By: Camp Correspondent
April 8, 2025 | Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s interim government has once again emphasized that any repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar must be contingent upon the creation of a safe, dignified, and rights-based environment in Rakhine State, where the community has long faced systemic persecution.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain stated, “Efforts are underway to ensure that the Rohingyas can return with guaranteed rights and security. But the current situation in Rakhine does not support repatriation.”
He urged international and regional actors to take coordinated steps to improve conditions on the ground in Myanmar so that Rohingya refugees can return home voluntarily and safely.
The adviser also spoke on the ongoing verification process of potential returnees. Of the 250,000 Rohingyas proposed for repatriation, 180,000 individuals have confirmed their identity and presence. “This confirmation came directly from the individuals concerned,” Hossain said.
He noted that a previous list of 800,000 names had stalled, with only 40,000 individuals verified. Now, 70,000 names from the new list are under review. “We have requested that the verification of the remaining 700,000 to 800,000 individuals be accelerated,” he added.
However, he clarified that verification alone does not mean the refugees are ready to return. “The conditions in Rakhine must first be made conducive to ensure their safe, voluntary, and dignified return,” he emphasized.
Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Bangladesh
Bangladesh currently hosts over one million Rohingya refugees, the majority of whom fled genocidal violence by the Myanmar military in 2017. These displaced people live in overcrowded and under-resourced camps in Cox’s Bazar and Bhashan Char, facing growing hardship as humanitarian assistance continues to decline.
Aid cuts, lack of access to livelihoods, rising insecurity, and deteriorating camp conditions have pushed many into extreme poverty, with some attempting perilous journeys by sea to escape the situation.
Bangladesh maintains that the only viable and lasting solution is the voluntary repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland, with full recognition of their citizenship, safety, and fundamental rights. International agencies and the United Nations have echoed this position, calling on Myanmar to create conditions that restore trust among the Rohingya and hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable.
Until then, Rohingya communities remain trapped between statelessness and survival—awaiting justice, recognition, and a future beyond barbed wire.
