Bangladesh NGOs oppose permanent Rohingya shelters
Local leaders accuse UN-linked agencies of building lasting camp structures as concerns grow over security and environment
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Local elected representatives and civil society leaders in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district have opposed the construction of permanent shelters inside Rohingya refugee camps, warning that such infrastructure could deepen the refugee crisis and encourage further influx from neighboring Myanmar.
The concerns were raised during a press conference organized Monday by the Cox’s Bazar CSO NGO Forum under the banner “Sovereignty must be upheld in Cox’s Bazar; participation of local government and people in Rohingya relief activities is essential.”
Speakers accused the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other U.N. agencies of sidelining local organizations while partnering mainly with international NGOs in Rohingya relief operations.
CCNF Member Secretary Zahangir Alam alleged that UNHCR, through BRAC and Infinix, had started constructing permanent-structure shelters in camps without consulting local authorities, elected representatives or political leaders.
He warned that the development of durable infrastructure inside camps was creating resentment among local residents and could encourage additional refugee arrivals into Bangladesh.
Bangladesh hosts more than one million Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled genocide in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in 2017. While humanitarian agencies describe conditions inside the camps as fragile and overcrowded, sections of the local population in Cox’s Bazar have increasingly voiced concerns over security, environmental damage and the long-term impact of the crisis.
Moderating the event, CCNF Co-Chair Rezaul Karim Chowdhury called for stronger border security in Ukhia and Teknaf, urging the government to increase deployment of Border Guard Bangladesh and the military along the Myanmar frontier.
He also urged sustained diplomatic pressure through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and dialogue with the Arakan Army to accelerate Rohingya repatriation.
Speakers at the press conference demanded the formation of a Rohingya Repatriation Commission and argued that local authorities and residents should have greater involvement in humanitarian decision-making related to the camps.
Representatives from the COAST Foundation and other local groups also raised concerns over unequal funding distribution, lack of local representation in relief mechanisms, groundwater depletion and environmental degradation linked to the camps.
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