UK announces £87 million fresh fund for Rohingya

DHAKA, Bangladesh

UK has announced to provide a fresh fund of £87 million to support the Bangladesh government and the UN joint response plan for the displaced Rohingya people in Cox’s Bazar.

The additional fund will be spent ensuring lifesaving aid including food, water and shelter, education, training and counseling to help the forced displaced nationals of Myanmar rebuild their lives, according to the British High Commission in Dhaka on Sunday.

Besides, over £20 million will be provided to mitigate the economical and environmental impact in the host community caused by the Rohingya influx.

Since August 2017 UK has provided taking the fresh announcement to £226 million, it added.

UK is working closely with the government and also with its partners in the international community – other bilateral donors, the UN family, it said.

“Our goal is to find a solution to this crisis so that the Rohingya can voluntarily return to Myanmar in safety and dignity. And we remain committed to ensuring that conditions are put in place in Rakhine State to allow returns to happen” the release read.

We are also acutely aware of the impact on the local communities in Cox’s Bazar. And we are also aware of the economic impact – with daily wages falling due to the competition; and valued health and education workers moving to work in the camps, it added.

Persecuted people

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017, pushing the number of persecuted people in Bangladesh above 1.2 million.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).

More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, said the OIDA report, titled "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience."

Some 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police and over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.