Rohingya crisis needs a political solution

The Rohingya crisis requires a political solution, which lies in the return of the Rohingyas to Myanmar by addressing the root causes, said Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Rabab Fatima has said.

"Rohingya repatriation will largely depend on creating right conditions [in Rakhine state] and holding the wrongdoers accountable" she said while speaking at a discussion on the Rohingya crisis held virtually yesterday.

The discussion, titled "Rohingya Crisis in its Fourth Year: Challenges in Securing a Sustainable Solution" was organised jointly by the permanent missions of Bangladesh, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. 

UN member States, civil society and diaspora community leaders, Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar (IIMM) Head Nicholas Koumjian, Canada's Permanent Representative to UN Ambassador Bob Rae, Gambia's Legal Advisor Pramila Patten and Legal Counsel of Gambia at the ICJ Payam Akhavan and permanent representatives and delegates from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Sweden, United Kingdom, EU, USA, Netherlands and Indonesia spoke at the event.

In her remarks, Rabab Fatima said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina showed tremendous courage and compassion when she decided to open the borders and provide the persecuted Rohingyas with shelter and protection in 2017.

Three years on, she highlighted the current stalemate with the repatriation of the Rohingyas due to Myanmar's failure to create conducive environment in Rakhine and expressed concern at the deteriorating situation in the Rakhine State.

Fatima urged the international community to step up their efforts in securing a permanent political solution to the longstanding humanitarian crisis.

In his keynote, IIMM Head Nicholas Koumjian described his efforts to reach out to all stakeholders including Myanmar authorities for collection of information and evidence of human rights violations committed in Myanmar since 2011.