More than 80 Rohingya families with serious protection concerns have been left without any food assistance, nutritional support or medical services for 19 consecutive days at the Kutupalong UNHCR Transit Centre, following the abrupt closure of the kitchen and suspension of all related programmes on January 1, 2026.
According to a detailed account shared by a Rohingya activist monitoring the situation, the World Food Programme (WFP) ceased food distributions on the same date the UNHCR kitchen shut down. The nutrition sector has also been closed, halting all supplies of therapeutic and supplementary foods for children. Medical supplies and services have been similarly suspended, leaving vulnerable individualsโmany already registered with protection issuesโcompletely without support.
The affected families, numbering around 179 in total with heightened protection needs, are reportedly facing extreme hardship and the immediate threat of starvation. โThere is an urgent and immediate need for food assistance and basic necessities to help these vulnerable families survive,โ the activist stated, expressing grave concern over the apparent lack of timely response or sufficient attention from humanitarian agencies and authorities.
The crisis at Kutupalong is unfolding against the backdrop of a severe and recurring funding shortfall that continues to threaten the entire Rohingya humanitarian response in Bangladesh. Over the past two weeks, UN agencies and humanitarian partners have issued fresh warnings that donor fatigue and declining contributions are once again jeopardising monthly food rations for more than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees across the Coxโs Bazar camps.
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The World Food Programme, which provides the backbone of food assistance, has repeatedly highlighted the risk of further ration cuts. Previous reductions saw per-person monthly assistance drop to as low as $8 (from an already inadequate $12), triggering documented spikes in acute malnutrition, negative coping mechanisms, child labour, early marriage and rising insecurity within the camps.
Humanitarian experts warn that the current aid squeeze is colliding with an increasingly volatile regional context: Myanmarโs escalating civil war, shrinking international attention, and Bangladeshโs mounting economic and fiscal pressures. Dhaka has borne billions in direct and indirect costs since 2017, covering shelter, security, infrastructure, and environmental rehabilitation, while UN appeals for the Rohingya response have been chronically underfunded, often meeting only 50โ60% of requirements.
The suspension of services at the Kutupalong Transit Centreโintended as a temporary facility for new arrivals and protection casesโhas amplified fears that the most vulnerable are being disproportionately affected as resources are prioritised elsewhere. Activists and community leaders are calling for immediate emergency intervention to prevent a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe.
As the funding crisis deepens, the situation is increasingly viewed not only as a tragedy for the Rohingya but as a growing regional security risk. Reduced aid has historically fuelled instability inside the camps, and experts caution that continued shortfalls could exacerbate tensions, drive irregular migration, and further strain Bangladeshโs already overburdened capacity to host one of the worldโs largest refugee populations.
Humanitarian agencies have urged donor governments to restore full funding urgently, warning that failure to do so will have irreversible consequences for the health, safety, and prospects of an entire refugee community. For the families at Kutupalong Transit Centre, the next few days are critical. Without swift action, the cost of inaction will be measured in lives.
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