By Sushmita Roy

The Rohingya crisis is far from being over. In fact, if possible, the situation has worsened over the last two years. The US has been a leading contributor of humanitarian assistance to the crisis having provided $669 million since it unfolded in August 2017. On Tuesday, officials announced an additional $127m as humanitarian aid for Rohingya Muslims, the host communities in Bangladesh, internally displaced Rohingya and other affected communities.

The Rohingya Muslims, a minority in Myanmar, where 90% of the population identifies as Buddhists, were denied citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law, making them the largest stateless populations in the world. In 2017, Myanmar’s military drove out more than a million Rohingya Muslims from the state of Rakhine, an atrocity that the United Nations condemned and described as “ethnic cleansing.”

Currently, Bangladesh is hosting 1.1. million Rohingya refugees tucked away in Cox’s Bazaar, the world’s largest refugee settlement.

Most Rohingya refugees refuse to return to their home country, Myanmar. Photo Credit: UN Women/ Flickr

The aid received from the United States will be directed towards addressing the needs of the refugee population, most of which comprises of women and children.

“Through a planned atrocity, the government of Myanmar cleansed its Northern Rakhine State of the Rohingya minority. They fled violence and atrocities and we opened our border to shelter them on humanitarian ground,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said at a panel discussion organized by the Council of Foreign Relations in New York on Wednesday.

Human rights groups also accused the security forces in Myanmar of engaging in violations including mass killings, sexual violence and widespread arson, which the military and civilians later denied.

Sheikh Hasina described the crisis as a “formidable challenge,” and cited her own experience of living in an exile after her father’s assassination as a major reason for the openness she has shown towards the refugees.

She also urged the international community to intervene in the matter and take effective measures in ensuring a smooth, safe and voluntary rehabilitation of the refugees into their home country.

Meanwhile, the situation is Bangladesh isn’t exactly uplifting. Authorities have been worried about the uptick of crime in the area near the refugee settlements. According to the police, crime and murder rates were higher than national statistics in the area. Drug smuggling from Myanmar is also a pertinent issue leading to the frustration of locals and the government. Most refugees refuse to return to their home country despite a frail repatriation effort by Myanmar.

“When the Myanmar military attacked my home, I lost four of my closest family members; my father, my brother, my sister and one of my nephews. Everything I owned was burned down – I’ve lost everything,” Nurul Amin, 35, who arrived at the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar told the Norwegian Refugee Council.

"I will not return before Rohingyas get citizenship, equal rights, free movement and compensation for the houses they burned down and my land,” he said.

US to Send $127m in New Funds to Help Rohingya Refugees