Rakhine sees dramatic hunger rise after aid cutbacks

AFP, Publish : 12 Aug 2025

One of Myanmar’s most conflict-ravaged regions has witnessed a “dramatic rise in hunger” after US aid cuts pushed by President Donald Trump during a punishing civil war, the World Food Program said on Tuesday.

Western Rakhine State has seen some of the most intense fighting in Myanmar’s many-sided civil conflict, which was sparked by a 2021 military takeover that deposed the democratic government.

Junta forces have blockaded the state as they battle local ethnic fighters, throttling vital trade routes and squeezing agriculture in the coastal territory bordering Bangladesh.

The situation was exacerbated in April when the World Food Program (WFP) was forced to cut aid to one million people nationwide, after a global downturn in aid funding led by its largest donor Washington.