The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Friday that more than one million people in Myanmar will be cut off from life-saving food assistance from April due to a critical funding shortfall. The warning comes as escalating conflict, displacement and restricted access are driving up food aid needs, with an estimated 15.2 million people - nearly a third of Myanmar's population - threatened by hunger in 2025.
“The impending cuts will have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable communities across the country, many of whom depend entirely on WFP’s support to survive,” said Michael Dunford, WFP Country Director in Myanmar, in a statement.
“WFP remains steadfast in its commitment to support the people of Myanmar, but more immediate funding is crucial to continue reaching those in need.”
The cuts will also affect nearly 100,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in central Rakhine State who will be unable to access food without WFP assistance, including Rohingya communities in camps for the displaced.
WFP urgently needs US$60 million to sustain its life-saving food assistance to the people of Myanmar this year.
Without immediate new funding, the UN agency will only be able to support 35,000 of the most vulnerable people, including children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with disabilities.
“WFP is calling on all partners to identify additional funding to meet the needs in Myanmar as the situation across the country continues to deteriorate,” said Dunford.
“It is essential that the international community does not forget the people of Myanmar in their time of need, and respond immediately with adequate funding for WFP to restore life-saving aid.”
The UN agency said it is also deeply concerned about the upcoming lean season - from July to September - when food shortages hit hardest. WFP's contingency planning aims to prioritize the resumption of life-saving assistance to 300,000 people who would otherwise have no access to food during these months.
According to the Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, a staggering 15.2 million people in the country are unable to meet their minimum daily food requirements, up from 13.3 million last year. Of these, some 2.3 million people are facing emergency levels of hunger.
The UN agency said that even with regular support, those families relying solely on WFP food assistance already report skipping meals, selling property or going into debt "just to survive".
Since the military coup in February 2021, the intensification of conflict across the country has left more than 19.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2025, up from just 1 million before the military took power four years ago. Among those in need of humanitarian aid are some 6.4 million children.
Conflict between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and various ethnic armed groups and political resistance groups continues in Rakhine, the northeast, northwest and southeast, with 12 of Myanmar's 15 regions affected by armed conflict.
Over the past year, Myanmar has seen armed groups unite and rapidly expand across the country, while the Southeast Asian nation has also been hit by extreme flooding and other climate-related disasters. Myanmar is one of the world's three most vulnerable countries to extreme weather, facing severe climate shocks such as cyclones and floods.
On Thursday, a group of UN human rights experts expressed alarm at the unprecedented food security crisis, which is exacerbating an already devastating human rights situation across Myanmar.
“As the junta continue to lose territory to armed resistance groups, it has retaliated by blockading aid, and restricting humanitarian access, limiting trade routes, and targeting humanitarian workers, further compounding an already dire food crisis,” the experts said.
“Furthermore, the Myanmar military’s attacks have destroyed agricultural equipment, and contaminated farmland with landmines and unexploded ordnance, exacerbating challenges for local food production.”
Since 2021, armed clashes between the MAF and armed resistance groups have been recorded in 96 percent of Myanmar's townships. The consequences of the military coup have also severely impacted Myanmar's agricultural production, causing crop yields to plummet and undermining livelihoods.
The resulting decimation of Myanmar's economy has further compromised food security. By 2025, the cost of basic food staples, including rice, beans, oil, and salt, is projected to increase by 30 percent over the previous year. The cost of basic food staples has already gone up by 30 percent in the past year.
“The recent US presidential executive order suspending US foreign aid will have devastating consequences on the situation in Myanmar and neighboring countries which host refugees from Myanmar,” the UN experts said.
Armed conflict in the country has caused unprecedented displacement, with the number of internally displaced persons soaring to 3.5 million by early 2025, a staggering 72 percent increase in just one year. The number is expected to rise to 4.5 million this year as conflict spreads.
The displaced are trapped in overcrowded camps and informal settlements with severely limited access to food, health care and water. Ongoing insecurity has made IDP camps areas of extreme vulnerability. Food is the most critical need for IDPs, but spiraling costs and rapid inflation have made it unaffordable for many.
The situation is particularly critical in Rakhine State, home to the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has reported that Rakhine is on the brink of famine, with two million people at risk of starvation.
“The complete blockade of nearly all humanitarian aid to Rakhine State by the Myanmar military since 2023 violates international humanitarian law and likely constitutes a war crime,” the human rights experts said
The food security situation in Rakhine has been further exacerbated by the ongoing conflict between the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group, and the military, which has resulted in mass displacement, destruction of rice crops and food stocks, and limited access to both seeds and fertilizers. Extreme weather events have also taken a toll on agriculture and food security.
According to the UN experts, there are also reports that the Arakan Army has imposed movement restrictions on Rohingya in Rakhine State in conflict areas, limiting farming, fishing and other livelihood activities.
The UN-appointed independent experts called on the international community and world leaders to "move beyond political rhetoric" and take all available measures to ensure that life-saving food assistance reaches all populations in need.
“ASEAN [Association of South-East Asian Nations], as the major regional alliance, must prioritize humanitarian assistance for those affected by the conflict in Myanmar, including by facilitating cross-border aid to those in border regions and providing refuge and substance to those seeking safety and security in neighboring countries,” they stressed.
Further information
Full text: WFP warns one million in Myanmar to be cut off from food aid amid funding shortfall, WFP, press release, published March 14, 2025
https://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-warns-one-million-myanmar-be-cut-food-aid-amid-funding-shortfall
Full text: A third of Myanmar’s population faces food insecurity: UN human rights experts, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, press release, published March 13, 2025
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/03/third-myanmars-population-faces-food-insecurity-un-human-rights-experts