Covid Pandemic, Myanmar Coup Add to Rohingya Misery

Rohingya refugees in camps in Bangladesh said the coronavirus lockdown and the coup in Myanmar, which they consider their home, has added to their miseries and they had very little to look forward to.

The Rohingya are a minority group, most of whom are denied citizenship by Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Nearly one million of them are now living in often squalid tent cities in the district of Cox's Bazar near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border after fleeing a military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state nearly four years ago. It is the world's largest refugee settlement, reports Reuters.

"Our life is finished, our life is dead. Now we are not thinking about ourselves just thinking or about our future generation very much," said one refugee, Shekufa Begum. "Why can't my children go to school, what will be their future be?"

The refugee camps are under lockdown to mitigate the spread of coronavirus and many Rohingyas said they felt the pandemic was diminishing international concern over their situation as countries struggle to contain the virus and its impact at home.

The political situation in Myanmar was also not helping and now, the Burmese were as unhappy as the Rohingyas due to the military takeover in February, they said. Bangladesh is keen to see the Rohingya go back to Myanmar, but there has been little sign of progress in talks with Myanmar's military junta.

Rohingyas have been widely referred to as Bengali by Myanmar authorities, implying they are outsiders from Bangladesh, though some can trace their roots in Myanmar back for centuries.

World Refugee Day is marked annually on June 20, honouring those who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict or persecution. This year's theme calls for greater inclusion of refugees in health systems, education and sport.

In its annual report released on Friday, UNHCR said the number of people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution and human rights abuses had doubled in the past decade to reach 82.4 million at the end of 2020.