KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh –
Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled attacks in Myanmar said they were
disappointed that a U.N. agreement signed earlier this week did not address one
of their key demands: Citizenship.
Most refugees say they are desperate to go home, but fear
going back unless they are given protection and citizenship.
On Wednesday, Myanmar and U.N. agencies signed an
agreement that could —eventually — lead to the return of some of the 700,000
Rohingya who fled persecution in their homeland and are now crowded into
makeshift camps in Bangladesh.
While the refugees welcomed the talks, they have also
heard years of empty promises from the government in Yangon.
Mohammed Toiteb Ali, who fled brutal attacks last year
that sent hundreds of thousands of Rohingya across the border, said Yangon
could first give citizenship to the Rohingya who remain in Myanmar.
"When we are assured by seeing and knowing that they
are enjoying their citizenship, then we will go back," Ali said Friday,
while strolling through the crowded market of the Kutupalong refugee camp.
Many said they would not be truly happy with an agreement
unless it announces that the Rohingya will get citizenship and the return of
the property they lost in the pogroms.
"When the whole world will see this, when we will
see these developments, then we will go back," said Mohammed Syed, another
refugee who fled last year.
U.N. officials have called the agreement an important
first step in complex discussions.
The agreement signed Wednesday will create a
"framework of cooperation" designed to create conditions for
"voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable" repatriation of the
Rohingya. It does not address Myanmar's denial of citizenship to the Rohingya.
Myanmar officials say they hope the agreement will speed
up repatriation, but rights groups doubt Yangon will let many Rohingya go back,
or if officials can guarantee the safety of those who do.
Myanmar's statement didn't use the word
"Rohingya," reflecting the insistence by the government and the
country's Buddhist majority that the ethnic group doesn't even exist. Most
people in Myanmar view the Rohingya as illegal migrants from Bangladesh, though
some have lived in the country for centuries, before modern borders existed. The
agreement described the refugees as "displaced persons."
Myanmar security forces have been accused of laying waste
to Rohingya villages last year in Rakhine state, near the Bangladesh border,
where most Rohingya lived. The military's self-proclaimed "clearance
operations" were set off by a Rohingya militant group's assault on police
posts.
The U.N. and the U.S. have described the military
campaign as "ethnic cleansing."
U.N. officials note that the Wednesday agreement gives
its agencies access to Rakhine state, allowing it to better assess the
situation and inform refugees about conditions back in their villages.
Source: AP
Source: AP