In a meeting with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Chief Adviser to the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, urged for a fast-tracked third-country resettlement of Rohingya Muslims living in Bangladesh. This comes as a new wave of refugees flee escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, adding to the over one million Rohingya refugees already living in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar district.
Around 8,000 Rohingya Muslims have crossed the border into Bangladesh in recent months, escaping intensifying fighting between Myanmar’s ruling junta and the Arakan Army. The Rohingya refugees have little hope of returning to their homeland, where they are largely denied citizenship and basic rights.
Yunus emphasized the need for an “easy, regular, and smooth” resettlement process, as the recent surge in violence is considered the worst since the 2017 Myanmar military-led campaign, described by the UN as having genocidal intent.
The IOM has resumed resettlement efforts in 2022, but the process has yet to gain momentum. The US has reaffirmed its commitment to resettle thousands of Rohingya, but the process remains slow.
Bangladesh’s de facto foreign minister, Mohammad Touhid Hossain, has called on India and other countries to take in more Rohingya refugees, citing Bangladesh’s inability to accept more. He also urged the international community to pressure the Arakan Army to cease attacks on the Rohingya in Rakhine state.
The situation remains dire, with the Rohingya community facing an uncertain future amidst escalating violence and limited options for resettlement.
