Food assistance slashed for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees trapped in Bangladesh camps
Key Takeaways
- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is switching to a tiered cash-assistance system for Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar; two-thirds of the camp population will receive reduced monthly food assistance.
- About 17% will receive $7 per person per month, while roughly one-third classified as "extremely food insecure" will keep $12; WFP says minimum calorie needs will still be met.
- Rohingya are legally barred from working in Bangladesh and remain largely dependent on humanitarian aid; last year's foreign aid cuts left WFP with about a third less funding.
- Humanitarian programs for the camps are severely underfunded — reportedly only 19% funded this year — raising concerns about nutrition, child protection, and potential instability.
What changed
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has moved the 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar camps to a tiered cash-assistance model that reduces monthly food assistance for many households starting this week. Under the new system, roughly 17% of people will receive about $7 per month and a larger share will get an intermediate amount; about one-third — households deemed "extremely food insecure," including those headed by children — will continue to receive $12. The WFP (United Nations World Food Programme) says the change should not be described as a "ration cut" because it believes all households will still meet the emergency food-aid threshold of 2,100 calories a day.
Why it matters
The Rohingya population in Bangladesh is largely unable to work legally and relies on aid to survive; the change therefore has immediate, practical consequences. It has been reported that camp residents fear children will suffer and families will be pushed into more dangerous coping strategies, including child labor, child marriage, or leaving the camps to seek informal work. Bangladesh's Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner warned that reduced assistance could drive people to attempt to flee the camps in search of food and work, with attendant risks to law and order and personal safety.
Context and human impact
Aid budgets for the Rohingya response have been shrinking: WFP lost roughly a third of its funding after steep foreign aid cuts last year, and overall Rohingya programs were reportedly only about 19% funded this year after being half-funded in 2025. The Rohingya fled mass violence in Myanmar in 2017 — an onslaught the U.S. has called a genocide — and the military remains in power in Myanmar, making safe, voluntary return unrealistic for most. For refugees seeking resettlement or other durable solutions, cuts increase urgency but reduce available services that support vulnerability assessments and protection. For those in the camps now, the policy shift means tighter household budgets, higher nutritional risk for children, and a greater reliance on overstretched local services.
Source: Original Article