Towards ‘shared’ and ‘complex’ disaster governance in Bangladesh : the 2017 Rohingya Exodus

• Main Authors: Cook, Alistair David Blair, Foo, Yen Ne
• Other Authors: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Social sciences::Journalism; Rohingya Exodus; Bangladesh
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/143385
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Bangladesh is the 10th most exposed country to natural hazards, and the fifth most at risk of an extreme natural event turning into a disaster according to the United Nations 2016 World Risk Report. The country is exposed to both slow and quick onset disasters, including annual floods (see Fig. 1) [1], cyclones (see Fig. 2) [2], salinity intrusion [3], earthquakes [4] and landslides [5]; many of which have generated significant scholarly research as noted in the citations. Natural hazards aside, the country is also at risk of emergencies stemming from political developments within and outside of the country. The Rohingya exodus that began on 25 August 2017 saw more than an estimated 723,000 people flee from Myanmar to Bangladesh [6]. The Independent International Fact Finding Mission on Myanmar found many violations that led to the death and flight of Rohingya amount to the gravest crimes under international law and called on the international community to investigate and prosecute named Senior Generals in the Myanmar military in an international criminal tribunal for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity [7]. While there is scholarly literature on Rohingya in Bangladesh and Myanmar, the studies are often couched in terms of a security issue [8], their impact on Bangladesh-Myanmar relations [9], the role of UNHCR policies for Rohingya in Bangladesh [10], their human rights situation when in Myanmar [11], the role of Faith-Based Organisations in Bangladesh and their role in governing the previous waves of Rohingya exodus in the early 1990s or late 1970s [12], or the humanitarian response in Rakhine state in Myanmar [13]. However, the combined issue of natural hazards and Rohingya in Bangladesh in the scholarly literature are treated separately. However, since 25 August 2017, Bangladesh is a refuge for some 646,000 additional Rohingya and displaced persons from Rakhine in Myanmar. These two literatures need to be drawn upon in our investigation of the issues facing the dual governance challenges of natural hazards and displaced populations, which can create complex humanitarian emergencies.