Rohingya refugee children eat ice cream to cool themselves during hot weather as they walk along a road at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on May 2.Stringer/Reuters
When hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled a brutal military crackdown in northwestern Myanmar in 2017, their plight became front-page news around the world and international aid poured in to help those seeking refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Canada took a leading role, advancing hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian assistance and sponsoring resolutions at the United Nations. Hospitals and schools were set up in Cox’s Bazar, the sprawling refugee camp on the Bangladeshi border, even as many Rohingya spoke of a desire to return home as soon as it was safe.
Seven years later, however, they are further from doing so than ever before. Myanmar is in the third year of a civil war that has consumed the country since a February, 2021, military coup, with much of the fiercest fighting in the state of Rakhine, the Rohingya homeland.
More than a million people now live in Cox’s Bazar, where food shortages and violence are a daily problem, and services are breaking down. International aid has dropped dramatically: a UN-led relief scheme had a shortfall of US$300-million last year, and is only 12.5 per cent funded for 2024.
Canada has been a major supporter of Rohingya programs, but has yet to contribute to the UN scheme this year. At the end of March, the second-phase of Canada’s Rohingya relief strategy – which since 2018 has dedicated $600-million to supporting refugees and advocating for peace in Myanmar – wrapped up with no indication of what might replace it.
Pierre Cuguen, a spokesman for Global Affairs Canada, confirmed the 2021-24 phase had concluded and said “discussions are under way regarding the details of Canada’s future programming and assistance to the Myanmar and Rohingya crises.”
This year’s budget calls for an additional $350-million over two years “to respond to increasing international humanitarian assistance needs” globally, but does not break down how this money will be apportioned.
While some aid will likely continue to flow to Rohingya relief, the loss of the dedicated strategy could have a major effect on mobilizing attention, resources and political will to action, said Jason Nickerson, humanitarian representative to Canada at Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).
Mr. Nickerson said it was “really important to give Canada credit where it’s due,” noting the country’s past role both as a donor to programs in Cox’s Bazar and also in pushing for greater international attention and action. But that the Rohingya program is no longer “included in the budget signals that this support is waning, and it would be a moral failure on the part of Canada to walk away from this leadership role in this crisis at a time when other donors are withdrawing.”
As conditions have continued to worsen in Bangladesh, Rohingya are increasingly fleeing and seeking safety in other countries, with many travelling over dangerous land and sea routes to Malaysia and Indonesia. Experts expect a renewed exodus toward the end of this year, when conditions are best for crossing the Andaman Sea.
“In that sense, this crisis has expanded even further and requires additional leadership from Canada,” Mr. Nickerson added.
Ottawa’s response to the Rohingya crisis was largely based on a 2018 report produced by Bob Rae, then Canada’s Special Envoy to Myanmar. Mr. Nickerson said this remained a “good road map on how to engage in this crisis,” with many recommendations still unfulfilled.
Mr. Rae, now Canada’s ambassador to the UN and chair of the group Friends of Myanmar, told The Globe he continues to follow the situation closely. Canada’s financial and policy support on this issue “is by no means being phased out,” he added, pointing to the recent budget’s increase in global humanitarian assistance funding.
“We are all working hard to maintain focus and resources on the conflict in Myanmar, the intensification of the conflict in Rakhine, and what is happening in Cox’s Bazar and Bangladesh,” Mr. Rae said.
“While the extent of the global humanitarian crisis has increased dramatically over the six years since I wrote my report on the Rohingya genocide, and has increased budgetary pressures on all donor countries, Canada’s commitment to both assistance and policy leadership remains strong,” he added.