The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) officially announced on March 14 that it will have to suspend food assistance for one million people in Myanmar due to insufficient funding. This decision comes at a critical time when the need for food assistance has increased significantly due to ongoing conflicts resulting from the military coup, internal displacement, and growing restrictions on humanitarian access imposed by the military council.
Without new funding, WFP will only be able to continue providing assistance to approximately 35,000 people, including children under five years of age, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and people with disabilities. The suspension of aid will also affect more than 100,000 displaced people in central Rakhine State, including Rohingya communities. WFP urgently needs 60 million US dollars to continue providing life-saving food assistance to the people of Myanmar this year. The situation has become increasingly dire as the number of people unable to meet their daily food requirements has risen from 13.3 million last year to approximately 15.2 million currently.
According to WFP’s announcement, about 2.3 million people are facing emergency levels of hunger in Myanmar. Michael Dunford, WFP’s Country Director for Myanmar, stated that the upcoming suspension of assistance will severely impact vulnerable communities across the country who rely solely on WFP support for their survival. The organization remains committed to supporting the people of Myanmar but emphasizes the urgent need for immediate funding to continue delivering aid to those most in need. The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Myanmar reflects the broader crisis faced by civilians under the military council’s rule, with access to basic necessities becoming increasingly challenging for a growing portion of the population.
