by RK Desk
August 12, 2026
The Bangladesh government has formed a high-level national committee, headed by the prime minister, to accelerate efforts toward the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
The Cabinet Division formally established the “National Taskforce on Rohingya Repatriation” through a gazette notification issued on July 12. The order took effect immediately.
The prime minister will serve as chair of the committee. Its members include the ministers of home affairs and foreign affairs; advisers responsible for finance and planning, defence, and the Armed Forces Division; the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division; the inspector general of police; and the directors general of the National Security Intelligence, Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Coast Guard.
The director general of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence will serve as the committee’s member-secretary.
Senior officials from the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, the Special Branch of police, Border Guard Bangladesh, National Security Intelligence and the Armed Forces Division will support the committee’s work.
According to the gazette, the committee will identify urgent measures concerning different aspects of Rohingya repatriation and supervise their implementation. It will also determine the responsibilities of law-enforcement agencies and other relevant institutions involved in the process.
A separate panel, led by the committee’s member-secretary, will determine the actions required for repatriation, identify responsible officials from relevant ministries and agencies, and prepare a national action plan for the rapid and sustainable return of the Rohingya.
The panel must present its work to the national committee at least once every 90 days. The committee may also include additional officials or specialists when necessary.
The Directorate General of Forces Intelligence will provide the committee with secretarial, logistical and other required support.
Rohingya leaders and community members have welcomed the initiative and thanked the prime minister for placing the issue under high-level government supervision. They expressed hope that the committee would ensure meaningful Rohingya participation and pursue a return process based on citizenship, safety, dignity and full rights in Myanmar.
They also stressed that repatriation cannot be sustainable unless Myanmar creates conditions in which Rohingya can return voluntarily, safely and with legal recognition of their identity and rights.
