Rohingyas Continue to Battle Uncertain Future in Bangladesh

Dhaka: Hafez Ullah had fled Myanmar in early September last year, following the torching of his village near the Maungdaw township in northern Rakhine by the Army. On Friday, it will be a day shy of one year when the Rohingya exodus to neighbouring Bangladesh had begun after the Myanmar Army launched an offensive in response to rebel attacks on government outposts. But the situation facing the refugees in Bangladesh has changed little. Ullah was one of the 700,000 Rohingyas, who had fled to Bangladesh following the offensive that was launched on August 25.

International pressure had led Myanmar — which does not recognize Rohingyas as its citizens — and Bangladesh to ink a deal on November 23 to repatriate members of the mostly-Muslim Rohingya minority. According to the deal between Myanmar and Bangladesh, the repatriation process should have started on January 23. However, nine months down the line, the process is still in limbo, with UNHCR and other aid agencies alleging that the condition in Myanmar was not conducive to the return of the Rohingyas. And while the exodus was contained in recent months, the refugee camps continue to be overcrowded and a health hazard, especially for children. (IANS)