Bangladesh urges Commonwealth action on Rohingya repatriation
Bangladesh calls on Commonwealth nations to increase pressure on Myanmar and sustain aid as more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees remain displaced
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladesh’s foreign minister has urged Commonwealth countries to intensify international efforts to ensure the safe and voluntary return of more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees who fled violence in neighboring Myanmar and are now living in camps in Bangladesh.
Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman made the appeal during the 26th Commonwealth Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held at Lancaster House in London on March 8, according to a statement released by the Bangladesh High Commission in the United Kingdom.
Addressing representatives from 56 Commonwealth member states, Rahman said Bangladesh continues to shoulder a heavy humanitarian burden by hosting Rohingya refugees who escaped a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017. The refugees now live mainly in vast camps in the southeastern Bangladeshi district of Cox’s Bazar, one of the largest refugee settlements in the world.
Rahman warned that the crisis remains unresolved and noted that new arrivals continue to cross into Bangladesh as conditions in Myanmar remain unstable. He also raised concerns about declining levels of international humanitarian assistance for the refugee population.
The Bangladeshi minister called on the international community to maintain sustained engagement and take stronger diplomatic steps to create conditions that would allow refugees to return safely, voluntarily and with dignity to their homes in Myanmar.
Bangladesh has repeatedly said long-term settlement in the country is not a viable solution and that repatriation remains the only sustainable path forward for resolving the crisis.
During the meeting, Rahman also highlighted broader global challenges, including climate change and growing economic uncertainty affecting many developing countries. The Commonwealth conference focused on shaping priorities ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, scheduled to take place later this year.
Bangladesh currently hosts more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled Myanmar during the 2017 military campaign that United Nations investigators later described as genocide.
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