Kashfia Nehrin is a full-time graduate student in UC Berkeley’s Master of Development Practice program. 

The Rohingya are a people from the Rakhine state in Western Myanmar. The Myanmar government does not recognize them as citizens, dubbing them immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh and having done so, gradually stripping them of their rights. The present exodus of Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim people, into Bangladesh is the fourth of its kind. A refugee camp has existed in Kutupalong in Southeastern Bangladesh since 1978 (1). The most recent crisis of Rohingya displacement has been caused by the influx of an estimated 1 million people into Bangladesh as of February 2018 (2). This is the direct aftermath of a violent campaign of genocide and rape by the Myanmar armed forces targeted towards the Rohingya with the goal of driving the minority Muslim community out from the country, which is populated by a Buddhist majority of 53 million people (3). In the fastest refugee movement since the Rwandan genocide, Rohingya men, women, and children are arriving in Bangladesh in desperate condition: hungry, exhausted, and carrying gunshot wounds and burns. The women are haunted by the brutality of the sexual violence they have suffered at the hands of soldiers.

Aerial view of Rohingya Refugee Camp in Bangladesh. Source: Pond5.com

Bangladesh, a country that is just over a third of California in size, is home to 163 million people. In spite of being a densely populated developing country with limited resources, Bangladesh has shown generosity and compassion in dealing with this crisis. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina, demonstrating bold and empathetic leadership, opened up the border to the refugees. International diplomatic support has been underwhelming. The UN and a number of NGOs are working relentlessly to provide aid and emergency response in the refugee camps. However, resources are finite; and international humanitarian relief has been insufficient. The government continues to feed and shelter the refugees. The rising direct costs may result in the national budget falling short in the fiscal year 2018-19 (4). Even though the government cannot provide ample housing to native low-income groups, it has allocated 3,000 acres of land to initiate housing projects for the refugees (5). In the Cox’s Bazaar district, where refugees now outnumber locals 2 to 1, problems such as rising prices of commodities, outbreak of diseases, destruction of rice paddies, and increasing crime rates threaten to destabilize the area (6). The major indirect cost of housing the refugees has been environmental: 4,000 acres of forest have been cleared to support the camps (7). The depleted ground water is becoming contaminated through leaking latrines and open defecation.

A joint working group (JWG) formed in December by Bangladesh and Myanmar, excluding international organizations and the Rohingya refugees themselves, has established a questionable repatriation process (8). The Rohingya identity is a point of contention for Myanmar, who refuse to acknowledge this identity and term them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Rising Buddhist nationalism in Myanmar has led to violence against minority Muslims. For the Rohingya, the recognition of their identity is crucial, without which repatriation will change nothing. During the week Myanmar signed the repatriation agreement, dozens of Rohinya villages were burned down.

Aung San Suu Kiy, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in Myanmar, has failed to acknowledge the atrocities committed by the army (9). The West has used uncompromising rhetoric regarding the crisis, but has refused to impose sanctions on Myanmar to create political pressure. The Pope visited Myanmar recently, and played safe by not using the term “Rohingya”, thanking Bangladesh for hosting the refugees (10). Kind words, but no action. Bangladesh does not have the power to influence the international community. In the face of this unprecedented humanitarian disaster, the West must step up. Involvement of the international community is crucial for a sustainable and humane solution.

(1) http://time.com/5031342/bangladesh-myanmar-rohingya-refugee-crisis/

(2) https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/02/12/how-the-rohingya-crisis-is-affecting-bangladesh-and-why-it-matters/?utm_term=.62fad838fac2

(3) https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/myanmar-rakhine-events/

(4) http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/09/28/rohingya-influx-may-hurt-bangladesh-economy/

(5) http://thedailynewnation.com/news/150227/3000-acres-land-allocated-for-rohingya-refugees.html

(6) http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/10/23/rohingya-influx-refugees-outnumber-ukhiya-teknaf-locals/

(7) https://news.mongabay.com/2018/01/bangladeshi-forests-stripped-bare-as-rohingya-refugees-battle-to-survive/

(8) https://thewire.in/external-affairs/bangladesh-myanmar-form-joint-working-group-on-rohingya-repatriation-experts-sceptical

(9) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42824778

(10) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42178263