Weeks after losing their homes to the devastating Cyclone Mocha, Rohingya refugees are on the brink of new challenges, as the UN World Food Programme (WFP) faces a shortage of food vouchers in Bangladesh, WFP said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th May, 2023) Weeks after losing their homes to the devastating Cyclone Mocha, Rohingya refugees are on the brink of new challenges, as the UN World Food Programme (WFP) faces a shortage of food vouchers in Bangladesh, WFP said on Friday.
The impending shortage, which will reduce food vouchers in the Bangladeshi city of Cox's Bazar to $8, or less than 9 cents per meal, is yet another cut this year after vouchers were reduced from $12 to $10 per person in March, the agency said.
"We are appealing for urgent support so that we can restore rations to the full amount as soon as possible. Anything less that US$ 12 has dire consequences not only on nutrition for women and children, but also protection, safety and security for everyone in the camps," WFP quoted its resident representative and country director in Bangladesh, Dom Scalpelli, as saying.
With reduced rations, some of the refugees may have no choice but to resort to inappropriate ways to survive, such as marrying off underage girls or seeking illegal sources of income, which could put them at risk of exploitation and abuse, the agency added.
"WFP food assistance is the only reliable source of food for the Rohingya. We are extremely grateful for all contributions received so far, but we still need US$ 56 million to restore the full ration and keep this lifeline intact until the end of the year," Scalpelli said.
Even before the aid cuts, four out of 10 Rohingya families had below-normal diets and 12% suffered from acute malnutrition, WFP said.
The mass illegal migration of Rohingya to Bangladesh began in 2017, following a military operation by Myanmar's armed forces in Rakhine against Rohingya rebels who attacked several police posts and army bases. Since then, more than 700,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Cyclone Mocha was a powerful and deadly tropical cyclone in the northern Indian Ocean that affected Myanmar and parts of Bangladesh from May 9-15.
