Rohingya refugees in Indonesia, especially in Pekanbaru, are facing a worsening humanitarian crisis due to global funding cuts. Many families lack shelter, food, healthcare, and education, leaving them in extreme vulnerability and daily struggle for survival.
Pekanbaru, Indonesia | May 20, 2026
Report by Mohammed Zubair
According to Abdullah, the sharp decline in international humanitarian funding has directly impacted the survival of many displaced Rohingya communities. He explained that refugees—especially those who arrived after 2018—are no longer receiving consistent support such as shelter assistance, food aid, or basic living provisions.
Because of this gap in support, many families have been pushed into homelessness and now survive in fragile and unsafe conditions. Some live in temporary shelters, while others are forced to stay in overcrowded or unstable rented spaces. Hunger has become a growing reality, with many families struggling to secure even one proper meal a day.
Abdullah emphasized that the impact is not only physical but deeply emotional. Children are losing access to education, leaving classrooms and learning spaces behind with no clear path forward. At the same time, access to healthcare has become extremely limited, and many refugees are unable to receive treatment even during illness or emergencies.
He further explained that Rohingya refugees in Indonesia are not legally allowed to work or earn a stable income. This means they depend entirely on humanitarian assistance for survival. When that support is reduced or withdrawn, families are left with no safety net—no income, no protection, and no stability.
Across refugee communities, the consequences are heartbreaking. Mothers struggle to feed their children, elderly people live without proper care, and families face constant fear about where their next support will come from. Life has become a daily struggle for dignity and survival.
Abdullah said the situation in Pekanbaru reflects a wider crisis affecting Rohingya refugees across Indonesia. Many are now living in extreme vulnerability, facing homelessness, food insecurity, lack of healthcare, and interrupted education. Similar suffering is also visible in other refugee locations across the country.
He stressed that this crisis is not caused by one single place or group, but by a global shortage of humanitarian funding that has left the most vulnerable behind. Without renewed international support, refugees remain trapped in conditions where even basic human needs are difficult to meet.
Today, Rohingya refugees in Indonesia are living through a painful reality—one defined by loss, uncertainty, and the constant fight to survive with dignity.