Cox's Bazar [Bangladesh], August 25 (ANI): In Bangladesh, the Rohingya influx has completed nine years and has now entered its tenth year. The lack of progress in the repatriation process, the reduction in foreign aid, and various other reasons have made this crisis even worse over the past nine years. Nearly one million Rohingyas, the muslim population, entered Bangladesh from Rakhine State of Myanmar starting from August 25, 2017.
"We are from the government and the country... We are trying to keep the issue alive in international and regional forums. And the way we look forward to is to keep the diplomatic pressure on so that at some point they will be able to return", Asad Alam Siam, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary, told ANI.
"The funding is decreasing, we all know that, but we are trying to gather more support for increased funding. And we are talking to our bilateral partners, our international partners, to increase the funding for the Rohingyas in the camps", Siam said.
Human Concern International, a Canada-based charity organisation, have been active at Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar since the 90s, when the first influx of Rohingyas came here. Now it says they are facing serious challenges.
"But over the past year, we could not keep this issue alive. Nobody's talking about it right now. There are a lot of other international crises that are going on right now, so this issue is becoming a forgotten one right now. As a result, there's not much funding coming from different international governments, and even the donors are not giving much for Rohingya. So it is a crisis, and as a result, you could see the condition of the camps is deteriorating", Mahmuda Khan, Chief Executive Officer, Human Concern International, told ANI.
"So it is very unfortunate, and the best way to get funds again and solve the problem is by raising awareness. We need to continue to share the story; we need to continue to talk about Rohingya; we need to make sure nobody forgets this crisis", she added.
Some experts believe that if the basic needs of the Rohingya are not adequately met, it could fuel regional instability and pose security risks.
"A lot of people are facing problems like with rations, which are not enough for them. Like for us as well. So, we request to--we'd like to request to increase rations and educational facilities, also health facilities as well.", Hossain Johar, a-30- year old Rohingya who came to Kutupalong camp in 2017, said. (ANI)
As Rohingya influx enters tenth year in Bangladesh, the crisis deepens
