US Pledges $199 Million for Rohingyas and Bangladesh

The United States has announced an additional $199 million in humanitarian assistance to support Rohingyas and host communities in Bangladesh and the surrounding region.

Uzra Zeya, the US Department of State Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, made the announcement at a Rohingya-focused side event during the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, as detailed in a press release received today.

The new aid package includes over $129 million from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and nearly $70 million from the US Department of State.

This assistance aims to address the urgent needs of more than 610,000 Rohingyas facing acute food insecurity, with USAID's contribution comprising $78 million from the US Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation.

This funding will facilitate the purchase, shipment, and distribution of approximately 52,200 metric tons of food commodities sourced from American farmers to affected communities in Bangladesh.

Additionally, the funding will support international organisations such as the International Rescue Committee, UNICEF, and the UN World Food Programme in providing critical food, nutrition, and protection assistance to both Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar.

Since the onset of the Rohingya crisis in 2017, the US government has contributed over $2.5 billion to the regional response, including more than $2.1 billion to Bangladesh alone.

The US continues to urge other international donors to increase their contributions to bridge critical funding gaps and meet the needs of the most vulnerable populations affected by the crisis.

Since August 25, 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting over a million forcibly displaced Rohingyas in the Cox's Bazar district, most of whom fled following a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN has described as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing," while other rights groups have termed it "genocide."

In the past seven years, not a single Rohingya has returned home. Myanmar has agreed to accept them back, but repatriation attempts have failed twice due to a lack of trust among the Rohingyas regarding their safety and security in Rakhine State.