Angelina Jolie Visits Rohingya Muslim Camps in Bangladesh

Angelina Jolie saddened by the status of Muslim Rohingya refugees

On Tuesday, Angelina Jolie, part of the special envoy for UN’s refugee agency, went to Bangladesh to visit the Muslim Rohingya camps.[/tweetit] The Hollywood superstar’s visit was part of the United Nations effort to raise $920 million as support for the refugees.

Angelina Jolie Visits Rohingya Muslim Camps in Bangladesh[/tweetthis]

After witnessing the plight of the people, she pressured the Myanmar government and authorities to take action and bring an end to this communal problem. She was unhappy after discovering that the nation is treating the refugees “like cattle.” Jolie even spoke to a rape survivor, who explained that she would rather die than go back to her country.

Jolie is meeting with Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, along with AK Abdul Momen, the Foreign Minister. During this session with the officials of the nation, she will find out how Bangladesh and UN’s refugee agency can work together to help the displaced people. She also aims to come up with sustainable solutions, so that the refugees can settle without facing problems.

The violence against the Muslim Rohingya forced hundreds of thousands of them to take refuge in the neighboring country, Bangladesh. Brutal military attacks, along with rapes and mass killings destroyed several Rohingya villages, located in the western part of Rakhine state. Since August 2017, the refugees have been residing in Cox Bazar, a district in the country.

Bangladesh is facing a severe shortage of resources, as almost 300,000 people were already residing in these camps, before the start of the migration. While talking to the refugees, Jolie stated that their condition shames the world, as no one has acted against the discrimination. She said there was no excuse for failing to address the situation, as there were warning signs in the past.

However, Myanmar made a public announcement that the country had a legitimate reason to attack the villages. The officials believed there was an insurgent threat, which led to the response from Myanmar’s military.

The country also promised they would welcome back the refugees with open arms. However, Zaw Htay, the spokesman for the Myanmar government didn’t pick up the call when asked to comment about the situation.

Jolie asked the displaced people in the camp to only return to Myanmar once they feel the nation will respect their rights.

The last time Jolie met the Rohingya was in 2006 and 2015 when she was in India and Myanmar respectively

Thanks to Angelina jolie for coming Bangladesh!

— sanjeda simi (@SimiSanjeda) February 6, 2019

I swear she is better than any Arabian or muslim leader or any leader in the world. Love you @angelinajolie

— Jordan rababaah (@jordan_rababaah) February 6, 2019

Resources

• Reuters
• The Guardian
• The Daily Star

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