Rahima Khatun, 60, lost her husband in the brutal military campaign that unfolded in Myanmar’s Rakhine last year. Her home was burnt down to ashes. She somehow managed to survive with her son and a grandson. Then, they took on a risky trip through jungles, hills and rivers to find safety on Bangladeshi soil.
They found a shelter here; received basic necessities like food, cloth and treatment. Overall, the past year in the camp was well-spent. But, Rahima Khatun feels a void inside of her. She wants to go back to the comfort of her own home; although there is no security for their lives in that prospect.
Rahima says that the unspeakable torture they faced still haunts her but it doesn’t stop making her feel homesick.
“I’m still counting days to go back home,” she says.
Another Rohingya lady at the Camp of Teknaf Halima Akter expressed similar longing for home.
Halima said that Eid brought more sadness than joy to their lives. It was during the Eid last year when she fled to Bangladesh, leaving everything behind.
Halima also said that they had a two-storied wooden home in Rakhine. They were quite well-off with 12 acres of land they owned. Since they had their own cattle farm, they never had to buy any for the Eid-ul-Azha.
During the end of last year, the Myanmar military launched an attack on their village burning down houses. Many failed to get out of their home in time causing them to experience a cruel death. Some died suffocated while others were burnt alive.
The scenes she witnessed that day keep on returning in her nightmares. But then again, it was the land she was born, it’s where she wants to take her last breath, she said.
“I can’t sleep at night. The thought of when will I be able to go back— keeps me awake. I want to be buried beside my deceased husband,” she added.
The same sentiment was shared by other Rohingyas, who desperately want to go back to the land they had been living for generations despite the brutalities unleashed on them.
Officials are saying that the Government is working to ensure repatriation of the Rohingyas.
With the massive influx, last year more than 1.1 million Rohingyas are currently living in refugee camps across Coxs Bazar. Bangladesh Government and International Community have repeatedly called on the Myanmar authorities to take these Rohingyas back. A repatriation agreement was also inked between the two countries. But, there are still uncertainties surrounding their repatriation.