The United Nations plans to slash food aid to Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh due to a funding shortfall. The World Food Programme (WFP) said it would reduce the value of its food assistance to $10 per person from $12 starting March 1 March. Donor budgets have been stretched by the pandemic, economic recession, and crises across the globe.
In fact, the Rohingya crisis is the most serious issue in Bangladesh, and the reduction in food aid is not the only factor; there are others as well. Arsa, an Islamic terrorist group created by Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, is a threat to the nation. People are being killed in Rohingya camps every day. The Rohingyas are involved in the drug trade and other crimes.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the international community to speed up the Rohingya repatriation process again. In the future, the Rohingya may pose a threat to Bangladesh’s national security.
The problem is rising day by day without any proper solution. It has played a negative role for the Bangladeshi people, and after cutting the food aid, the problem has further deepened. About 730,000 Rohingyas, a persecuted mostly Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, fled to Bangladesh in 2017 to escape an army crackdown. However, nearly, 1 million people live in huts made of bamboo and plastic sheets. The WFP appealed for $125 million in urgent funding, warning of “immense and long-lasting” repercussions on food security and nutrition.
“The international donor community’s now turning its back on half a million Rohingya children and their families really shows the limits of its commitment to some of the most vulnerable people in the world,” Onno Van Manen, Save the Children’s country director in Bangladesh, said in a statement.
Actually, the Myanmar government’s discriminatory and repressive treatment of the Rohingyas began in 1784, with an endless influx of Rohingya refugees from Arakan to various neighbouring countries. The most recent crisis has its origins in June 2012, when a severe clash occurred between the Buddhist people of Rakhaine and the Rohingyas, which killed a huge number of people.
Then, in October 2016, the crisis escalated when a small armed Rohingya military group known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army reportedly attacked Myanmar’s police posts, precipitating a massive response by the Myanmar Army that displaced and killed thousands and was accompanied by gross violations of human rights. When Myanmar’s military launched its mass violence campaign in late August 2017, Bangladesh was initially hesitant to accept Rohingya refugees.
Later, it has been considered a safe haven for many Rohingya Muslims who have sought refuge to save themselves from the crackdowns launched by Myanmar’s security forces. The majority-Buddhist country doesn’t recognise the minority group as citizens and limits their freedom in the country.
But it is a matter of great concern that many of them are involved in illegal activities. The camps situated in remote areas of Cox’s Bazar have been experiencing crimes ranging from family feuds to robbery, kidnapping, human trafficking, and rape. Even attacks on police are quite common.
Attacks on Rohingya by members of the Rohingya militant group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), rival factions, and criminal gangs have been increasing. When Refugees International visited Bangladesh, two Rohingya local camp leaders were killed, and another was shot and injured.
At least 17 Rohingya have been killed since mid-August 2022. The motivations behind these attacks are not always clear but appear to be a mix of influence-seeking and retaliation against those seen as informing authorities about illegal activities.
The murder of prominent civil society leader Mohib Ullah by ARSA in September 2021 created insecurity for Rohingya refugees. After that, several more Rohingya camp leaders were attacked or killed. The camps are now totally unsafe for civilians.
Bangladesh had given refugees shelter on humanitarian grounds, but such a huge population can’t be kept for an indefinite period. Under international pressure, Myanmar signed an agreement with Bangladesh in January 2018 to take back the Rohingyas. The first repatriation attempt on November 15, 2018 as well as the second one on August 22, 2019 failed as Myanmar did not provide favourable conditions
for their return.