Rohingya Crisis and the Cost of Abandonment
U.S. Withdrawal Deepens Rohingya Suffering Amid Global Humanitarian Crisis
Context: During a recent four-day visit to Bangladesh, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stood amid the sprawling refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar — home to over a million Rohingya refugees — and witnessed the fallout of one of today’s most neglected humanitarian crises.
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- Once sustained by international support, the Rohingya now face a dire situation worsened by the abrupt withdrawal of funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
- This decision, spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency and championed by senior Trump adviser Elon Musk, marks a dramatic reversal in U.S. foreign policy.
- Historically, USAID was the world’s largest donor to humanitarian aid, disbursing approximately $40 billion annually.
- Bangladesh, the second-largest recipient of this aid in South Asia, is now grappling with the consequences of this funding vacuum.
About Rohingyas
The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority group native to Rakhine State in Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country. They have faced severe persecution and discrimination for decades, which has led to a significant humanitarian crisis. The Rohingya trace their origins back to the fifteenth century, with many more arriving during British colonial rule. Despite their long history in the region, they are not recognised as one of Myanmar’s official ethnic groups and have been denied citizenship since 1982. The Rohingya have suffered from institutionalised discrimination, including exclusionary citizenship laws and restrictions on movement, education, and healthcare. In 2017, a military campaign led to widespread violence, including killings, rapes, and arson, forcing nearly 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. The exodus of Rohingya has been described as one of the largest human migrations in Asia since the Vietnam War. As of 2023, over 900,000 Rohingya refugees are in Bangladesh alone, with many more in other countries.
Manufactured Crisis
- The consequences of the funding cuts have been catastrophic.
- The World Food Programme, heavily reliant on U.S. contributions, has slashed its monthly rations for Rohingya refugees from a meagre $12.50 to just $6 — an unsustainable level that leaves many on the brink of starvation.
- Medical services have collapsed, with at least five hospitals forced to shut their doors, and sanitation efforts have all but disappeared.
- For a community already devastated by genocide, exile, and statelessness, this new hardship is yet another blow — one not caused by natural disaster or conflict, but by deliberate policy choices.
Ideology Over Humanity
Elon Musk’s role in dismantling USAID reflects a broader ideological agenda — one rooted in libertarian beliefs that favour private enterprise over structured, state-driven humanitarian efforts.
- Musk has dismissed USAID as a “financial black hole,” advocating instead for privatised, profit-driven solutions to global crises.
- But hunger, displacement, and genocide are not market inefficiencies; they are moral emergencies that demand collective, sustained responses.
- The belief that ad hoc philanthropy or tech-driven solutions can replace institutional aid is dangerously naïve.
- The consequences are already evident in Cox’s Bazar: women and children left without protection or medical care, and entire communities facing heightened risks of exploitation, disease, and hunger.
- The dismantling of USAID is not simply a budgetary decision — it is a statement about values. It raises serious questions about America’s moral compass and its commitment to global leadership.
Decline in Global Influence
- The humanitarian fallout is only part of the story. By retreating from aid, the U.S. also relinquishes a powerful tool of soft power.
- Foreign assistance has never been purely altruistic — it has been central to American influence and diplomacy.
- Now, as Washington steps back, other powers are stepping in.
- China, in particular, has been expanding its influence in Bangladesh and positioning itself as a key player in mediating the potential repatriation of the Rohingya to Myanmar.
- This shift risks altering the balance of power in South Asia.
- America’s withdrawal leaves a vacuum that Europe and other allies cannot easily fill.
- Although the European Union has pledged €32.3 million, and Japan and Italy have made contributions, these efforts fall far short of compensating for the U.S.’s former role — which once accounted for nearly half the World Food Programme’s global budget.
Test of Global Conscience
- The collapse of USAID sets a dangerous precedent.
- If the United States — once the bedrock of post-war humanitarianism and the architect of the Marshall Plan — can turn its back on one of the world’s most vulnerable populations, what’s to stop other nations from doing the same?
- The Rohingya crisis is more than a regional tragedy; it is a global moral test.
- As António Guterres reminded the world from Cox’s Bazar, “We cannot accept that the international community forgets about the Rohingya.”
- His appeal for urgent, renewed support echoes far beyond Bangladesh — it challenges world leaders to choose compassion over indifference, solidarity over silence.
- The question remains: will the world act, or will it continue to stand by as humanitarian values are eroded and the fate of the vulnerable is decided by the whims of the powerful?
