Coping with Rohingya refugee crisis
Bangladesh needs more support from the international community
Many reports in recent weeks have highlighted the growing social, economic, environmental and health impacts of Rohingya refugees being settled in Teknaf and other areas of Cox's Bazar. The construction of hundreds and thousands of makeshift shelters dotted all across the deforested hills are a testimony of the scale and gravity of the situation. The one million refugees that are in Cox's Bazar today have already left their footprints on a whole host of issues—for themselves and host communities as well. The sudden and huge influx of Rohingyas and the unplanned settlements on sloping hills have further compounded vulnerabilities for landslides and other forms of disasters for all.
Experience from similar ethnic conflicts and forced/refugee migration—for example in East African countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda—suggests that massive forced displacements can cause significant environmental changes in the local ecosystem. This happens when displaced refugees spontaneously settle in border areas presumed safe from further harm or when managed by host governments through registration, re-grouping and relocation in formally constituted camps. According to available reports, several thousand hectares of forestland have been randomly cleared and used during the initial phase of setting up temporary shelters by the refugees, followed by further allocation of 2,000 hectares for camps.
The Rohingya crisis, without any doubt, has put huge pressure on Bangladesh's economy and society. Last week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during her meeting with the newly appointed Swedish Ambassador Charlotta Schlyter, remarked that Bangladesh was facing massive socio-economic and demographic pressure due to the presence of the large number of Rohingyas. Despite this, Bangladeshi people and the government have shown great generosity in welcoming and hosting them.
The efforts thus far have received wide recognition and appreciation from various high level foreign dignitaries, including Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Swiss President Alain Berset and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. These high-profile visitors to Rohingya campsites want the crisis to be resolved with the right political will, tolerance and cooperation between the parties involved for safe, dignified and secure return of Rohingyas to Myanmar.
It appears from all accounts that the initial stage of crisis management concerning the refugees—for instance, registration of the refugees, provision for shelter, food, medicine, etc.—is helping to cope with their immediate needs. The agreement for repatriation of all refugees over the next two years remains elusive at this point, as this would require significant improvements in the human rights condition in Rakhine state. The lack of any honest political will by the Myanmar government means that refugees will stay longer in Cox's Bazar and thus will need more support for their survival.
The "bilateral" agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar may not ultimately prove enough for refugee repatriation. Others such as the UN must be directly involved along with external interventions; pressure and negotiation with Myanmar would also be required. Even then it is possible that repatriation may not be easily resolved due to geo-political reasons, which may turn the temporary resettlement into more of a permanent displacement of the Rohingyas. If this happens, the needs in the camps will grow manifold and more support and help would be required to rebuild their lives in the camps.
Thus, there is a definite need to look beyond temporary relief and rehabilitation to at least some medium to long-term systematic planning and support for both within and outside the camps. The needs are much greater for re-settlers as well as the host communities affected by Rohingya resettlement. These include sharing space, shelter, food, water, sanitation, health, income and livelihood sources, public infrastructure and services, safety and the complex relation between settlers and local inhabitants. In addition, there are issues for the younger generation in the camps and outside with regard to training, education, employment, and the condition of women and children, who need increased protection.
The international community must help Bangladesh in dealing with such medium to long-term plans. The World Bank's South Asian Region Vice-President Annette Dixon, during her recent trip to Cox's Bazar, said that the Bank was ready to work with Bangladesh. The EU also made similar statements supporting development of various social and physical infrastructure services for the benefit of locals and refugees.
The Bangladesh government should involve various multilateral banks such as the World Bank, EU, ADB, and others for the integrated development of Cox's Bazar through aid and grant projects to support and sustain the refugee population and the host communities. Such planning processes must be based on stakeholders' consultation, particularly with inputs from settlers and host communities. Moreover, given the impacts on local forestry and the sensitive ecology, any development plan must be designed within the deforestation, environment and climate change axis. The infrastructures to be built under such programmes can be used by locals/host communities even after refugee repatriation. Since such infrastructure projects will benefit all, this will likely also improve relations between refugees and locals, which is often strained due to resource constraints and conflict.
Finally, the large influx of Rohingya refugees and their growing needs are an immediate burden on Bangladesh, but we must respect their well-deserved rights and basic needs. The international development community must step in and assist the Bangladesh government to deal with and at least minimise the long-term economic, political, social and environmental crises. Proactive leadership and timely action from the Bangladesh government, supported by others involved in the development and humanitarian sector, are vital to resolving the crisis in a way that benefits everyone.
Mohammad Zaman is an international development/resettlement specialist and advisory professor at the National Research Centre for Resettlement (NRCR), Hohai University, Nanjing, China.
Email: mqzaman.bc@gmail.com