Activist warns of repercussion if UN cuts aids for Rohingya refugees
A prominent activist has warned against the consequences as the UN decides to slash the rations for nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh which is the world’s largest refugee camp.
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Nay San Lwin, co-founder of Free Rohingya Coalition, in an interview with the Presstv website, said there is an increased risk of acute malnutrition among the Rohingya population, with limited access to food, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women.
“Unfortunately, this decision leaves the Rohingya refugees with no alternative but to contemplate participating in the so-called repatriation process. When people are left with no choices, they may feel compelled to do anything to ensure their survival,” he remarked.
“As a result, many could fall victim to human traffickers and be trafficked to other countries. The reduction in rations will have severe consequences for the Rohingya community, potentially leading to its complete destruction. This decision carries significant risks and jeopardizes the well-being and future of the Rohingya people.”
Last month, the UN in Bangladesh announced further cuts in food rations for Rohingya refugees, after a funding shortfall of $56 million prompted the World Food Programme (WFP) to cut the budget further.
The cuts mean the value of rations provided to Rohingya refugees will be $8 per month now, or 27 cents per day, compared to $12 per person per month at the beginning of the year.
Hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya fled Myanmar after a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine state in August 2017, escaping persecution, murder, arson, and rape, which the then-UN human rights chief described as a "textbook case of ethnic cleansing."
The atrocities against the members of the persecuted community were widely documented by international human rights bodies, including gang rapes, torture, murder, and destruction of property.
UN refugee agency has insisted that the repatriation of Rohingya to their home country must take place in “safe and dignified conditions that pave the way for lasting solutions.”
