By Hafizur Rahman
Dhaka, August 19, 2025, Around 50,000 Rohingya are waiting at the Myanmar border to enter Bangladesh as fighting intensifies between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA). Officials have warned that the displaced may cross into Bangladesh at any moment.
National Task Force Meeting in Dhaka
The information came during a meeting of the National Task Force (NTF) on Rohingya Affairs, held on Sunday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka. The meeting was chaired by Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam and attended by senior government officials, UN representatives, and agencies working on the Rohingya response.
According to UN and Bangladeshi government figures, more than 1.2 million Rohingya currently live in Cox’s Bazar camps. Over the past 18 months, another 120,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar and entered Bangladesh due to renewed violence in Rakhine.
Funding Shortages Threaten Aid
The meeting also revealed severe funding gaps in the humanitarian response. Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman warned that the World Food Programme (WFP) has indicated food supplies will run out after November if no new funding is secured.
He further noted that the supply of LPG cylinders to the camps will stop after September, raising fears that refugees will be forced to cut down trees for firewood — worsening environmental and security problems inside the camps.
UN representatives echoed concerns, saying that many donor countries are failing to keep their financial promises, putting the lives of refugees at risk.
Bangladesh Pushes for Global Action
Foreign Secretary Siam stressed that Bangladesh continues efforts to keep the Rohingya issue on the international agenda. He said Bangladesh will actively participate in the UN-led international conference in New York on September 30, while also hosting a three-day international conference in Cox’s Bazar beginning August 25.
Diplomats and representatives of international agencies based in Dhaka were briefed ahead of the meeting and urged to sustain their support.
Eight Years in Limbo
The developments come as Bangladesh marks the eighth anniversary of the 2017 Rohingya influx. Refugees remain trapped in overcrowded camps with dwindling aid, and now tens of thousands more are massed at the border, waiting for safety.
Officials warn that without urgent international funding and coordinated action, the crisis could deepen further — leaving both Rohingya and host communities in Bangladesh in an increasingly fragile position.
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