Rohingyas don’t believe it’s safe to go back to Rakhine now: UNICEF

The Rohingya people in Bangladesh still do not find their home in the Rakhine State safe, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Justin Forsyth has said after his visit to Cox’s Bazar where he met the displaced people from Myanmar.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 25 Jan 2018, 06:32 PM
Updated : 25 Jan 2018, 06:32 PM

Speaking at a press briefing in Dhaka on Thursday, he said he is leaving Bangladesh “feeling very strongly that we have to redouble our effort to make sure that we create right conditions in Rakhine State for people to go home”.

“And at this moment, the Rohingya families do not believe it would be safe and secure to go back home in Rakhine,” he said as the two countries are preparing to start the repatriation process following agreements.

Forsyth, however, commended Bangladesh for signing the deal with Myanmar.

“That is the right thing to do (repatriation deal) and Bangladesh should be commended for that. But violence is still continuing (there),” he said.

It would be “premature” to send back those traumatised people who faced appalling violence before they had fled Rakhine State, he said.

Since Aug 25, nearly 700,000 Rohingyas have fled violence in Rakhine State and taken shelter in Cox’s Bazar, marking the largest mass refugee movement in the region in decades.

Forsyth, speaking from the Kutapalong refugee camp on Wednesday, said 58 percent of them are children, many of whom are still traumatised by their experiences of violence.

Improved security and unimpeded humanitarian access in Myanmar are essential before Rohingya children can be sent back from Bangladesh, he observed.

“It is critical that their rights and needs in terms of protection and aid are front and centre in any agreement to return families to Myanmar. Return of refugees to Myanmar must be voluntary, safe and dignified,” the UNICEF deputy executive director added.