Chapter 15 - The Rohingyas in Bangladesh: the 2020 pandemic and the aftermath

Abstract

Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas mostly in the southeastern part of the country (Cox's Bazar district). More than 3years have passed and not a single Rohingya has returned home although Myanmar agreed to take them back. This chapter sets out to assess the livelihoods of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh with particular reference to the 2020 pandemic. Findings are based on interviews with some NGO leaders, UN officials, and leaders from the Rohingya refugee groups and some neighboring community leaders. Some Rohingyas have started to move out of the camps and settled in some parts of Bangladesh. Some have also been engaged in crimes like the drug trade. There is a growing tension between the refugees and the local Bangladeshis. Apart from the uncertainty in returning to Myanmar, the lives and livelihoods of the refugees look difficult. The stress was aggravated by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.