Nine years on, Rohingya crisis strains host communities

 
COX’S BAZAR, Aug 25: Nine years into the Rohingya crisis, pressure is mounting both inside the camps and among host communities in Cox’s Bazar, prompting civil society groups and Rohingyas to call for a clear, time-bound roadmap for safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation to Myanmar.

They also called for greater security for communities living in and around the camps, transparency in humanitarian aid funds and greater participation of local NGOs and civil society organisations in the Rohingya response.

The demands were made at a press conference at Cox's Bazar Press Club on Tuesday, where a forum presented a research paper on localisation of the Rohingya response.

The research said international organisations manage large amounts of humanitarian funding, while local organisations have very limited participation in leadership, decision-making and fund management.

More than 1.2 million Rohingyas are living in 33 camps in Ukhia, Teknaf and Bhasan Char. The prolonged crisis has put growing pressure on Cox's Bazar's local communities, environment, economy and social security.

According to the 2026 Joint Response Plan, $710.5 million is needed to assist 1.56 million people. UN agencies hold 87.96 per cent of the funds, international NGOs 7.78 per cent and national NGOs 4.26 per cent, while local NGOs have no direct funding.

The forum said safe and dignified repatriation, rather than continued dependence on humanitarian assistance, was the permanent solution. It said more than 150,000 additional Rohingyas had entered Bangladesh since the beginning of 2024.

The research made 10 recommendations, including greater local NGO representation in decision-making, co-leadership in all sectors, increased direct funding and at least 25 per cent allocation for local communities.

Meanwhile, Rohingyas held a rally at Camp-4 in Ukhia on Tuesday, demanding justice for the alleged 2017 genocide by Myanmar's junta forces in Rakhine State and safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation.

UCR presidential panel member and Rohingya rights activist Syed Ullah said nine years had passed since the 2017 genocide, but Rohingyas had still not received justice.

"We want to return to our homeland Myanmar safely and with dignity," he said, stressing that citizenship, security and basic rights must be ensured before repatriation.

Rohingya rights activist Mohammad Rafiq said, "We ask the world for only 10 minutes, while we have already spent nine years."