Key Points
- Aid agencies warn of looming starvation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, with the World Food Programme (WFP) calling for urgent funding to prevent disaster.
- Approximately 140,000 Rohingya remain displaced within Myanmar, living in dire conditions isolated by military blockades.
- The military coup in Myanmar in 2021 has devastated the economy and worsened humanitarian crises, especially affecting the Rohingya minority.
- Families in camps face extreme food scarcity, with reports of suicides and poisonings driven by hunger and despair.
- More than one million Rohingya refugees reside in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar camps, where malnutrition and hunger are at crisis levels.
- UN and international bodies describe conditions as “dire” and “unsustainable,” with hunger increasing in both Myanmar and refugee camps.
- International funding cuts and conflict-related blockades have hampered food aid delivery.
- The global community, including Britain and the US, pledged $96 million recently to help Rohingya refugees.
- Acute malnutrition affects over 100,000 children in Rakhine, with less than 2% accessing treatment.
- Myanmar’s junta suppresses information on the crisis, with aid agencies struggling to intervene due to conflict and security restrictions.
- Humanitarian agencies warn that without urgent aid, starvation and mass displacement will worsen, with many forced into life-threatening situations.
What is the current humanitarian situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State?
As reported by the BBC, aid organisations have raised alarm bells over impending starvation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. The World Food Programme (WFP) has made an urgent appeal for increased donations to stave off what it calls a “full-blown disaster” in the region. This coastal state, long afflicted by ethnic violence mainly targeting the Rohingya Muslim minority, is gripped by extreme food shortages resulting from ongoing conflict and military-imposed blockades. The situation is distinctly worse here than in other parts of Myanmar due to restricted access and intensified fighting between junta forces and ethnic armed groups.
A BBC report by several Sittwe-based sources detailed a tragic recent incident in the Ohn Taw Kyi camp, the largest shelter for displaced Rohingya, where a man poisoned food leading to his death and nearly killed his wife and children—rescued only by neighbours’ swift action. Reports have also emerged of suicides among displaced ethnic Rakhine civilians due to hunger and despair over scarce resources and food. These testimonies highlight the extreme distress and survival struggles of civilians caught in this conflict zone.
How has the Rohingya refugee crisis evolved, and what are conditions like in refugee camps?
According to Vibhu Mishra of UN News, the Rohingya crisis is described as a “test for humanity,” with over one million Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh’s sprawling camps in Cox’s Bazar. These refugees fled Myanmar during horrific communal violence years ago and continue to suffer from malnutrition, limited access to education, and assistance shortfalls. The February 2021 military coup plunged Myanmar further into chaos, driving up displacement whilst forcing many Rohingya to rely solely on dwindling food aid. Humanitarian briefings at the United Nations have highlighted forced recruitment, sexual violence, starvation, and ongoing mass displacement affecting this vulnerable group.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) highlighted in 2024 that hunger has surged dramatically in Cox’s Bazar camps, with 70% of refugees lacking adequate food by 2023 compared to 44% in 2022. Malnutrition among children rose sharply, with only a small fraction of young children consuming three meals per day. Funding cuts to food rations in 2023, reducing assistance from $12 to $8 per person monthly, have exacerbated these hardships. These conditions have catalysed a rise in child marriage and exploitation as families take desperate survival measures, warned Hasina Rahman, IRC’s Bangladesh director.
Why is food insecurity so severe in Rakhine and among Rohingya refugees?
According to Reuters and Arab News reports citing displaced Rohingya testimonies, food insecurity in Rakhine is catastrophic due to conflict, blockades, and funding cuts. More than 100,000 children suffer acute malnutrition, with limited access to treatment. Myanmar’s military junta has suppressed reporting on the crisis by intimidating researchers and blocking aid access, leaving many cut off from vital food supplies. Michael Dunford, acting UN head in Myanmar and WFP country representative, acknowledged these restrictions directly contribute to the hunger spike across the region.
Ajib Bahar, a Rohingya mother who fled to Bangladesh, recounted how she gave her children boiled grass to quiet their hunger before her six-month-old son died due to lack of food and medicine. Her story is a harrowing testament to the desperation engulfing many families trapped by escalating violence.
What international responses are underway to address the crisis?
At a high-level UN conference in New York, multiple governments and UN officials, including General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, voiced urgent concern and solidarity with Myanmar’s minorities. The US and UK announced $96 million in additional aid to support refugee camps in Bangladesh housing the Rohingya, aiming to alleviate malnutrition and starvation risks. However, continued conflict and suspicion hamper aid delivery inside Myanmar, complicating relief efforts despite international commitments.
The UN refugee agency and humanitarian partners are coordinating responses but face logistical and security challenges. The worsening crisis is described in UN reports as unsustainable, with millions internally displaced and many reliant on international support for survival.
What are the broader impacts of hunger and displacement on Myanmar’s population?
The severe food insecurity affects not only Rohingya but also other ethnic minorities and civilians caught in conflict zones. UN human rights experts in 2025 have warned that over one-third of Myanmar’s population face food insecurity, exacerbating conflict-related suffering. Psychological trauma, malnutrition-induced child deaths, and social instability are mounting.
