DHAKA, Bangladesh -- The leader of the United Nations and the chief of Bangladesh’s interim government were joined by about 100,000 Rohingya refugees for iftar – the meal to break the fast at sundown during Ramadan – at the Ukhia camp in Cox’s Bazar on Friday.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the concerns of the Rohingya, who a week ago saw their monthly aid for food rations cut by over half to US$6 per month.
“I can promise that we’ll do everything to avoid it [a humanitarian crisis], and I will be talking to all the countries in the world that can support us in order to make sure that funds are made available,” the U.N. chief said during his first trip to the refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh in nearly seven years.
Guterres also called for global efforts to assist the Rohingya.
“In this holy month of Ramadan, I appeal to the international community to show solidarity through action and concrete support for the Rohingya people and their Bangladeshi host communities,” he said.
The U.N. leader praised the 1 million Rohingya living in the camps located along Bangladesh’s border with Myanmar.
“They are resilient. And they need the world’s support,” Guterres said.
Muhammad Yunus, leader of the Bangladesh interim government, pledged to work with the U.N. to allow the Rohingya to return to their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine state before next year’s Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
About 800,000 Rohingya crossed the border into Cox’s Bazar, starting in August 2017, as they fled a brutal offensive launched by Burmese military forces against Rohingya insurgents.
Rohingya Mohammad Ilyas, 42, a resident of the Leda camp in Teknaf, said he was fortunate to participate in the iftar.
“The government’s assurance to ensure the safety of the Rohingya and facilitate their swift return to their homeland has inspired us. I hope this visit will lead to a solution to our crisis,” he told BenarNews.
Friday’s event was not without tragedy as one man died and two Rohingya were injured in a stampede, according to a police official.
“The incident occurred as people attempted to join the gathering and fell from a hill, triggering a stampede. Medical officials later confirmed the death of one victim after being transported to the hospital,” Muhammad Arif Hossain, officer-in-charge of the Ukhia police station, told BenarNews.
BenarNews is an online news outlet affiliated to Radio Free Asia.