A Saudi-funded emergency food assistance programme for Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities has been launched in Cox’s Bazar, aiming to ease food insecurity and strengthen humanitarian support.

The initiative, financed by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre and implemented by ISDE Bangladesh, will provide food packages to 60,000 families, including 42,000 Rohingya households and 18,000 host community families.

Speaking at the inauguration at Camp-22 in Unchiprang on April 15, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said the support would help meet urgent nutritional needs while reinforcing solidarity among Muslim communities. He also reiterated the need for safe and dignified repatriation of Rohingyas through sustained international cooperation.

According to The Business Standard, officials said the programme formally began with the distribution of food aid to 1,500 Rohingya families, marking the first phase of a wider rollout.

Each beneficiary family will receive essentials including rice, lentils, soybean oil, sugar and salt, with priority given to vulnerable groups such as elderly people, widows, children, and persons with disabilities.

Officials added that the initiative is particularly significant during Ramadan, when food insecurity tends to worsen among low-income and displaced families.

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