A Humanitarian Alarm in Cox’s Bazar
By Sukesh Nandan Saha Shuvo, November 28, 2025
USAID cuts have worsened the crisis in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh leaving Rohingya families struggling to survive. The future for millions hangs in the balance.
Rohingya refugee crisis. [Photo Credit: INAS]
In the sprawling Rohingya camps of Cox’s Bazar, safety is fragile and survival hangs by a thread. Families huddle in bamboo shelters that flood each monsoon, women fear the darkness outside their tents, and parents line up for hours in the blazing heat hoping to collect just enough food or medicine to make it through another week. These are not places of choice - they are places of last resort, sustained almost entirely by international aid.
But as the funding dries up - particularly from drastic USAID programs being slashed, dismissed by some as a “waste of money” - the lifelines that keep millions alive and give children a chance at a future are breaking. The Rohingya people need your voice, your advocacy, and your solidarity-now more than ever.
Humanitarian Crisis Escalates in Cox's Bazar!
Due to denied citizenship, violence, and persecution, the Rohingya people (a population from Rakhine state in Myanmar) have lived in fear for generations. Millions have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Thailand. Bangladesh alone has generously provided refuge to over one million Rohingya refugees, with more than 750,000 who arrived in 2017 alone. As of 2025, their numbers are expected to surpass 1.4 million. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was formerly the largest provider of international aid to the Rohingya, until events that occurred within the US government earlier this year.
Aid Coverage and Flash Appeal!
Out of all the United Nations (UN) member states, the United States has long been the largest donor of funds to the Rohingya humanitarian response. Most of these funds were allocated towards the 2024 Joint Response Plan (JRP) , a framework developed last year by the UN to address ongoing humanitarian needs and responses for the Rohingya in Bangladesh. However, the JRP 2024 was only 65% funded, with the United States contributing more than half of the total funds through the USAID. Other significant contributors are the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Refugee Council (IRC). According to the initial 2025 JRP framework, serving refugees and the development of host communities required over $934.5 million, only 35% of this amount can be covered by current global support. A new flash appeal released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that USD $84 million is urgently needed to provide food, shelter, water, healthcare, protection, and education for 150,000 new arrivals at the Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Yet this urgent appeal does not account for desperately needed expansion of camp infrastructure, which is already under severe strain. An unprecedented influx of refugees fleeing escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has strained the capacity of an already overburdened humanitarian system in Cox’s Bazar. The surge of refugees far exceeds the capacity and resources planned for in the initial 2025 JRP – this has led to severe restrictions in the delivery of essential humanitarian services. The situation underscores not just logistical challenges but a profound humanitarian crisis that demands immediate and sustained global action.
Kutupalong Refugee Camp, Cox’s Bazar. [Photo Credit: FAO/Sergio Rivero]
The Devastating Impact of Global Aid Cuts
Over 437,000 children have already lost access to education as hundreds of community learning centers closed their doors, erasing years of progress and leaving an entire generation at risk of permanent illiteracy. Crucial climate resilience projects, such as slope stabilization, flood drainage maintenance, and cyclone preparedness are now stalled or abandoned due to lack of funds,–vital in a region where seasonal disasters regularly claim lives. Essential services, from maternal healthcare and child nutrition to mental health support and women’s protection, have been slashed, with some programs disappearing entirely. Humanitarian organizations, including UNHCR, are now in survival mode, operating on the bare minimum of emergency life‑saving aid while long‑term stability, protection, and dignity for refugees slip further out of reach. This is fueling a vicious cycle of vulnerability, where every day without restored funding deepens poverty, heightens disease risk, and closes the few remaining paths towards self‑reliance.
Women attending a cyclone safety session. [Photo Credit: UN Women/Allison Joyce]
Political upheaval, climate-induced disasters, and high food prices are intensifying the humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh, especially in the host communities of Teknaf and Ukhia. An alarming 96% of Rohingya households and 74% of the host community households have returned to adopting negative coping mechanisms, undermining years of hard-won resilience. In the camps, the most common coping strategies include taking loans, buying food on credit, and selling essential belongings. When refugees fall behind on repayments or cannot repay at all, they often face harassment or even the seizure of their shelters. Alongside health, shelter, and food security, the 2025 JRP prioritizes water and sanitation, child protection, and prevention of gender-based violence. It also emphasizes support of livelihoods and skills development to rebuild independence and address the fundamental needs of the Rohingya community.
“Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh remain entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival. Any reduction in food assistance will push them deeper into hunger and force them to resort to desperate measures just to survive.”
Dom Scalpelli, WFP Country Director In Bangladesh
An Uncertain Future: A Plea for Global Solidarity!
The Rohingya refugee crisis is now in its eighth year, with no political resolution in sight. Recent developments reveal an alarming retreat of the international community at a critical moment. Continued global inaction and underfunding risk turning a manageable humanitarian challenge into a long-term catastrophe. The international community must renew its commitment urgently. Without immediate funding support and a reversal of these devastating budget cuts, the Rohingya people face a future marked by deepening deprivation, preventable suffering, and the loss of entire generations. Cox’s Bazar is not alone - this is just one of many refugee camps worldwide that have been severely affected by USAID cuts, underscoring the global crisis. Now, more than ever, solidarity and decisive action from the global community are imperative.