Rohingyas await safe return to Myanmar even after 9 years

COX’S BAZAR, Aug 28: Nine years have passed since more than 700,000 Rohingyas fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State following a brutal military crackdown and sought refuge in Bangladesh.

After the violence of August 25, 2017, men, women and children crossed the border into Bangladesh, many walking long distances or swimming across the Naf River, and settled in Ukhiya and Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar.

Along with around 350,000 Rohingyas who had already been living in Bangladesh, more than 1.2 million are now staying in 33 camps in difficult conditions. Some have also been relocated to Bhasan Char.

Nine years after the mass displacement, their return to Myanmar remains uncertain. The refugees say they will not return without guarantees of citizenship, recognition of their Rohingya identity, security and justice.

Although Myanmar's junta has said it is ready to take back around 350,000 Rohingyas, Bangladesh and the refugees strongly oppose repatriation without proper guarantees.

According to the latest UNHCR figures, Bangladesh is currently hosting 1,202,034 forcibly displaced people from Myanmar.

The crisis has also continued to grow. Intense fighting between Myanmar's junta forces and the Arakan Army began in late 2023 and is still continuing. As a result, more than 200,000 additional Rohingyas reportedly entered Bangladesh between January 2024 and July 2026.

In 2017, the Myanmar military launched a campaign of persecution and mass killings against Rohingyas in the name of a "counterterrorism operation". The UN and other international organisations described the campaign as ethnic cleansing.

Bangladesh began diplomatic efforts to repatriate the refugees soon after the violence. Several initiatives have since been taken, but not a single Rohingya has returned to Myanmar.

As the camp population continues to grow, concerns over crime have also increased. Abductions, murders and other criminal activities are frequently reported in the Ukhiya-Teknaf camps.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR and several international organisations continue to provide food, shelter, healthcare and other humanitarian assistance. However, officials say international support for the prolonged crisis is declining.

Gafur Uddin Chowdhury, Chairman of Palongkhali Union Parishad in Ukhiya, said agricultural land had turned into polluted marshes because of the prolonged pressure from the Rohingya population.

"If arrangements are not made to repatriate them soon, the overall environment in this area will face a serious threat," he said.
Yunus Arman, a resident of Kutupalong camp, said they had no idea when they would be able to return home.

"On the ninth anniversary of our displacement, we will hold meetings and rallies at different places in the camps. We want the world to put pressure on Myanmar so that we can return home," he said.

Siraj Uddin, a majhi, or community leader, at Camp 8W said, "Nine years have passed since we came to Bangladesh, but nobody has been able to find a solution to the repatriation issue."

Mohammad Zubair, President of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, said they wanted guarantees of citizenship, recognition of their ethnic identity, restoration of their homes and justice for the genocide before returning.

"Otherwise, we fear that we will face persecution again after returning," he said.

Syed Ullah, president of the United Council of Rohingya, expressed gratitude to Bangladesh for providing them refuge.
"We are not here permanently. We have to return to Myanmar one day. For the Rohingyas, repatriation is the only solution," he said.

Population rises, crisis deepens
More than 216,000 children have been born in the Ukhiya-Teknaf camps since 2017, putting immense pressure on the limited land available.

More than 235,000 children are also deprived of formal education, leaving them vulnerable to child marriage, child labour and human trafficking.

Police sources said more than 288 people had been killed in the Rohingya camps over the past nine years. Many of the killings reportedly resulted from conflicts among armed groups and other criminal activities.

Global attention shifts
International assistance for the Rohingyas is declining while security concerns are increasing.
New wars and geopolitical conflicts around the world have shifted global attention away from the Rohingya crisis, causing humanitarian funding to fall sharply.

Due to a funding shortfall in the 2026 Joint Response Plan, donor agencies have been forced to cut rations and basic healthcare services.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said humanitarian assistance from donor countries was shrinking because of new global conflicts.

"We have had to reduce our humanitarian funding target for 2026 by 26 percent to $710.5 million and limit it to the most urgent life-saving assistance," he said.

He warned that the funding cuts were putting the basic survival rights of women, children and elderly people in the camps at risk.

Bangladesh's position
Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the UN and Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury said hosting more than 1.2 million Rohingyas for nearly a decade had placed a huge burden on the country's economy, society, environment and security.

"The crisis originated in Myanmar, and Myanmar must ensure its only sustainable solution," he said.

He urged the international community to maintain effective political and economic pressure on Myanmar to take back its citizens.

Cox's Bazar Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Dr Md Mizanur Rahman said the Rohingya crisis had become an international issue, rather than a problem for Bangladesh alone.

"The international community must take responsibility for it," he said.

He said the government was working with the international community on a roadmap for sustainable and safe repatriation.

Dr Mizan said continued fighting and persecution in Myanmar's Rakhine State were forcing more Rohingyas to attempt to cross into Bangladesh.

"Even amid these challenges, the Bangladesh government is trying to ensure minimum humanitarian services for them," he added.