The United Nations has sounded the alarm over a funding crisis threatening vital support for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, warning that a $610 million gap could leave more than a million people without essential assistance.

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Myanmar, fled mass violence in 2017 and now live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar. UN agencies describe the situation as “one of the largest and most protracted refugee crises in the world”, stressing that 2026 marks a critical turning point.

Carol Flore‑Smereczniak, the UN coordinator in Bangladesh, told reporters it was crucial the crisis “does not fall into oblivion”. She said the UN needs over $710 million this year to support 1.56 million people, including 1.2 million Rohingya and more than 300,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis. Of that, $610 million is considered the strict minimum to cover life‑saving interventions.

Nine years after fleeing Myanmar, the Rohingya remain almost entirely dependent on humanitarian aid. The UN says the needs are rising sharply while available funding continues to shrink. More than 140,000 new arrivals were registered in 2025, adding further pressure on already strained resources.

The crackdown against the Rohingya in 2017 is the subject of a genocide case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Refugees in Bangladesh are barred from formal work, leaving them reliant on aid agencies.

The crisis is also driving dangerous journeys. Save the Children reported in April that the number of Rohingya attempting to escape by boat to Malaysia or Indonesia nearly doubled in the first three months of 2026 compared with last year. Thousands risk their lives each year in fragile vessels, hoping to find safety and opportunity elsewhere.

UN officials say the funding shortfall threatens food supplies, healthcare and protection services in the camps. Without urgent international support, they warn, the humanitarian response could falter, leaving one of the world’s most vulnerable populations exposed to worsening hardship.

-2026-05-21

Why aren't their billionaire brothers in the middle east helping?

Rhetorical question.

The Emir of Qatar can gift Trump a 747 but doesn't lift a finger for his Muslim

brothers and sisters?

3 hours ago, LALes said:

The Emir of Qatar can gift Trump a 747 but doesn't lift a finger for his Muslim

brothers and sisters?

Makes you wonder. They don't even like each other, and hate us even more.

The protesters wearing tea towels in London, Sydney and New York have no idea.