Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face an escalating crisis as humanitarian aid funding dwindles. The U.N. World Food Program warns that food rations may be cut from US$12 to just US$6 per month, worsening malnutrition and increasing school dropouts. Aid workers fear the cuts will also lead to rising unrest, as refugees are not allowed to work outside the camps.
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00:00This is no ordinary shantytown.
00:03It's a refugee camp for Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh,
00:08forced out of their homes in Myanmar nearly a decade ago
00:12after armed attacks targeted this Muslim minority.
00:16Since then, they have been largely reliant on international humanitarian assistance.
00:22But now, they face another crisis as that assistance disappears.
00:30We don't have food, we don't have water, we don't have food.
00:35We don't have water, we don't have food.
00:40The looming cuts to humanitarian aid follow an order by U.S. President Donald Trump
00:45to freeze most foreign aid funding.
00:48While no cuts have taken effect yet,
00:51the U.N. World Food Program warns that without additional funding,
00:55it will be forced to have food rations from 12 to just 6 U.S. dollars per month.
01:00The U.N. Secretary-General has criticized the U.S. and European countries
01:05for scaling back their aid.
01:07That would be an unmitigated disaster.
01:11People would suffer and people would die.
01:17I strongly appeal to the international community
01:21to allow us to avoid this tragedy.
01:25Aid workers say that any drop in humanitarian aid
01:28could have devastating effects on Rohingya refugees,
01:31both physically and mentally.
01:34The World Food Program warns that it will worsen already rampant malnutrition among refugees
01:40and lead to more school dropouts.
01:43It says treatment for medical issues will also become out of reach.
01:48Refugees are heavily reliant on aid as they are not allowed to work outside their camps.
01:54Some here worry that it will also fuel unrest inside.
01:58We are not getting enough food.
02:01We are not getting enough food.
02:06We are not getting enough food.
02:11We are not getting enough food.
02:17We are not getting enough food.
02:23The cuts are expected to take effect on April 1st.
02:27But for the Rohingya stranded in Bangladesh,
02:30this means an uncertain future,
02:33with even basic necessities becoming harder to secure.
02:37Andy Xue and Gino Lopez for Taiwan Plus.