UN warns funding cuts could worsen Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh

DHAKA, June 2 (Reuters) – The U.N. refugee agency warned on Tuesday that declining humanitarian funding could significantly worsen conditions for around 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, nearly nine years after they fled Myanmar, as aid groups struggle to sustain essential services.

As global crises multiply and donor budgets tighten, the United Nations and its partners are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain support for one of the world’s largest refugee populations.

The pressure has grown with the arrival of about 150,000 more Rohingya Muslims since early 2024, fleeing renewed violence in Myanmar, UNHCR said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and some European countries have cut funding for international aid in recent years.

Last month, the U.N. and the Bangladesh government launched a $710.5 million appeal to fund food, shelter, healthcare, education and protection services. However, the appeal — already 26% lower than last year’s — remains only about 60% funded, underscoring mounting financial strain.

The funding push comes ahead of the ninth anniversary of the August 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, which forced some 750,000 Rohingya to flee to Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

“For decades, Rohingya people have been driven from their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, with Bangladesh providing protection to successive movements of refugees since the late seventies,” UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said.

Life in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh remains bleak. Overcrowded and fragile, the settlements face constant threats from extreme weather, disease and insecurity, with limited access to basic services compounding hardships.

With limited access to education and jobs, refugees remain largely dependent on aid, with recent food ration cuts deepening hardship, while vulnerable groups — including women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities — face the greatest risks.

As conflict in Myanmar persists, prospects for a safe return remain slim, while growing desperation is pushing some Rohingya to undertake perilous sea journeys to Malaysia or Indonesia — with nearly 900 reported missing or dead in 2025, the deadliest year on record.

“We just want the world not to forget that we are still living through this suffering, day after day, year after year. We see no clear future here and no way of returning home,” said refugee Mohammed Jashim, 35, a father of three from the camps in Bangladesh.

UNHCR called on donors to continue supporting Rohingya refugees until returns can take place safely.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Hugh Lawson)