Bangladesh Requests Germany’s Support for Rohingya Safe Zone in Myanmar

Davos, MINA – The Head of Bangladesh’s transitional government, Muhammad Yunus, has requested support from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in establishing a safe zone for the Rohingya ethnic group in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, under the supervision of the United Nations.

Yunus made the request during a meeting with Chancellor Scholz at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday (January 21), according to an official statement. Citing Anadolu Agency on Wednesday (January 22).

Bangladesh is facing an increasing refugee burden in the southeastern border district of Cox’s Bazar.

Escalating conflict between the Myanmar junta government and the Arakan Army insurgents has driven more Rohingya to cross the Bangladesh border in a new wave of refugees.

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He also explained to Chancellor Scholz how the youth joined the uprising in July 2024 to end years of poor governance in Bangladesh.

Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, fled to neighboring India on August 5, 2024, following a student-led revolt that ended her 15-year autocratic rule. On August 8, 2024, Yunus formed a transitional government.

“You can be assured that we will support you,” said Olaf Scholz to Yunus.

Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. Most of them fled Myanmar in August 2017 during a military crackdown that human rights groups have described as genocide.

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Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, met with Yunus and assured that his agency would support Bangladesh in its efforts to find a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis, particularly by organizing a major global conference on the issue later this year.

Yunus urged that global attention be refocused on the Rohingya crisis, stating that the entry of around 100,000 refugees has further burdened Bangladesh, according to another statement from Yunus’s office on Wednesday (January 22).

“The situation is becoming more complicated. They are pushing more Rohingya into Bangladesh,” Yunus told Grandi.

“We are ready to work with you,” said Grandi.[]

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)