in August aimed at raising funds for the Rohingya.
Refugees currently survive on approximately $12 per person per month for food. While the WFP has yet to implement ration cuts this year, it faces a funding gap of $126 million in the next twelve months. Julie Bishop, special envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Myanmar, noted that the needs of the Rohingya community are growing faster than available resources. “Without new contributions, food assistance for the entire Rohingya community will come to a complete halt in two months,” she warned.
In the past two years, more than 150,000 new Rohingya refugees have arrived in the camps, further straining already limited resources. Many of these newcomers are arriving in dire health, having been cut off from aid in northern Rakhine, where the military is accused of using starvation as a weapon of war. In Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, Rohingya have been living in camps since 2012, following previous violent attacks on their community.
Hla Tin, a 39-year-old Rohingya residing in a Sittwe camp, shared that aid has been nonexistent since June. “These days due to lack of nutritious food, both elderly people and children get sick more easily,” he said, describing the dire conditions faced by families in the camp. Among 432 families in his camp, over 300 are not eating regular meals, leading many to go into debt to purchase food.
The situation in Cox’s Bazar continues to deteriorate. Mariam Khatun, a refugee, described how she struggles to provide for her three children after losing her eldest daughter, Estafa, to illness. Once a bright student, Estafa was sent for private lessons in Arabic, but the family’s financial situation has now worsened due to budget cuts. “We can’t afford to educate our children. Access to medicine has decreased compared to before,” Khatun lamented.
In the camps, 48 health facilities and 11 primary health care centers have already been impacted by the cuts in US aid. “We see long queues now in our hospitals, people waiting for treatments,” said Hasina Rahman, the Bangladesh director for the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
Tragically, Khatun recalls how her daughter, Estafa, succumbed to illness after being transferred from a camp hospital to a larger facility for treatment. The cause of death was cited as “aspiration pneumonia and encephalitis,” but Khatun blames the lack of available medical support. “My child suffered and died in pain,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
The cumulative impact of reduced support is creating a climate of despair for Rohingya refugees. As the humanitarian crisis continues to unfold, many, like Mariam Khatun, hope for renewed international assistance. “Before, we used to get support from America,” she said. “We want their help again.”
