Around five lakh residents of Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas in Cox’s Bazar have been facing humanitarian and security-related challenges for the last eight years as more than 13 lakh displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar continue to reside in 33 camps of the two upazilas.

Today (August 25), marks the 8th anniversary since the start of the military’s crimes against humanity and acts of genocide that forced Rohingyas to flee to Bangladesh.

Locals said their prolonged presence in the world’s largest refugee camp has made their lives extremely difficult with added strains on land, resources, security and livelihoods but they have not seen any visible progress about their repatriation to their own land.

The fear of growing crimes inside and outside the camps has also become a constant concern, they said.

Kutupalong village in Ukhiya, now widely known both at home and abroad, has become a vast stretch of refugee camps where nothing but camps are visible as far as the eye can see.

According to official data, the total population of Ukhiya and Teknaf is a little over 5 lakh while more than 13 lakh Rohingyas have taken shelter there since 2017 when a brutal military crackdown forced them to flee Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Locals alleged that the excessive population pressure has made it almost impossible for them to live safely.

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Apart from the rising prices of essentials, the environmental degradation, increasing crimes including murder, abduction and extortion linked to rival Rohingya groups have added to their fear, they said.

Engineer Helal Uddin, a member of Kutupalong Union Parishad, said agricultural land in his area has turned into barren swamps since the Rohingya influx in 2017.

“The hills and forests have been destroyed, and the local labour market is now dominated by Rohingyas. Even in emergencies it is difficult to move around because of the traffic congestion caused by camp activities. Locals are forced to live in fear and we urge the government to draw global attention to ensure their quick repatriation,” he said.

Sarwar Jahan Chowdhury, former chairman of Ukhiya upazila, said the growing trend of crimes involving Rohingyas has put locals in distress.

“It is ironic that the displaced Rohingyas who fled torture in Myanmar are now making the residents of Ukhiya and Teknaf feel displaced in their own land,” he said.

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Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mizanur Rahman acknowledged the pressure saying the presence of such a large population has inevitably affected local life.

“The reduction in aid allocations has created further disorder. The government is making continuous efforts with support from the international community to send them back to Myanmar,” he said.

On August 25, 2017, hundreds of thousands of refugees started crossing the border to Bangladesh on foot and by boats amid indiscriminate killings and other violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

Despite repeated attempts, repatriation efforts have stalled due to Myanmar’s unwillingness to guarantee safety and citizenship rights for the Rohingyas.

Since 2017, Bangladesh has attempted at least twice to send the refugees back and has urged the international community to build pressure on Myanmar for a peaceful environment inside Myanmar that could help start the repatriation.