Bangladesh calls for UN push to solve Rohingya crisis amid efforts by Myanmar to stem criticism

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Bangladesh’s top diplomat has called for coordinated efforts by UN agencies to resolve the longstanding Rohingya crisis, accusing neighboring Myanmar of using its internal conflict as a pretext to delay repatriation of the persecuted Muslim group.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud made the call on Friday in New York in four separate meetings with UN officials, said a Foreign Ministry statement on Saturday.

In the meetings, he highlighted the benefits of joint initiatives by UN agencies, particularly in conflict-hit regions of the world.

Bangladesh said about 1.3 million Rohingya are living in the South Asian country.

The majority of Rohingya fled a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine, Myanmar in 2017. Most of them are housed in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, but since late 2020 about 35,000 have been relocated to the island of Bhasan Char.

Meeting with Julie Bishop, the UN secretary-general's special envoy for Myanmar, Mahmud said the “ongoing conflict situation in Myanmar is not a new phenomenon, and it should not be given an opportunity to be used as an excuse against Rohingya repatriation.”

Due to the delay in repatriation, the refugee camps in Bangladesh have become a hub for various crimes, including human trafficking, drug smuggling, and terrorism, he said while meeting with Dennis Francis, current president of the UN General Assembly.

Since this February, about 750 members of the Myanmar border police and army have fled to Bangladesh.

Most of them have been sent back, and the rest are in the process of being returned, Mahmud said during a meeting with Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees.

“Not only that, offshoots of the conflicting groups in Myanmar have also caused casualties in Bangladesh. It is absolutely necessary to prevent the recurrence of these,” he said, added the Foreign Ministry statement.​​​​​​​