US provides $23.8m more for Rohingyas

The United States, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional $23.8 million in humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh to deliver urgent food and nutrition assistance to Rohingyas.

With this new funding, USAID will work with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide critically needed food and nutrition, including electronic vouchers to purchase staple and fresh foods, feeding 925,000 Rohingyas, with a focus on children, pregnant and lactating women in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char, said a press release.

The assistance comes at a critical time amidst a funding shortfall of nearly $100 million, which has led to a reduction of food rations in the Rohingya camps.

"The United States remains committed to delivering assistance to refugees and impacted communities in Bangladesh, but much more is needed. We urge other donors to join us in providing additional assistance to meet the needs of the Rohingyas. We also urge the government of Bangladesh to allow the Rohingya population to engage in more sustainable livelihood-building activities, enabling them to reduce their dependence on humanitarian aid," said US Ambassador in Dhaka Peter Haas.

Bangladesh currently hosts nearly one million people, most of whom are ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar. The majority of these people are living in the world's largest refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, as well as Bhasan Char, a silt island in the Bay of Bengal, and rely on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs.

Since August 2017, the US has provided over $2 billion in response to this regional crisis, including more than $1.6 billion to assist Rohingyas and host communities in Bangladesh.