A severe humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. International aid organizations warn that without immediate assistance, the region could face a full-scale disaster. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has urgently appealed for increased funding.
Decades of violence have left Rakhine deeply affected. Following the 2012 communal clashes, approximately 140,000 Rohingya remain in camps near Sittwe. The 2021 military coup triggered a nationwide civil war that devastated Myanmar’s economy, while military blockades have worsened conditions in Rakhine.
Severe food shortages have driven residents to desperation. In April, a Rohingya man in the Ohn Taw Kee camp in Sittwe attempted to poison himself, his wife, and two children with insecticide. While he died, neighbors intervened and saved the rest of the family. In June, another Rohingya family perished under similar circumstances, and last week an elderly couple reportedly committed suicide due to lack of food and money.
The WFP reports that its global funding has dropped by 60% this year, leaving only 20% of people in Myanmar’s most food-insecure areas able to receive aid. In March, the agency had to suspend food assistance in Rakhine, even as the number of impoverished households continued to rise.
Michael Dunford, WFP’s Myanmar representative, said, “People are trapped in the crossfire, have lost their livelihoods, and are cut off from humanitarian aid. We are hearing heartbreaking stories—children crying from hunger, mothers giving up their own meals so their children can eat.”
In 2023, Myanmar’s military closed all roads and trade routes in Rakhine to prevent supplies from reaching the Arakan Army rebels, leaving Sittwe accessible only by sea and air. Farmers have abandoned rice harvesting, and Rohingya residents cannot fish in the waters.
Rohingya youth are being forcibly recruited into the military, and families of those who refuse must pay fees that were previously covered by WFP aid.
The WFP warns that severe financial stress is driving families into debt, increasing begging, domestic violence, school dropouts, and vulnerability to human trafficking.
While the WFP has not named specific countries, experts suggest that funding cuts by the previous U.S. administration played a significant role in the crisis. Last year, the U.S. alone contributed nearly $4.5 billion to the agency, roughly half of its governmental support.
The UN had already warned in November that famine could loom over Rakhine. Nine months later, with WFP still facing funding shortfalls, the stark reality of the international aid system is evident, and conditions in the region remain dire.