US announces $59m for Rohingyas

The US has announced more than $59 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.

US Ambassador Earl R Miller made the announcement at the US embassy in Dhaka yesterday, a day after the UN and partner NGOs launched the Joint Response Plan in Geneva, seeking to raise $877 million for the Rohingya crisis.

With this new announcement, total humanitarian assistance by the US reaches almost $820 million, of which nearly $693 million is for programmes inside Bangladesh.

"The United States cannot meet this crisis' tremendous needs alone. We continue to call on other countries to contribute as well," the ambassador said. He also called on Myanmar to create conditions for voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable returns of the Rohingya.