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UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday denounced recent humanitarian aid cuts by the US and European nations as “a crime,” warning of dire consequences for vulnerable refugee populations, the Associated Press reported. Guterres’s remarks came during a four-day visit to Bangladesh, where the UN chief assessed the situation of more than one million Rohingya refugees facing imminent aid reductions.
Guterres vowed to mobilise global support to secure adequate funding for the refugees after the UN World Food Program announced drastic food aid reductions, warning that without sufficient funding, it would have no choice but to cut food aid by half starting in April.
The agency requires $81 million to sustain operations through the end of the year, including $15 million needed for April alone, the report said, adding that in the absence of funding, the monthly food rations provided to Rohingya refugees at Cox’s Bazar camps could drop from $12.50 to just $6 per person.
Guterres met with Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka, where he raised alarm over Western nations prioritising increased defense spending while cutting back on humanitarian aid. “(Aid) cuts are a crime,” the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha agency quoted Guterres as saying.
Concerns over the looming aid crisis have escalated in Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and other areas following Washington’s decision to withdraw certain operations. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has historically been a major source of funding for the refugees, and its withdrawal has raised fears of worsening conditions.
In a media briefing, Guterres reiterated his commitment to rallying global support, stating, “We cannot accept that the international community forgets about the Rohingya.”
He also pledged to reach out to governments capable of contributing to ensure that sufficient funds are made available to prevent further suffering and loss of life, the report said.
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