Rohingya repatriation delayed due to cease-fire breakdown with rebels: Burmese envoy

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – The efforts to repatriate displaced Rohingya Muslim refugees have been delayed due to the cease-fire breakdown between the junta regime and rebels in Burma, a top Burmese diplomat in Dhaka has said.

“Efforts toward the repatriation of displaced persons had been delayed due to the cease-fire breakdown by the Arakan Army in November 2023,” Ambassador U Kyaw Soe Moe told Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain in Dhaka.

Reiterating the need for the safe and sustainable repatriation of the displaced Rohingya population, Hossain underscored the importance of peace and stability in Burma.

“Regional stability is crucial for both the nations,” he told the Burmese diplomat.

Hossain also expressed deep concern over the recent influx of more than 40,000 Burmese Muslim nationals into Bangladesh fleeing conflict in the bordering states, according to a statement by the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry.

Bangladesh is already hosting approximately 1.2 million Rohingya refugees who fled a brutal military crackdown in Burma’s Rakhine state in 2017. Most live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, with around 35,000 relocated to Bhasan Char Island since 2020.

Bangladesh transitional government chief Muhammad Yunus earlier also proposed creating a UN-guaranteed “safe zone” in Burma’s Rakhine state to aid displaced people and address the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Burma has been under miliary junta rule since February 2021, and the military, locally known as the Tatmadaw, has faced severe resistance from ethnic groups in many regions of the country.

At least three ethnic armed groups, which united under the “Brotherhood Alliance,” have been fighting the junta regime since late October to take control of the northern parts of Burma.

The groups are attacking junta forces, which rule the Buddhist-majority Southeast Asian nation, capturing many towns and junta outposts. Many people have been reported killed during the attacks.

The cease-fire, mediated by China, has broken several times.

The Rohingya Muslim community of Burma- who have endured persecution since 2018, have been affected badly by the chaotic situation. The Rohingya have been described by the UN as ‘the most persecuted minority’ in the world.