Germany pledges 15 million euros to Rohingya cause

German Development Minister Gerd Müller promised €15 million ($16.3 million) to the Rohingya refugees during his trip to Bangladesh on Wednesday. 

Müller hopes that the boost in funding will help improve the lives of the young among Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingyas in refugee camps as well as in host communities.

“The development minister plans on implementing measures that would specially support young Rohingyas in the areas of education and income security,” a spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development told DW.

“The projects will be implemented by the governmental organisation GIZ and non-governmental organisations such as Caritas and Plan International,” he added.

Müller secured the funds on Tuesday following a conversation with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the capital Dhaka, according to German news agency EPD.

Read more: Opinion: Why has the West failed to address the Rohingya crisis?

The German Development Minister visited a garment factory in Bangladesh.

Mass human exodus 

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have crossed into neighboring Bangladesh to flee violence and persecution. 

The government of predominantly Buddhist Myanmar sees the Rohingya, an ethnic Muslim minority primarily from the northern region of Rakhine state, as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in Asia, has expressed concerns over its ability to handle the influx of Rohingya refugees. 

In 2017, the German Development Ministry allocated €83 million for education and training purposes as well as water development projects in Rohingya communities throughout Myanmar. 

The minister is scheduled to visit the southeast coastal town of Cox’s Bazar — home to one of the biggest refugee settlements in the world.

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