UK provides $15M aid for Rohingya, locals hit by disasters in Bangladesh

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - The UK government is providing £11.6 million (approximately $15 million) for Rohingya refugees living in the southeast coast of Cox’s Bazar and local people affected by disasters across Bangladesh.

The new package of UK support (160 Crore Taka) will provide food, water, and sanitation to Rohingya refugees, and child protection services to refugees and neighboring host communities, according to the British High Commission Dhaka on Monday.

Nearly 1.2 million Rohingya are living in Bangladesh, most of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine in August 2017. While the majority are still in overcrowded camps in southern Cox’s Bazar district, around 30,000 have been shifted to the island of Bhasan Char since late 2020.

The aid money will also provide to communities as support across Bangladesh who have been affected by major natural disasters, such as floods and cyclones, if they occur, it added.

The aid will be implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and START Fund Bangladesh, this support responds to ongoing needs in the Rohingya camps and host communities, and the potential for disasters to severely impact people across Bangladesh.

This new UK support includes £8 million (approximately $10 million) to WFP to provide food to 546,100 Rohingya refugees this year.

Since 2017, the UK has provided £362 million (approximately $459 million) of humanitarian support to Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.

The fresh aid comes amid the ongoing ration cuts for refugees.

In April, 57,420 Rohingya children aged 6-59 months were screened for acute malnutrition, identifying 55 new cases of severe malnutrition and 268 of moderate malnutrition, said UNHCR Bangladesh on Monday in a monthly update report.

Fresh screening brought the total number of children enrolled in UNHCR-supported malnutrition programs to 3,221 by the end of April.

By the end of April, the 2023 Joint Response Plan (JRP) was 17% funded, according to UNHCR.