BMJ 2018;362:k3641 doi: 10.1136/bmj.
k3641 (Published 29 August 2018)
News
Stateless: the Rohingya refugees one year on
Declan Murphy
The BMJ
In the past year nearly a million people have fled northern
Rakhine province in Myanmar for the safety of neighbouring
Bangladesh. Around 900 000 of the refugees are now enduring
cramped and unhygienic lives in camps, such as Balukhali, left,
in Cox’s Bazar. The coastal town has become the world’s largest
refugee camp.
Since the exodus of the Rohingya people began, Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF) has treated 656 200 refugees in its clinics.
Whereas once the majority of patients needed treatment for
violence related injuries, now the charity’s doctors are dealing
largely with diarrhoeal disease, created and exacerbated by
living conditions in the camps.
Pavlo Kolovos, MSF’s head of mission in Bangladesh, said, “It
is unacceptable that watery diarrhoea remains one of the biggest
health issues we see in the camps. The infrastructure to meet
even the most basic needs of the population is still not in place.”
Many of the refugees MSF staff speak to are very anxious about
the future. Made stateless by Myanmar and denied formal legal
status by their host country, the refugees are in legal limbo.
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The charity is calling for a redoubling of efforts to find solutions
to their plight. It warns that their statelessness must be tackled
urgently to allow them access to basic healthcare, education,
and protection. Kolovos said, “The reality is that hundreds of
thousands of Rohingya have been displaced in Bangladesh and
elsewhere for decades, and it may be decades until they can
safely return to Myanmar, if ever.
“The scale and scope of the suffering merits a much more robust
response—locally, regionally, and globally. Pressure must,
meanwhile, continue to be exerted on the government of
Myanmar to halt its campaign against the Rohingya.”
A UN report has called for top military figures in Myanmar to
be investigated for genocide and crimes against humanity.1 It
is the UN’s strongest condemnation so far of violence against
Rohingya Muslims.
1 Human Rights Council. Report of the independent international fact-finding mission on
Myanmar. 24 Aug 2018. https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/FFM-
Myanmar/A_HRC_39_64.pdf.
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BMJ 2018;362:k3641 doi: 10.1136/bmj.k3641 (Published 29 August 2018) Page 2 of 2

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Figure

[Image: Dalila Mahdawi/MSF]

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