Bangladesh's leader calls for mobilizing funds as visiting UN official set to meet Rohingya refugees

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) — Bangladesh transitional government head Muhammad Yunus has called for more funds for the million-plus Rohingya refugees who live in camps in his country amid growing uncertainty over the US policy shift away from foreign aid.

Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya in the southeastern Cox’s Bazar district since they fled a military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.

Yunus made the call in a meeting with Filippo Grandi, the visiting head of the UNHCR refugee agency, in the capital Dhaka Thursday night, according to a Yunus media team statement.

Yunus, the Nobel peace laureate who took charge of the south Asian nation after then-Premier Sheikh Hasina fled to neighboring India in a popular uprising last year, also spoke on the upcoming international conference on the Rohingya that his government is planning to help find a solution to the long-standing crisis.

"Let's make it a big success and resolve the issue. Let's hope something concrete comes out of it," Yunus said.

Calling Yunus one of the world's “few true humanist leaders,” Grandi on X assured Yunus that the UNHCR will continue to support Bangladesh as the host of Rohingya refugees and as it strives to find solutions to their displacement.

"Let's put this issue on the map. The UN Conference is a great way to put it back on the table," Grandi said.

"It should provide a much-needed platform to build the confidence of various groups in Rakhine," the state in neighboring Myanmar where the refugees came from, he said.

Next month’s visit by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could spark new momentum on the issue, he added.

They also discussed the humanitarian situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where a major rebel group is fighting government forces. They said a pause in hostilities is needed to provide humanitarian support to the people of Rakhine.

This, in turn, will create new opportunities for the sustainable return of the Rohingya to Rakhine, they suggested.

Grandi and his delegation earlier met Bangladeshi foreign affairs and home affairs advisers in Dhaka. Grandi, on a four-day visit, is scheduled to visit Rohingya on Friday in Cox’s Bazar.