Persecution and pandemic

The Rohingya Muslims are the largest group of stateless people in the world. They have faced persecution at home in Myanmar and rejection from much of the world. The persecution of Rohingya Muslims by the regime in Myanmar happens to be the longest humanitarian crisis that, over the years, has slipped on the global priority list. So many of these stateless Muslims have been killed by the military in Myanmar, and the so-called democratic government in Naypyidaw appears to be mum about the unending suffering of the minority community. While the world is busy battling Covid-19, millions of Rohingya Muslims remain exposed to the disease in Bangladesh’s Cox Bazaar refugee camp. Home to roughly a million Rohingya refugees, the overcrowded camp is now exposed to the respiratory virus which has claimed over 300,000 lives worldwide.

International aid groups have been dreading this moment for months. And now that the virus has entered the world’s largest refugee settlement in Bangladesh, the world is staring at the very real prospect that thousands of these unwanted refugees may die from the respiratory disease. The poor living conditions at the camp, coupled with the lack of adequate medical facilities, will have a catastrophic impact on the community, Bangladesh and even the region. With limited space and supplies, the population shares almost everything from water to hygiene facilities which maximises the exposure and risk of disease transmission. The camp’s population density, which is eight times that of Wuhan city, where the virus emerged earlier this year, is perhaps the main factor why international agencies need to focus on providing urgent assistance to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

While the situation is alarming and calls for immediate international action, it also serves as a stark reminder of how vulnerable the Rohingya refugees are even while they are far away from Myanmar’s consistent persecution.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2020.

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