Around 150 newly arrived Rohingya seek UNHCR help each week
Weekly figure covers only those approaching UN agency and therefore does not represent complete count of all new arrivals in Bangladesh
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Around 150 newly arrived Rohingya are approaching the U.N. refugee agency in Bangladesh every week as conflict, airstrikes, arrests and restrictions continue to drive members of the persecuted minority from their homeland in Burma, underscoring how far conditions remain from allowing refugees to return safely.
According to The Daily Star, Ivo Freijsen, the UNHCR representative in Bangladesh, said armed conflict, aerial bombardment, arrests, discrimination, restrictions on movement and the loss of livelihoods were continuing to force Rohingya across the border.
The weekly figure covers only those approaching UNHCR and therefore does not represent a complete count of all new arrivals in Bangladesh.
The continuing flight comes nearly nine years after a brutal Burmese military crackdown drove more than 700,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh in 2017, joining earlier waves of refugees and creating one of the world’s largest concentrations of displaced people.
Despite years of negotiations over repatriation, Freijsen said conditions inside Burma remain too dangerous and unstable for large-scale returns. Sending refugees back prematurely could simply result in them being displaced again and eventually returning to Bangladesh, he warned.
The security landscape in Arakan has changed dramatically since 2017. The Arakan Army now controls large parts of the state after capturing territory from Burma’s military junta, but the shift in control has not ended the insecurity facing Rohingya communities.
UNHCR also has no humanitarian access to some of the areas from which Rohingya are currently fleeing. Freijsen cited insecurity, bureaucratic barriers and other operational restrictions, raising concerns about access to food, shelter, healthcare and protection for communities trapped in conflict-affected areas.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian system supporting the Rohingya in Bangladesh is itself facing a severe funding shortage.
The 2026 humanitarian appeal was reduced to $710 million after donors sought a smaller, more tightly prioritized response, but only 66% of even that amount has been funded, Freijsen said.
Funding shortages have already forced reductions in education, healthcare, sanitation and community programs, while UNHCR has warned that supplies of cooking gas could also face interruptions. Protection services, including refugee registration and responses to abuse and other threats, are among the most poorly funded.
With Rohingya largely unable to work legally in Bangladesh, declining aid is increasing the risk of debt, exploitation and other desperate coping strategies. Some refugees attempt dangerous sea journeys toward Malaysia and Indonesia, exposing themselves to trafficking, detention, abuse and death.
Most Rohingya continue to regard return to their homeland as their preferred long-term solution, but have demanded citizenship, recognition of their ethnic identity, security, freedom of movement and access to their homes and land.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
