The Russian invasion of Ukraine not only caused widespread emigration across Europe but also made the world economy worse. These difficulties are not entirely absent in Bangladesh. This country is already housing one million to one hundred and fifty thousand Rohingya people. The conflict in Ukraine may put further strain on Bangladesh’s ability to meet its requirements for food supply and security. In the meantime, the international community is worried about refugees from Ukraine and the growing expense of the food they consume. This could be a reason why money and help for the Rohingya have been decreasing. Aside from that, Bangladesh has been attempting for many years to return Rohingya people to Myanmar, but since relations between the two countries are so strained, these efforts have not been successful.

Who are the Rohingyas?

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic group in Arakan. They have been living in Bangladesh for almost three decades, but the number has drastically increased after the 2017 crisis, and Bangladesh is providing shelter to 1.1 million Rohingya after being forced to flee from Myanmar.

In 1785, Arakan was captured by the Burmese king and annexed as a province of Myanmar. After the Third Anglo-Burmese War (1888–87), the whole of Myanmar came under British rule. In 1948, Burma became independent from British rule and Prime Minister U Nu constituted the Burma Territorial Force with 99% Magh troops and killed hundreds of Rohingya intellectuals and religious leaders. After the military takeover in 1962, all constitutional rights of the Rohingya, including citizenship, were nullified, and a number of Rohingya socio-cultural organizations were banned. In 1973 and 1974, Rohingya fled to Bangladesh because of persecution by the Maghs. In 1978, the military junta again launched an operation and killed more than 10,000 Rohingya, and 250,000 fled to Bangladesh. In 1979, however, they took back the refugees under the program “Operation Golden Eagle.” The 1982 Citizenship Law excluded the Rohingya from the citizenship of Myanmar as well as from the list of 135 national races with legitimacy. The Rohingya again targeted the Rohingya in 1990, followed by 2012 and finally, in 2017, they launched “clearance operations” which resulted in 10,000 killed, almost 300 villages burned and many wounded and raped. More than 7 lac refugees are forced to flee to Bangladesh. Sad to say, there is no progress in the Rohingya repatriation.

Ukraine War; a Concern for the Rohingya

The “Migration Regime” refers to the migration process and its regulation. Displacement, mobility, refugees, migrant labor, institutions, law and regulations, international and national concern, and so on are all included in the term. According to the United Nations, since the Ukraine War started, almost 5.2 million refugees have entered Europe from Ukraine, and 3.5 million people have applied for temporary residence in other countries. And these issues have become a significant concern for the migration regime and the global community.

All major powers like the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada are providing aid for the Ukrainian refugees and help reconstruct Ukraine. For instance, the EU aims to raise 100 billion euros to assist Ukraine and it has also opened its border to refugees. The United Nations, NGOs, and the global community are also providing humanitarian and financial aid to Ukrainian refugees.

Since donors are more worried about Ukrainian refugees, they may cut aid to the Rohingya and slow down the repatriation process, which could hurt the Rohingya and Bangladesh. The High Commissioner of the UN and Under-Secretary-General for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has said that the Ukraine war poses challenges in mobilizing funds to provide humanitarian support for Rohingya refugees.

Worse still, the world has been facing an economic challenge since COVID-19 started, and the Ukraine war is exacerbating the condition. Therefore, Bangladesh will need to figure out some way of sourcing how the Rohingya workforce can be used to make their livelihood.

Ukraine War: Impact on Rohingya Crisis

Russian intervention has created more challenges to the world’s refugee settlement process.

Since the Rohingya came to Bangladesh, they have affected the local environment, labor, food markets, and social life. A lot of trees are cut down as they build shelters and cook food. In Cox’s bazaar, 4300 acres of land and forest were destroyed to build temporary shelters, and nearly 6800 tons of fuel wood are collected each month. If this continues for a long time, local temperatures will rise rapidly and affect local biodiversity. The Rohingya has also entered the local labor market of Cox’s Bazar illegally to work at a lower price to earn a livelihood. As a result, the local labor’s wages have decreased, which is a cause of grievance among the local delivery of Cox’s Bazaar. If the Rohingya repatriation gets delayed due to the Ukraine war, environmental damage and social unrest could worsen.

The Rohingya crisis has been a security concern since the independence of Bangladesh. Many Rohingya have been involved with local gangs and drug trafficking. Some radical groups are raised among the Rohingya. Bangladesh is a transit for transnational drug trafficking, and the Rohingya are used as drug couriers at a low price, threatening transit for international drug trafficking. In addition, the Rohingya pollute the environment of coastal areas, which is becoming a concern for the tourism sector of Bangladesh.  

Regionally, Bangladesh shares borders with Myanmar and India. Having an irreconcilable relationship with Myanmar due to the Rohingya crisis has increased the border insecurity of the country. Transnational criminal and terrorist groups may take advantage of the Rohingya crisis. They might hire Rohingya to help them with their terrorist activities and trafficking, making the region less stable.

It is also worth noting that considering the aforementioned problems caused by the Rohingya, the continuation of the Ukraine crisis will lead to political instability in Bangladesh. It may jeopardize the importance of Bangladesh in regional strategies like SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), IPS (Indo-Pacific Strategy), BRI (Belt and Road Initiative), and FOIP (Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy).

Conclusion

The world has been facing displacement and refugee crises for a long time. The global community requires a huge budget every year to ensure humanitarian assistance and resettlement for a large number of refugees. The Ukraine war has drastically increased the number of displaced people in Europe, extending the financial burden on world countries and organizations. This would worsen global stability. Currently, the world is concerned about the Ukraine crisis, but the Rohingya must be remembered. For the last five years, Bangladesh has hosted the most significant number of refugees through its limited resources. The country has done more than show its efficiency; now, the world must recognize the Rohingya issue to resolve the crisis. Otherwise, it will hinder Bangladesh’s political stability, perhaps leading to a regional migratory problem. Therefore, the world has to find a solution to the problem before it becomes worse.