UNHCR says Rohingya are still fleeing conflict, air attacks, arrests, discrimination and movement restrictions in Arakan, while funding shortages are putting essential services in Bangladesh’s refugee camps under growing pressure.
by RK Desk
- UNHCR says Rohingya are still fleeing conflict, air attacks, arrests, discrimination and movement restrictions in Arakan, while funding shortages are putting essential services in Bangladesh’s refugee camps under growing pressure.
- No UNHCR Assistance in Areas People Are Fleeing
- Humanitarian Appeal Only 66 Percent Funded
- Dangerous Journeys as Conditions Deteriorate
- Return Remains the Goal, but Conditions Are Not There
Cox’s Bazar, 23 August 2026: Around 150 newly arrived Rohingya are approaching UNHCR in Bangladesh every week as continuing conflict, air attacks, arrests and restrictions in Arakan force more people from their homeland, according to the UN refugee agency’s representative in Bangladesh.
The figure provides a stark indication that displacement from Arakan is continuing nearly nine years after the mass exodus of 2017, even as discussions over Rohingya repatriation continue.
Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR representative in Bangladesh, told The Daily Star that people were continuing to flee because of armed conflict, aerial bombardment, arrests, discrimination, restrictions on movement and the loss of livelihoods.
“Approximately 150 new arrivals are approaching the UNHCR every week,” he said.
The figure represents people who reach or approach UNHCR and should not be understood as a complete count of all Rohingya crossing into Bangladesh.
Freijsen said opportunities for Rohingya to return home remained extremely limited because conditions in Myanmar were still unstable and dangerous.
He warned that sending refugees back before those conditions changed could result in renewed displacement and force people to cross into Bangladesh again.
No UNHCR Assistance in Areas People Are Fleeing
The continuing arrivals come as humanitarian agencies face severe restrictions in reaching Rohingya communities inside Arakan.
Freijsen said UNHCR maintains an office in the state capital and other field locations but does not currently operate in the specific areas from which Rohingya are fleeing.
“No humanitarian assistance is being provided there through the UNHCR,” he said.
He attributed the lack of access to security conditions, bureaucratic restrictions and other operational constraints.
The situation raises serious concerns over access to food, healthcare, shelter and protection for Rohingya remaining in areas affected by fighting, particularly communities living in places where humanitarian agencies cannot operate independently.
Large areas of northern Arakan are now under the control of the Arakan Army, while fighting between the AA and Myanmar’s military junta continues in other parts of the state.
For Rohingya communities, the change in territorial control has not ended displacement. Reports of insecurity, restrictions, arrests and loss of livelihoods continue to push people towards Bangladesh.
Humanitarian Appeal Only 66 Percent Funded
At the same time, funding for Rohingya refugees already living in Bangladesh is falling short of humanitarian needs.
Freijsen said the 2026 humanitarian appeal had been reduced to $710 million after donors requested a smaller and more heavily prioritised response plan.
Despite the reduced request, he said only 66 percent of the appeal had been funded.
The shortage has already forced cuts to education, healthcare, sanitation and community-awareness programmes, according to UNHCR.
Freijsen also warned of possible interruptions to the supply of liquefied petroleum gas used by refugee families for cooking.
Protection services remain among the least-funded areas of the humanitarian response, he said, limiting the number of staff available to register refugees and respond to protection concerns.
The combination of reduced assistance and few opportunities to earn an income is creating growing pressure on Rohingya families in the camps.
Freijsen warned that worsening conditions could push refugees towards debt, exploitation and dangerous coping strategies.
Dangerous Journeys as Conditions Deteriorate
UNHCR said deteriorating camp conditions can contribute to refugees taking dangerous irregular journeys in search of safety or livelihoods elsewhere.
Some Rohingya leave Bangladesh by boat for countries including Malaysia and Indonesia, journeys that frequently expose refugees to trafficking, abuse, detention and death at sea.
Freijsen said families sometimes sell their limited possessions or take on debt before attempting such journeys.
The continuing movement highlights the absence of durable options for a population that cannot safely return home, has limited livelihood opportunities in Bangladesh and has access to only a small number of third-country resettlement places.
Return Remains the Goal, but Conditions Are Not There
Freijsen said the desire among Rohingya to return home had not disappeared.
But he stressed that meaningful repatriation requires the conditions that caused Rohingya to flee to be addressed first.
Those conditions include physical security as well as the wider political and rights environment that determines whether Rohingya can rebuild their lives after returning.
For years, Rohingya refugees have said return must be voluntary and must include recognition of their identity, citizenship rights, security, freedom of movement and access to their homes and land.
The latest UNHCR figures underscore the contradiction at the centre of the repatriation debate: while governments continue discussing how Rohingya refugees might return to Myanmar, new Rohingya are still being forced to leave.
Nearly nine years after the 2017 mass displacement, people are not only waiting in Bangladesh for conditions that would allow them to go home. Others are still arriving because those conditions have yet to exist.
