Dhaka, March 27 (IANS) Although geographically distant, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has a direct impact on Bangladesh’s villages where millions of families depend on relatives working in the Gulf region. This has turned the regional unrest into a household anxiety, a report stated.
According to the Bangladesh government, since the beginning of the conflict, at least five Bangladeshi migrant workers have been killed and several others injured in missile and drone attacks across several Middle Eastern countries.
“Around seven million Bangladeshis currently live and work in Middle Eastern countries. Saudi Arabia hosts the largest number, with around 3.5 million Bangladeshis, who remit $5 billion annually back to their home country. Bangladeshi workers began joining the Saudi Arabia labour market in the 1970s and now make up the largest expatriate community there,” a report in international magazine ‘The Diplomat’ detailed.
“Behind Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates has around 850,000 Bangladeshi migrant workers. Qatar hosts around 400,000, Kuwait 350,000-400,000, Oman more than 700,000, and Bahrain more than 100,000. Most of them work in construction, transport, cleaning, restaurants, retail shops, and petrol stations – jobs that are physically demanding, low-paid, and often insecure. Yet for many rural families, these jobs remain the most reliable path to financial stability,” it added.
The report further highlighted that conflict in the Middle East often results in higher oil prices. With Bangladesh depending on fuel imports, this translates into higher transport costs, higher fertiliser costs, and higher food prices. While consequences affect everyone, especially rural households — struggling with uncertain incomes — bear the brunt.
Similarly, the report said, any tensions in the Middle East can eventually affect the price of rice in a Bangladeshi village market.
“We don’t understand much about politics, but we understand the connection in simple terms. War means oil prices increase. When oil prices increase, everything becomes expensive. And if the Middle East becomes unstable, we may lose our jobs or be forced to return home. Already the money we earn and send home is losing value year by year,” The Diplomat quoted Shakhawat Miah, a 43-year-old migrant worker in the UAE from Sakhipur upazila of Bangladesh’s Tangail district, as saying.
“We are hearing that there has already been a lot of damage in the UAE. If the conflict continues for another month, who knows what will happen to us? It feels very anxious to sleep at night. Who knows when a bomb may come and kill us? Already, someone from my area in Bangladesh has been killed in Saudi Arabia,” he added.
The report noted that villages across Bangladesh are more concerned about protecting livelihood, family, and survival than the military strategy or international diplomacy.
--IANS
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