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COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Mar 15 (IPS) – When United Nations Secretary-Common António Guterres appeared earlier than the Rohingya refugees sporting a standard white panjabi, a dressing up of Muslims, to affix an iftar get together in Ukhiya refugee camp, 1000’s who had gathered waved to welcome him.
Seeing such solidarity from the Guterres for his or her lengthy plight, many Rohingya folks, who had been fasting within the holy month of Ramadan, had been emotional, and plenty of shed tears.
The UN chief joined the solidarity iftar get together with 1000’s of Rohingya Muslims within the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar on Friday to specific his solidarity with them. Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus additionally attended the iftar.
“Each Rohingya went to the iftar get together to listen to excellent news from the UN chief – excellent news to return to our houses in Myanmar. All of us need to return to our dwelling of origin,” Rohingya youth, Ro Arfat Khan informed IPS.
Earlier than becoming a member of the iftar get together, Antonio Guterres visited a studying centre in Ukhiya camp and exchanged views with Rohingya youngsters. The youngsters informed the UN chief that they need to return to their dwelling in Myanmar, requesting that he helps guarantee their protected and dignified return.
Guterres spoke to Rohingya girls and imams and in addition visited the Rohingya cultural centre to get messages from the forcibly displaced Rohingya refugees.
Throughout his go to to the refugee camp, the UN secretary-general mentioned on this 12 months’s Ramadan go to, he bought two clear messages from Rohingyas – they need to return to Myanmar and higher situations in camps.
He mentioned the worldwide group ought to do every thing to re-establish peace in Myanmar and to finish discrimination and persecution of the Rohingyas.
Assist Cuts to Worsen State of affairs
Because of a important funding shortfall for its emergency response, the United Nations World Meals Programme (WFP) mentioned it must halve its per-person month-to-month allocation for meals for Rohingyas in Bangladesh from USD 12.50 to USD 6 per day from April 1.
“Sadly, lately, dramatic cuts in humanitarian assist had been introduced by the USA and by a number of different international locations, primarily in Europe, and due to that, we’re susceptible to reducing the meals rations on this camp,” Guterres mentioned.
He pledged that the UN would proceed efforts to mobilise funds for Rohingyas to keep away from a scenario by which folks would endure much more and the place some folks may even die.
“I’ve to admit that we’re on the verge of a deep humanitarian disaster with the introduced cuts by a number of international locations of their monetary help; we face a dramatic danger, a danger to scale back the meals rations to the Rohingya refugees to a stage that will be 40 per cent of 2025,” he mentioned.
He predicted that an unmitigated catastrophe could happen as a consequence of assist cuts and appealed to the worldwide group, saying it had an obligation to speculate to help Rohingyas in Bangladesh to ease their plight.
“We are going to do every thing to unravel the issue of meals rations,” Guterres added.
Recalling that the worldwide group has a particular obligation to make sure assist reaches Rohingya refugees, he mentioned the world has not “forgotten them”.
“That’s the reason the cuts by the worldwide group of the help to Rohingya refugees are unacceptable,” mentioned Guterres. “I repeat: Cox’s Bazar is floor zero for the affect of finances cuts on folks in determined want and we should do every thing to guarantee that that doesn’t occur.”
Resilient Rohingyas
In accordance with him, the forcibly displaced, over a million Rohingyas, who took shelter in Bangladesh after excessive violence towards them in 2017, are resilient, however they want the world’s help.
The UN chief mentioned that many Rohingya Muslims arrived in Cox’s Bazar camp after massacres in Rakhine state and many years of discrimination and persecution, escaping brutal human rights violations that triggered widespread anti-Muslim hate.
“Rohingya refugees have come right here for what folks wherever search: safety, dignity, security for them and their households.”
Guterres mentioned he was impressed by the braveness of Rohingyas and moved by their willpower. He listened to harrowing accounts of their ordeals in Myanmar and their journeys to Bangladesh.
“They need to go dwelling – Myanmar is their homeland. And returning in a protected, voluntary, and dignified method is the first answer to this disaster,” he mentioned.
Guterres urged the Myanmar authorities to take steps in accordance with worldwide humanitarian regulation to forestall communal pressure and violence, and create an setting for the protected and dignified return of Rohingyas to their dwelling of origin in Rakhine state.
“However the scenario in Myanmar stays dire, together with in Rakhine state. Till the battle and systematic persecution finish, we should help those that want safety right here in Bangladesh,” he added.
Noting that the answer have to be present in Myanmar, Guterres mentioned the UN will proceed efforts to make sure the voluntary, protected and sustainable return of all Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
“Till then, I urge the worldwide group to not cut back the help to Rohingya refugees,” he added.
Reviving Hopes
After the iftar on Friday, Bangladesh Chief Adviser Prof Yunus delivered his speech within the native dialect, which Rohingya refugees interpreted as a message of solidarity.
“The UN Secretary-Common has come to resolve the struggling of the Rohingyas. Not this Eid, (however) I hope, the Rohingyas will have the ability to rejoice their Eid of their nation subsequent time.”
He mentioned if obligatory, they should combat with the entire world to convey the Rohingyas again to their dwelling of origin.
“In the course of the Eid, folks go to the graves of their dearest relations. The Rohingyas don’t even have that chance,” the Bangladesh chief adviser mentioned.
Abdur Rahman, who sheltered within the Cox’s Bazar camp in 2017, mentioned round 100,000 Rohingyas had been supposed to affix the iftar get together on Friday, however over 300,000 gathered there to get excellent news about their return to Myanmar.
“All of us – from youngsters to the previous – need to return to our houses. The UN chief’s go to impressed us,” he mentioned.
Ro Arfat mentioned typically the Rohingya folks turn out to be hopeless as they don’t have any state and no dwelling now.
“However, the go to of two dignitaries – the UN chief and the chief adviser – helps us revive our hopes about our dwelling return. This hope has returned to our thoughts,” he added.
IPS UN Bureau Report
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© Inter Press Service (2025) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service
