118,000 Rohingya enter Bangladesh in one year amid escalating conflict

Bangladesh faces new refugee surge as Rohingya flee escalating conflict and humanitarian collapse in Myanmar’s Rakhine State

DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — An estimated 118,000 Rohingya refugees have entered Bangladesh over the past year, fleeing intensified armed conflict and humanitarian collapse in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, according to data from Bangladesh’s Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC).

The latest influx adds to the over one million Rohingya already living in Cox’s Bazar’s crowded camps in Ukhia and Teknaf.

While most of the new arrivals crossed during June and July 2024, registration continued until May 2025.

Speaking to independent Bangladeshi outlet Prothom Alo, RRRC Additional Secretary Mohammad Mizanur Rahman confirmed that while food assistance has been provided to the newly arrived refugees, no decision has yet been taken on allocating housing for them.

The surge in crossings comes amid intensified clashes between the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group, and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Rohingya armed group.

Although the Arakan Army reportedly seized full control of Maungdaw Township in December 2024, ARSA remains active in the area, carrying out ambushes and attacks. 

According to Rakhine-based news outlet Narinjara, ARSA fighters launched a fresh attack on April 28 in Pathar village, prompting a retaliatory crackdown by the Arakan Army, which then restricted civilian movement and ordered local businesses to shut.

Rohingya refugees now sheltering in Bangladesh report being caught in the crossfire and subjected to violence.

Abdul Gafur, who recently arrived at the Shalban refugee camp in Teknaf, said the Arakan Army accuses Rohingya civilians of supporting ARSA.

“They are torturing us, looting our homes, and forcing us to build military barracks,” he said, adding that those fleeing are often forced to pay bribes of5,000 kyats ($2.40) at the border.

Another refugee, Amir Hamza, said that on Friday the Arakan Army raided his relatives’ village of Sikderpara, firing blanks and dragging people from their homes to interrogate them.

Multiple testimonies describe forced evictions across villages including Lodayng, Uchingjong, Nakpura, and Kulipara in recent weeks.

Bangladesh now hosts over 1.3 million registered Rohingya, including around 800,000 who fled following the Myanmar military’s 2017 crackdown.

Despite several repatriation attempts, not a single Rohingya refugee has voluntarily returned to Myanmar in the past eight years.