HUNDREDS of thousands of Rohingya refugees struggling to survive in Bangladesh’s overcrowded camps were set to have their food assistance slashed as of today, raising alarms throughout the increasingly desperate community.

Up to 1.2 million Rohingya trapped in the squalid camps have until now received $12 (around £9) a month per person, an amount the persecuted minority from Myanmar has long warned is barely sustainable.

Most of the camp’s refugees fled brutal attacks by Myanmar’s military in 2017 and are legally barred from working in Bangladesh, leaving them reliant upon humanitarian aid to survive.

Under the United Nations World Food Programme’s new tiered system, the amount each person receives will vary based on the severity of their family’s needs, with around 17 per cent of the population getting as little as $7 (£5.25) per month.

A third of the population classified as “extremely food insecure,” such as households headed by children, will continue receiving $12.

Camp resident Mohammed Rahim, who said he and his wife were already struggling to feed their three children before the reduction, said: “I am deeply concerned that people may face severe hunger and some may even die due to lack of food.”

The WFP has repeatedly warned that rations in the camps could be slashed as a result of last year’s steep foreign aid cuts by the United States and other countries, which saw the agency lose a third of its funding.

Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said desperation was already running high – and many Rohingya could attempt to flee in search of food and work.

Other refugees are reportedly considering returning to Myanmar or fleeing to Malaysia on rickety fishing boats – an incredibly dangerous journey that results in hundreds of Rohingya children, women and men dying or vanishing each year.