The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that more than one million people in Myanmar will lose access to lifesaving food assistance starting next month due to critical funding shortages. This decision comes amidst escalating conflict, displacement, and restricted access, which have significantly increased the need for food aid across the country.
Myanmar, in turmoil since a military coup in 2021, now faces a dire humanitarian crisis. Nearly 20 million people require assistance, with 15.2 million—about one-third of the population—experiencing acute food insecurity, according to UN human rights experts. The WFP has stated that it urgently needs $60 million to sustain its operations in Myanmar this year.
The cuts will severely impact vulnerable communities, including approximately 100,000 internally displaced people, many of whom belong to the minority Muslim Rohingya population. The upcoming lean season, from July to September, is expected to exacerbate food shortages.
The conflict has also devastated local agriculture, with farmland contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance, agricultural equipment destroyed, and a shortage of workers due to displacement and military conscription. Myanmar’s junta has reportedly suppressed information about the food crisis, further complicating relief efforts.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during a visit to the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, highlighted the urgency of addressing the funding shortfall. The camps, home to over one million refugees, are also facing severe cuts to WFP-backed food rations, which will be halved to $6 per person per month starting in April.
The WFP has called on the international community to step up support to prevent a worsening humanitarian disaster in Myanmar.