Bangladeshi Prime Minister Calls for New Funding Sources to Support Rohingya Refugees

In a meeting on Tuesday with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the organization to find new partners and raise additional funds to support the Rohingya refugees living in the country, Anadolu Agency reported.

Prime Minister Hasina noted that the funds available for the displaced Myanmar nationals have been decreasing, leaving them in a precarious situation, the source added.

She called on the IOM to help facilitate the relocation of Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char, a remote island that emerged from the Bay of Bengal in 2006.

Since a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017, the majority of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, with most living in overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. However, since late 2020, around 35,000 Rohingya have been relocated to the island of Bhasan Char.

Last year, the ration fund for Rohingya was cut from $12 to $8 per person per month, which is less than 10 cents per meal. According to the UN, these ration cuts affect approximately 1 million refugees who remain entirely dependent on aid, with no possibility of employment to sustain their livelihoods.