Rohingya refugees in crammed Bangladeshi camps say they are worried about a U.S. decision to cut food rations by half beginning next month, while a refugee official says the reduction will impact the nutrition of more than 1 million refugees and create social and mental pressure.

The United Nations' World Food Programme, which gets much of its funding from the United States, is closing its southern African bureau due to funding constraints, the agency said on Monday. WFP gets nearly half of its donations in a typical year from the United States,

Reuters reported on Wednesday that the United Nations would have to cut food rations to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh from $12.50 to $6 per month in April after failing to secure funding.

The United Nations’ World Food Programme is closing its southern African bureau that’s been leading a response to the worst drought in the region in four decades as it expects funding from donors such as the US to slump by two fifths.

The United Nations says severe funding shortages have forced the World Food Programme to halve rations for Rohingya in Bangladesh. After the U.S. froze aid spending, rations for the persecuted Muslim minority will be reduced from US$12.