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Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and UN Secretary-General António Guterres are set to visit the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar on Friday (14 March).
This visit has sparked hope among the Rohingya community, who see it as an opportunity to voice their concerns for safe repatriation to Myanmar.
The visit is also expected to address the recent reduction in food aid by the World Food Programme (WFP), which has worsened the humanitarian crisis in the camps.
While this is not Guterres’ first visit to the camps—his last being in 2018—this marks the first visit by the chief adviser to the Rohingya camps.
Mohammad Zubair, chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, said, “The general Rohingya population is thrilled by the news of the UN secretary-general’s visit. We will urge him to push for sustainable repatriation under UN supervision and the establishment of a safe zone in Rakhine. We will also discuss the negative impact of food aid reductions on our lives.”
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman said Guterres will arrive at the Ukhiya refugee camp around 11:30am where he will be briefed on the overall situation from representatives of UNHCR, WFP, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and other humanitarian organisations.
Guterres will also participate in three separate meetings with Rohingya community leaders, youth, and women representatives.
Later in the afternoon, the UN secretary-general will meet with religious leaders at Kutupalong refugee camp. The visit will conclude with a mass iftar with over one lakh Rohingyas.
Hossain Johan, a resident of camp-4 in Ukhiya, said, “I am glad to hear that the UN secretary-general will come to the camp. I will be able to tell him about all the suffering and hardships.”
Md Tayeb from Lambashia Camp-1 said the refugees want to return home but need assurance of safety in Myanmar’s Rakhine.
“If the UN provides security in Rakhine, we are ready to return to our country immediately. Because this is not our country.”
Cox’s Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Md Jashim Uddin Chowdhury said the military is overseeing camp operations for the visit while law enforcement is ensuring strict security measures from Cox’s Bazar airport to the camps.
Several layers of security will be in place, with the Special Security Force (SSF) leading coordination efforts, he added.
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