DHAKA: The UN’s World Food Programme will increase food rations for all Rohingya in Bangladesh’s Cox Bazar town, months after severe aid cuts caused malnourishment in the refugee camps.
According to Arab media reports the WFP slashed food assistance to the Rohingya by 33 percent earlier this year to $8 a month per person, citing a lack of funding.
Dom Scalpelli, WFP country director in Bangladesh has said that the year 2023 was tumultuous for Rohingya community, who lived through cyclones, multiple fire outbreaks and ration cuts.
He termed the deterioration of the food and nutrition situation in the camps as extremely worrying.
WFP’s food aid was cut twice in 2023, first in March and again in June.
The UN body on Sunday announced that it will restore the critical food assistance to $10 per person per month from January 1, 2024. WFP needs $61 million to fill the current funding gap.
Malnourishment a major problem
Malnourishment is a major problem in Cox’s Bazar even before the cut in ration, with around 40 percent of children under 5 chronically malnourished, and 12 percent malnourished acutely.
Dr. Abu Toha Bhuyan, health coordinator with Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission, told Arab News that the they have recorded a sharp increase in cases of acute malnutrition and moderate malnutrition among the Rohingya community.
He added the $8 amount per month is not sufficient to meet a person’s food requirements. He said the children and the elderly are especially affected by malnutrition.
Bhuyan said the decline in food aid is also affecting the immunity level of the Rohingya population.
