The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that starting in April 2025, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will receive only $6 per person per month for food rations. This drastic reduction raises serious concerns about how nearly one million refugees will survive under such dire conditions.
The announcement was made in a notice posted by the Camp-in-Charge, detailing how the limited $6 allocation will be managed. However, refugees and aid workers are questioning the feasibility of such an amount, which equates to just $0.20 per day per person. This alarming cutback adds to the already severe food insecurity faced by the Rohingya, who are entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival.
For a refugee family of five, the new ration system means they will receive only $30 for the entire month, barely enough to buy staple food items such as rice, lentils, and oil, let alone cover nutritional needs for children, pregnant women, and the elderly. Many refugees are expressing deep frustration and fear over how they will cope.
“This is not enough even for one week, let alone a whole month,” said Mohammad Alam, a Rohingya refugee living in Kutupalong Camp. “We have no way to earn money, no land to grow food, and no other means of survival. How are we supposed to live on this?”
With no legal right to work in Bangladesh and strict restrictions on movement outside the camps, Rohingya refugees rely entirely on aid from international donors and humanitarian organizations. Previous cuts to food rations have already led to increased malnutrition and desperation among the community, and experts warn that this latest reduction could push the situation to a breaking point.
This latest cut is part of a series of reductions in food aid for Rohingya refugees due to declining international funding. In 2023, WFP was forced to reduce monthly food assistance from $12 to $8 per person. By early 2024, the amount had dropped further to $7, and now, starting in April 2025, it will be slashed again to just $6.
Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that these funding shortfalls are having devastating effects on the health and well-being of refugees. Malnutrition rates, particularly among children, have been rising, with many families struggling to meet even their basic dietary needs.
With such little food assistance, many refugees fear they will be forced into desperate measures to survive. Some may be pushed towards illegal migration attempts, which have previously resulted in deadly journeys at sea. Others worry about falling into the hands of traffickers who exploit vulnerable refugees by promising work opportunities outside the camps.
“Our children will go hungry, and we will have no choice but to beg for food,” said Amina, a mother of four in Balukhali Camp. “Some people may risk their lives trying to escape this misery.”
International aid agencies and human rights groups are urging donor countries to step in and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.
Humanitarian organizations are warning that the situation in the Rohingya camps is reaching a critical point. With no political solution in sight and repatriation efforts stalled, the refugees remain in limbo, entirely dependent on aid for survival.
“The world cannot turn its back on the Rohingya,” said a representative from a leading humanitarian group. “This is not just a funding issue, it’s a question of human dignity and survival. We urge the international community to step up and ensure that food assistance is restored before it is too late.”
As April approaches, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face an uncertain and increasingly desperate future. With only $6 per month to survive on, the question remains: how long can they endure this crisis before the situation spirals out of control?
