'Waiting for the day we'll go back': Rohingyas flock to border on Eid to see their homeland

A young Rohingya man Rafiqul Islam was looking over to his homeland all the way from here in a moment of nostalgia and sorrow since he has been under the solace of Bangladesh for about six and a half years now. 

He was joined by a number of locals visiting the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. 

During the Eid holidays, Rohingyas have been flocking to the border areas of Ghumdhum overlooking parts of Myanmar which can be clearly seen from the Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban.

They gathered on the four-lane Bangladesh-Myanmar Maitree Road in Ghumdhum.

An elderly man, Abdul Ghafoor, is a resident of camp- 20 of Ukhiya. Going there on Friday (13 April), he said he was waiting for the day he would be able to return to his homeland. 

He was born on the land beyond where he spent all his life. 

"I came to the border area with the wish to see the landscape of the soil, trees and villages on the other side which used to be my home," he said.

Abdul Aziz, another local, said from Thursday till Saturday, thousands of Rohingyas were seen walking along the border road. 

They were taking pictures, hanging around and chatting away throughout the afternoon, just enjoying the view of Myanmar from here and later on, headed back to their camps, he added.

More than 1.1 million Rohingyas have been sheltered in 32 camps of Ukhiya and Teknaf in Cox's Bazar and Bhasanchar for more than 6 and a half years. 

In 2017, these Rohingya natives of Myanmar crossed the border and took refuge in Bangladesh in the face of gruesome violence and oppression by the military in their country. 

Having spent over a dozen Eids away from their homeland, they've been praying for the day they get to go back home.

Offering prayers on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Fitr, the refugees prayed to god to help them return home as international efforts for their repatriation grow bleaker with each passing year.

On Thursday (11 April), Rohingyas living in the 32 camps in Cox's Bazar offered Eid prayers in some 3,000 mosques and religious educational institutes.

The biggest congregation took place at Balukhali Camp-8 in Ukhiya.

Visiting camp on the day, The Business Standard found children and adults celebrating Eid with new clothes on. They offered prayers in an open field in the middle of the camp.

"I am thanking God for being able to offer Eid prayers peacefully. But wouldn't we be happier if we could celebrate Eid in our own country? Our only dream now is to offer Eid prayers in Myanmar. I am calling on the people of the world to come forward to realise that dream," said Bashar, a resident of the Balukhali camp.