Human rights groups and agencies have expressed alarm at the widening funding gap. The (World Food Program) WFP's move alone to cut food rations will add significant pressure, said John Quinley of the human rights group Fortify Rights. "The [latest] cuts on food aid will be dire and could lead to significant health consequences for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh."

A looming funding crisis facing Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh underlines the deepening aid shortages and growing unrest in the sprawling camps along the country's border with Myanmar. Amid the Covid-19 epidemic, Myanmar's military coup, the Afghan refugee crisis, and now the Ukraine situation, Bangladesh's Rohingya minority remains in limbo. Money for them is running out. Bangladesh is being made to bear the burden of the Rohingyas alone. The international aid for the 1.1 million Rohingyas who have taken refuge in Bangladesh has been greatly reduced. If this continues, a catastrophe is feared.

United Nations officials have warned of a shortfall of more than 50 per cent in the $876 million needed this year to provide basic food and shelter for nearly 1 million refugees living in one of the world's largest refugee settlements. In a sign of the widening funding gap, the WFP in February announced a 17 per cent cut in refugee rations for camp dwellers to $10 a month from $12 per person and issued an emergency appeal for $125 million to help make up the shortfall. Japan recently pledged $1 million in response, but as one WFP official said, "The overall silence has been roaring."

The "ticking time bomb," according to humanitarian agencies and UN officials, is the anticipated drop in overall funding this year to maintain the Rohingya camps amid growing donor fatigue over other urgent demands, including the fallout of Russia's war in Ukraine, worsening humanitarian problems in Afghanistan and the death or displacement of many millions in Pakistan due to flooding, and the earthquake havoc in Turkey and Syria. The Afghan and Ukraine crises have worsened the situation. But the world must remember that Rohingyas are also refugees.

US aid raises hopes

The US State Department has announced nearly USD 26 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, for those people in Burma affected by ongoing violence, and for communities hosting the refugees from Myanmar. 

In such context, the announcement of US humanitarian aid to the Rohingyas will raise hopes. With this new funding, the US’ total assistance for those affected has reached nearly USD 2.1 billion since August 2017, when over 740,000 Rohingya were forced to flee to safety in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, according to a press statement issued by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the launch of the 2023 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis in Bangladesh.

According to the official statement, the new funding includes nearly USD 24 million for programs specifically in Bangladesh, providing of life-sustaining support to nearly 9,80,000 Rohingya refugees, many of them survivors of genocide, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, and support for nearly 540,000 host community members in Bangladesh.

The assistance, according to Blinken, will see to it that children and young adults have access to education and vocational training, provide families with food and clean water, strengthens sanitation systems to prevent the spread of disease, supports the protection of Rohingya refugees’ human rights and well-being, bolster disaster preparedness, and helps combat the effects of climate change.

The US urged other donors to contribute robustly to the humanitarian response and increase support to those driven from and affected by violence in Myanmar.

UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk recently called for a coordinated regional approach to protect the thousands of desperate Rohingya who risk their lives by undertaking perilous sea voyages.

“More than 2,400 Rohingya have sought to leave Bangladesh and Myanmar in 2022 alone, and I am deeply saddened that over 200 have reportedly lost their lives on the way. Recent reports indicate that overcrowded and unsafe boats carrying Rohingyas have been left to drift for days on end without any help,” Turk said in a statement released by the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner.

“As the crisis at sea continues, I urge countries in the region to put in place a coordination mechanism to ensure proactive search and rescue, the disembarkation of Rohingya refugees on their territories, and their effective protection,” he added.

The UNHCR called on countries in the region and globally to help Bangladesh support the over one million Rohingya refugees who have sought protection there since 2017. “Clearly, an urgent solution must be found to enable the voluntary return of all Rohingya, with full respect for their dignity and human rights as full and equal citizens of Myanmar,” he added.

Since the military overthrew the elected government on February 1, 2021, the political, economic, and humanitarian crises in Myanmar have only worsened. According to reliable sources, there have been close to 3,000 fatalities, close to 17,000 arrests, and more than 1.5 million displaced people. The continued scorched-earth effort by the dictatorship continues to do harm and take the lives of innocent people, halting discussions about the return of Rohingya, igniting an escalating military conflict inside Myanmar, and fostering insecurity outside of its borders. 

Bangladesh continues to house them despite being forced to use a significant portion of her meager resources to cover expenditures and mitigate effects on her economy, society, and environment. In this path of providing humanitarian aid to the Rohingya, Bangladesh is joined by numerous European, British, and American countries. 

More expectations from regional powers

Since the crisis, the United States has been the single most important country in providing funds for Rohingya refugees. Since 2017, the United States has provided more than $1.9 billion in humanitarian assistance to people in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and other parts of the region. The United States was the largest contributor to the JRP fund in 2022, accounting for 50.1 percent of total funding. 

The United States, United Kingdom and Canada, to date, have imposed sanctions on 80 individuals and 32 entities to deprive the regime of the means to perpetuate its violence and to promote the democratic aspirations of the Burmese people. 

The US remains firm in its position that the regime’s planned elections cannot be free or fair, not while the regime has killed, detained, or forced possible contenders to flee, nor while it continues to inflict brutal violence against its peaceful opponents. The US vows to continue to promote accountability for the military’s atrocities, including through support to the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and other international efforts to protect and support vulnerable populations, including Rohingya. 

In December last year, 24 of the selected 62 Rohingyas left Bangladesh for the United States as part of the US government’s resettlement program. According to the US Embassy in Dhaka, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to welcoming refugees by keeping the total admissions target in the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for 2022-23 at 125,000, with a regional allocation of 15,000 for East Asia. 

However, India, China, and other regional actors have yet to establish a firm position on the Rohingya repatriation process and peace talks to end the crisis in Myanmar. While the US is strongly supporting Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue, China and India’s geopolitical and geoeconomic interests in Myanmar have left Bangladesh to manage the Rohingya crisis alone.

Despite competing aid priorities, the Rohingya crisis should remain on the international agenda because nearly one million Rohingya genocide survivors still dwell in darkness. They have little or no rights as refugees, and aid cuts will result in severe malnutrition and hunger. The highest cost will be paid by the most vulnerable -- women and children.

 (The author, a graduate in International Relations from Bangladesh, is an independent researcher and columnist on South Asian affairs. Views are personal. He can be contacted at sufiansiddique1971@gmail.com)