Report warns new Rohingya refugees face survival crisis in Bangladesh
Study says thousands who fled renewed violence in Myanmar remain trapped between trauma, aid gaps and uncertain future inside overcrowded camps
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Thousands of Rohingya who escaped renewed fighting in Myanmar’s Rakhine State are confronting a new humanitarian crisis in neighboring Bangladesh, where many struggle to access food, healthcare and basic services despite reaching relative safety, according to a new report released this week.
The study, “From Arrival to Survival: The Migration Journey and Humanitarian Challenges of Newly Arrived Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh,” published by the Rohingya-led advocacy group Youth Congress Rohingya (YCR), is based on interviews with refugees who fled escalating violence in northern Rakhine State during 2024.
It paints a picture of communities that escaped armed conflict only to face prolonged uncertainty inside Bangladesh’s refugee camps.
Nearly half of those surveyed said they lost at least one family member during the conflict or while fleeing Myanmar. Respondents described relatives being killed in armed attacks, shelling, drowning during dangerous border crossings, or dying because medical care and food were unavailable.
Many also spoke of the lasting trauma of leaving loved ones behind without being able to recover their bodies or perform funeral rites.
The report records allegations from survivors that civilians were caught in attacks linked to the Arakan Army, a Rakhine nationalist militant group that has expanded its control across large parts of the state.
Other interviewees said the intensity of the fighting made it impossible to determine whether attacks were carried out by the Arakan Army or Myanmar’s military, underscoring the confusion that accompanied their flight.
For many refugees, reaching Bangladesh involved weeks or months of repeated displacement, failed border crossings and detention before they finally arrived in the sprawling camps of Cox’s Bazar. Some interviewees said they were pushed back into Myanmar before eventually succeeding in crossing the border.
The study argues that crossing into Bangladesh has not ended their hardship. Although most respondents eventually received some humanitarian assistance, many reported waiting months for registration documents needed to access food rations and essential services, while others said they remained entirely excluded from aid because they lacked official refugee identification.
Refugees also described shortages of healthcare, education, shelter materials, mental health services, child nutrition programs and hygiene supplies.
Even registered families reported long queues, administrative delays and distribution rules that made assistance difficult to obtain, leaving many households dependent on insufficient food aid.
Economic opportunities remain scarce, the report found, with most newly arrived refugees unable to earn an income inside the camps and more than half receiving no financial support from relatives abroad, increasing dependence on humanitarian agencies.
YCR urged Bangladesh, international donors and aid organizations to accelerate refugee registration, expand healthcare and psychosocial services, improve access to education and ensure that newly arrived Rohingya are not denied life-saving assistance because of documentation delays.
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