Cuts in food aid for Rohingya refugees 'catastrophic,' says UN rights expert

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar on Thursday urgently appealed for countries to reverse "the shameful, catastrophic cuts" to food rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

"These rations cuts are a stain on the conscience of the international community," said Tom Andrews, speaking about cuts in food rations due to a lack of funds for the UN World Food Program (WFP).

"I have spoken with desperate families in the camps who have already had to cut back on essential food items due to a price spike. Reversing these food aid cuts is a matter of life and death for Rohingya families," Andrews said.

He said the food ration cuts would impact nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who fled genocidal attacks by the Myanmar military.

The UN expert issued his plea in a letter to UN member states on what could be a series of cuts in food rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

The cuts could exceed 30% of current allocations to Rohingya refugees.

Andrews said that many UN member states had offered “rhetorical support” for the Rohingya from Myanmar.

However, Rohingya families "cannot eat political rhetoric," he said.

"It is past the time for UN Member States to replace empty declarations of support with life-saving action," Andrews said.

"Unless they are quickly reversed, the impact of these cuts will be catastrophic and long-lasting," he added.

- Malnutrition could spike

According to Andrews, malnutrition and adverse health outcomes could spike in the community and severely impair the development of Rohingya children.

The consequences of these cuts are likely to be carried by the Rohingya people for generations.

"Tragically, the WFP has announced that cuts to the already insufficient food rations will be only the first round of ration reductions if additional funding is not forthcoming," said Andrews.

The value of the monthly food ration allocation for each Rohingya refugee in the Bangladesh camps has been reduced by 17%, he explained.

"Without additional support, these cuts will be even deeper over the next two months, with food rations reduced by a third," the Special Rapporteur said.

"That would mean that, on average, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh camps would need to try and survive on $0.27 per day."

The WFP reportedly needs $125 million immediately to halt the ration cuts.

On Wednesday, 12 Rohingya community organizations expressed concern about the WFP's decision to reduce refugee food rations, fearing it would force Rohingya living in Bangladesh into human trafficking, child marriage, or even prostitution.

Over 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar have been housed in 33 congested refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. Most fled a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine State in the Buddhist-majority Southeast Asian nation.