KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 (Bernama): The Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation in Malaysia (Merhrom) is deeply shocked with the decision by the World Food Programme (WFP) to cut food aid for the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar Refugee Camps.
Its President Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, in a statement issued Friday, said this will force them to flee the camps and there will be more Rohingya who will fall into human traffickers' hands.
"The number of refugees, especially the children who suffered malnutrition, is beyond imagination. There will be more women forced into prostitution and there will be more children who become forced labour," he said in the statement.
Merhrom wants UN agencies, WFP, UNHCR, donor agencies and countries, as well as the Bangladeshi government and the international community to seek permanent durable solutions to the survivors of Rohingya Genocide as well as the solution to address the current problem in the refugee camp including security, food insecurity and crimes.
Earlier in the month, WFP had announced that it is forced to cutback the lifesaving assistance for all Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar - after nearly six years into the Rohingya refugee crisis- due to funding shortfall. WFP said starting March 1, the general food assistance voucher value will be reduced from UD$12 to US$10 per person per month.
Merhrom also recommended that the United Nations, world leaders, CSO, NGOs and international community increase actions to stop the Rohingya Genocide, and for WFP and donor countries to halt the plan to cut the food aid, map out strategies for sustainable food supply to counter food insecurity, create platforms for the Rohingya refugees to generate income from the refugee camps, and allowing the Rohingya to work to support their families.
Hundreds and thousand of Rohingya people fled Myanmar in 2017 following ethnic persecution, with most ending up at the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar in neighbouring Bangladesh. Malaysia, too, hosts about 200,000 of them. - Bernama
