UN Chief’s Ramadan Solidarity Go to Revives Rohingya Refugees Hope — International Points
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh, Mar 15 (IPS) – When United Nations Secretary-Normal António Guterres appeared earlier than the Rohingya refugees sporting a conventional white panjabi, a fancy dress of Muslims, to affix an iftar get together in Ukhiya refugee camp, hundreds who had gathered waved to welcome him.
Seeing such solidarity from the Guterres for his or her lengthy plight, many Rohingya individuals, 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 hundreds 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 residence 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 kids informed the UN chief that they need to return to their residence in Myanmar, requesting that he helps guarantee their secure and dignified return.
Guterres spoke to Rohingya ladies 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 stated on this 12 months’s Ramadan go to, he acquired two clear messages from Rohingyas – they need to return to Myanmar and higher circumstances in camps.
He stated the worldwide group ought to do the whole lot to re-establish peace in Myanmar and to finish discrimination and persecution of the Rohingyas.
Help Cuts to Worsen State of affairs
Resulting from a vital funding shortfall for its emergency response, the United Nations World Meals Programme (WFP) stated 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 US and by a number of different nations, primarily in Europe, and due to that, we’re prone to slicing the meals rations on this camp,” Guterres stated.
He pledged that the UN would proceed efforts to mobilise funds for Rohingyas to keep away from a state of affairs through which individuals would undergo much more and the place some individuals 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 nations of their monetary help; we face a dramatic threat, a threat to cut back the meals rations to the Rohingya refugees to a stage that will be 40 per cent of 2025,” he stated.
He predicted that an unmitigated catastrophe could happen because of assist cuts and appealed to the worldwide group, saying it had an obligation to speculate to assist Rohingyas in Bangladesh to ease their plight.
“We are going to do the whole lot to resolve the issue of meals rations,” Guterres added.
Recalling that the worldwide group has a particular obligation to make sure assist reaches Rohingya refugees, he stated the world has not “forgotten them”.
“That’s the reason the cuts by the worldwide group of the help to Rohingya refugees are unacceptable,” stated Guterres. “I repeat: Cox’s Bazar is floor zero for the influence of price range cuts on individuals in determined want and we should do the whole lot to ensure 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 assist.
The UN chief stated that many Rohingya Muslims arrived in Cox’s Bazar camp after massacres in Rakhine state and a long time of discrimination and persecution, escaping brutal human rights violations that triggered widespread anti-Muslim hate.
“Rohingya refugees have come right here for what individuals anyplace search: safety, dignity, security for them and their households.”
Guterres stated he was impressed by the braveness of Rohingyas and moved by their dedication. He listened to harrowing accounts of their ordeals in Myanmar and their journeys to Bangladesh.
“They need to go residence – Myanmar is their homeland. And returning in a secure, voluntary, and dignified method is the first answer to this disaster,” he stated.
Guterres urged the Myanmar authorities to take steps in accordance with worldwide humanitarian legislation to stop communal rigidity and violence, and create an surroundings for the secure and dignified return of Rohingyas to their residence of origin in Rakhine state.
“However the state of affairs in Myanmar stays dire, together with in Rakhine state. Till the battle and systematic persecution finish, we should assist those that want safety right here in Bangladesh,” he added.
Noting that the answer should be present in Myanmar, Guterres stated the UN will proceed efforts to make sure the voluntary, secure and sustainable return of all Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
“Till then, I urge the worldwide group to not scale back the assist 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-Normal has come to resolve the struggling of the Rohingyas. Not this Eid, (however) I hope, the Rohingyas will be capable to have a good time their Eid of their nation subsequent time.”
He stated if crucial, they should struggle with the entire world to convey the Rohingyas again to their residence of origin.
“Throughout the Eid, individuals go to the graves of their dearest family. The Rohingyas don’t even have that chance,” the Bangladesh chief adviser stated.
Abdur Rahman, who sheltered within the Cox’s Bazar camp in 2017, stated 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 stated.
Ro Arfat stated generally the Rohingya individuals turn out to be hopeless as they don’t have any state and no residence now.
“However, the go to of two dignitaries – the UN chief and the chief adviser – helps us revive our hopes about our residence return. This hope has returned to our thoughts,” he added.
IPS UN Bureau Report
Comply with @IPSNewsUNBureau
Comply with IPS Information UN Bureau on Instagram
© Inter Press Service (2025) — All Rights Reserved. Authentic supply: Inter Press Service
