Bangladesh’s Endeavors for Rohingya Repatriation and Challenges; A Critical Analysis

Abstract

This research investigates the challenges to Bangladesh’s endeavors for Rohingya repatriation from Bangladesh to Myanmar since 2017 to 2022. Myanmar security forces forced more than one million Rohingya to migrate to Bangladesh since 1978 till the last arrival of them in 2017. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights marked the persecution on Rohingya ‘a textbook example of ethnic cleansing’(United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2017). Rohingya, one of the globe's most oppressed ethnic minorities, has been targeted by Myanmar's harsh ethnic policies for decade after decade. Bangladesh’s long efforts for Rohingya repatriation did not materialize because of Myanmar’s non-cooperation with Bangladesh and geostrategic-economic interest as well as the application of vetoes mainly by Russia and China. This study, firstly, explains the years-long persecution of the Rohingya, that ultimately drove many of them to Bangladesh; secondly, it discusses the power and function of the United Nations Security Council and Bangladesh’s diplomatic efforts for Rohingya repatriation; and finally, it explained how Chinese and Russian ‘vetoes’ inhibited measures for safe Rohingya repatriation from Bangladesh to their homeland.