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The United Nations World Food Programme warns of a critical funding shortfall for its emergency response operations in Bangladesh, jeopardising food assistance for over one million displaced Rohingya people in Bangladesh.

Without urgent new funding, monthly rations must be halved to $6 per person, down from $12.50 per person – just as refugees prepare to observe Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, said a WFP press release on Friday. 

All Rohingya receive vouchers that are redeemed for their choice of food at designated retailers in the camps.

To sustain full rations, the WFP urgently requires $15 million for April, and $81 million until the end of 2025.

‘Rohingya people in Bangladesh remain entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival. Any reduction in food assistance will push them deeper into hunger and force them to resort to desperate measures just to survive,’ said Dom Scalpelli, WFP country director in Bangladesh. 

In recent months, new waves of Rohingya refugees, potentially exceeding 1,00,000 people, have crossed into Bangladesh, fleeing conflict in neighbouring Myanmar.

The continued influx of Rohingya seeking safe places will put an even greater strain on already overstretched resources.

The WFP has already begun communicating with the Rohingya community about the potential ration cuts.

‘Now more than ever, the Rohingya want us to stand by them. These families have nowhere else to go, and WFP’s food aid is the difference between survival and despair. Immediate support is urgently needed to prevent this crisis from escalating further,’ added Scalpelli.

In 2023, severe funding constraints forced WFP to reduce rations from $12 to $8 per person per month, leading to a sharp decline in food consumption and the worst levels of malnutrition among children since 2017 – reaching over 15 per cent – above the emergency threshold. Rations were later increased when funding was received.

For a population with no legal status, no freedom of movement outside the camps, and no sustainable livelihood opportunities, further cuts will exacerbate protection and security risks, the release said.