Mrauk U refugee families face hardships for denial of WFP subsidy

Narinjara News, 20 April 2023

A good number of IDPs in Rakhine State have been facing difficulties as they were removed from the subsidy list of the World Food Programme (WFP). During a recent visit by a WFP team to distribute subsidies in some refugee camps in Mrauk U township, it prevented certain IDPs from receiving support.

Nearly 80 households from Myo Oo Gaung IDP camp and 35 households from Lat Kauk Zay IDP camp in Mrauk U Township were deprived of the support items and they are now facing difficulties.

The WFP visited the Myo Oo Gaung camp on 5 April to provide subsidies to the refugee families.

The camp in charge U Maung Maung Thein informed Narinjara News that more than 80 IDP households, who had gone to work outside the camp at that time, were not provided the subsidy.

Some IDPs temporarily staying in other houses of the camp also missed the opportunity.

"If someone was not present, the subsidy was stopped. The families with five members received support for three individuals only. Subsidies were also restricted to those who were not present in the camp and also who were taking shelter without a house,” said U Maung Maung Thein.

Established in 2019, Myo Oo Gaung camp is home to around 800 people who hail from ten villages across the townships of Mrauk U, Kyauktaw, Paletwa, and Meeletwa.

Most of the IDPs find it difficult to survive with the money provided by NGOs and hence often go outside for work.

"Many families go outside the camp for their survival. They also miss the WFP subsidy,” he added.

Similarly, 35 families in Lat Kauk Zay camp went for work outside and missed the subsidy during the WFP team’s visit on 6 April. The camp official informed Narinjara News that they have been removed from the beneficiary list.

"It’s unfortunate that those families were removed from the list. If they are truly humanitarian organizations, they should have not done it,” he asserted.

The camp official informed that WFP team did not tell in advance that they were coming to distribute food items.


Ma Than Than Nu, an IDP, informed Narinjara News that she away in the village making donations for her mother's funeral on that day when the WFP team arrived in the camp. So she did not receive the items from the WFP team and her name was cut from the beneficiary list.

"As my mother passed away, I went to the village for rituals. So I missed the support as the team arrived in the camp. I have to rely on their support for survival. Even though I go outside for work, every day I cannot get it,” added the lady.

Currently, Lat Kauk Zay camp has been giving shelter to 639 individuals coming from six villages namely Oak Pho Kan, Pauk Taw Pyin, Wai Tha Li, Ywar Haung Taw, Thayet Oak and Pan Myaung. These villages are located under Mrauk U and Minbya townships.

Lately the WFP has stopped providing subsidies to those who are working outside plantations or as casual labourers.

WFP Myanmar’s country representative Stephen Anderson, while responding to emails from Narinjara News informed that the deprived refugee families should contact his team.

"We are working to ensure that the IDP families who live full-time in the camps receive WFP's assistance. If the families have been wrongly excluded, please contact us,” he added.

The WFP is currently undertaking the task of verifying the number of beneficiaries who are entitled to receive relief assistance in the IDP camps across Rakhine State.

Anderson believes that the exercise will enable them to provide aid in an appropriate manner.

As part of the support, each individual was given Kyats 21,000 along with one bar of soap and two packets of nutritious food items for each child under the age of five.

Following the suspension of food aid by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to Rakhine IDPs, the WFP has been providing assistance to the beneficiaries since February.

In 2022, during the resurgence of fighting, the military rulers halted the humanitarian aid program from international organizations to the refugees without their prior permission. It resulted in the crisis for IDPs in various ways.

Following the informal ceasefire agreement between the military council and the Arakan Army in Rakhine State on 26 November 2022, the international organizations were given permission to resume humanitarian aid programs in December. However, many IDPs continue facing difficulties due to insufficient support.