Due to ongoing conflict, violence, and food shortages in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, the influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh continues. Over the past 18 months, 118,000 Rohingyas have crossed the border and taken shelter in camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf. This has created an acute space crisis in the existing 33 refugee camps.
According to the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), the registration of these new arrivals has been completed. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has requested housing allocations for them, but the Bangladeshi government has not responded, citing a lack of space in existing camps. As a result, many are forced to live in overcrowded and poor conditions.
Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Additional Secretary of RRRC, stated that although food aid is being provided to the newly arrived Rohingyas, no decision has been made regarding their accommodation. Bangladesh is not in favor of allocating new shelters for them and is exploring the possibility of placing them within existing camps, though this is not a sustainable solution.
Currently, more than 1.3 million registered Rohingyas live in Ukhiya and Teknaf camps. The recent 118,000 arrivals are not included in this figure. Most notably, around 800,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh after August 25, 2017. Despite various efforts, not a single Rohingya has been repatriated to Myanmar in the past eight years.
The recent influx is largely due to renewed violence in Rakhine between the Arakan Army and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). The Arakan Army has reportedly been forcibly recruiting Rohingya youth, using them as human shields and laborers, and committing abuses including killings, abductions, and forced displacement. Many have also reported being extorted while fleeing, paying about 5,000 kyat per person to escape.
In just the past week, 1,448 Rohingya families and another 5,930 individuals have entered Bangladesh, totaling around 29,607 people. Many have not yet found space in any camp and are relying on relatives already in Bangladesh for shelter.
Mohammad Zubair, president of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Humanity, noted that the Arakan Army continues to oppress the Rohingya and is resettling the displaced with members of the Rakhine ethnic group. He warned that as long as the Arakan Army’s brutality continues, repatriation will remain impossible and the influx of refugees will not stop.
Local officials stated that border forces are on high alert to prevent further illegal entry, and some Rohingyas have been intercepted and sent back. However, infiltration continues through remote and unguarded border areas, especially at night.
Retired Major Emdadul Islam, former head of the Bangladesh mission in Sittwe, commented that both the Myanmar government and the Arakan Army are targeting the Rohingyas. He questioned the feasibility of repatriation, emphasizing the need for the international community and the Bangladeshi government to address the complex reality of the crisis and seek a sustainable solution.