Rohingya refugees face crisis: cooking fuel cuts threaten lives and forests

Four years ago, the world pledged support to the Rohingya people. Today, that promise is dangerously close to being broken. A critical shortage of cooking fuel is pushing refugees in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar camps towards a desperate cycle of deforestation and malnutrition, a situation Ajas Khan, a Rohingya community leader, describes as a looming disaster.

The forgotten fuel: lpg and the fragile ecosystem

The story begins with unimaginable tragedy. Driven from Myanmar by military violence in 2017 – a campaign recognized by the US as genocide – over 750,000 Rohingya fled across the border into Bangladesh. Initial aid poured in, but a crucial element was consistently overlooked: cooking fuel. For two years, refugees resorted to burning plastic bags, donated clothing, and wood scavenged from the nearby Teknaf forest. The consequences were devastating. The forest, a vital ecosystem and a buffer against erosion, was decimated. Tensions flared with local Bangladeshi communities, and children were pulled from school to spend their days foraging for firewood.

Then, in 2018, a turning point. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration initiated an LPG distribution program. The results were immediate and transformative. Forest degradation slowed, community tensions eased, and children returned to classrooms. The simple act of providing cooking gas had a cascading effect, improving both the environment and the lives of vulnerable refugees.

But the fragile stability is now crumbling. As international aid funding dries up, the LPG program is on the brink of collapse. The US, the largest donor to the Rohingya Joint Response Plan, slashed its contribution by nearly a third in 2025, from $145 million to $100.7 million. This has crippled the plan, which is now only 46% funded, forcing aid agencies to prioritize urgent life-saving services over fuel distribution.

Babar Baloch, a UNHCR spokesperson, issued a stark warning last July: without immediate funding, LPG would run out. While China and South Korea have stepped in with assistance, their efforts are limited, leaving tens of thousands of households without access to fuel.

The financial cost of inaction is far greater than the investment required to sustain the LPG program. The current cuts are destabilizing the delicate balance within the camps, increasing the likelihood of future crises and ultimately costing more to resolve. As Joe Phillips, a country director at Amideast, points out, “Shocks are always going to hit people on the ground hard, but as donor funding does dry up… when there are shocks, the shocks are going to be worse.”

Ajas Khan, who has established the Rohingya Green Nature Society to promote environmental sustainability and education, underscores the point: “Restoring LPG for my people is a simple thing; sometimes the simplest ideas can make the biggest change.” The Rohingya’s plight isn't just a humanitarian crisis; it’s a stark reminder that short-sighted funding decisions can undo years of progress and condemn a generation to a cycle of poverty and environmental destruction.

The US, having formally recognized the genocide against the Rohingya, now faces a critical test: will it uphold its commitment to these refugees, or allow a vital lifeline to be severed, forcing them back towards a future of hardship and despair? The answer will speak volumes about the true meaning of international responsibility.