by RK Desk
Cox’s Bazar — September 14, 2026
The number of people affected by recorded refoulement incidents at Bangladesh’s border rose sharply during the second quarter of 2026, while funding shortages are threatening essential protection services for Rohingya refugees, according to a newly published UNHCR report.
UNHCR’s Quarterly Protection & Solutions Report, covering April to June, recorded refoulement incidents affecting 1,389 people during the three-month period.
The figure was 67 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2026 and 83 percent higher than during the same period last year, according to the UN refugee agency. More than 700 people were affected in April alone.
UNHCR linked the increase to strengthened border enforcement, while noting that its monitoring does not necessarily capture every incident.
Bangladesh has maintained restrictions on new Rohingya arrivals despite continuing conflict and insecurity in Arakan State. UNHCR’s previous reporting has also documented a stricter approach to humanitarian exceptions at the border.
New arrivals face delays in identification and assistance
The latest report also raises concerns about access to documentation for Rohingya who have recently arrived in Bangladesh.
UNHCR said 6,651 newly arrived Rohingya were biometrically identified during the quarter under the joint identification process carried out with the Bangladesh authorities.
However, some Camps-in-Charge, or CiCs, reportedly suspended appointments, reduced processing or introduced their own pre-screening requirements before refugees could participate in the Biometric Identity Exercise.
UNHCR said these measures were inconsistent with the national policy agreed in December 2024 and raised the matter with the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner.
Delays in biometric identification can also delay the issuance of Joint Assistance Cards, which enable newly arrived refugees to access humanitarian assistance and other services.
The report does not identify the camps where the restrictions occurred or specify how many people were affected by the delays.
UNHCR also noted that no formal shelters were allocated to newly arrived Rohingya during the reporting period.
Protection services at risk as funding falls
The report warns that several protection programmes could face interruptions unless additional funding is secured.
Protection-programming costs under the revised 2026 Joint Response Plan were cut by 23 percent compared with 2025.
UNHCR said that without new funding, pipeline breaks are expected in services including registration, community-based protection, child-protection case management, outreach activities and specialised support for survivors of gender-based violence.
The warning comes as Rohingya refugees remain almost entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance in the camps in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char.
UNHCR’s 2025 annual reporting had already documented the effects of tighter border controls and declining humanitarian resources. The agency says Joint Assistance Cards issued through biometric identification give recent arrivals access to essential assistance, including food and other basic services.
Security incidents increased during the quarter
The latest protection report also records deteriorating security conditions in the Rohingya camps.
UNHCR recorded 168 serious security incidents through its own monitoring channels during the second quarter. The monthly number increased from 45 incidents in April to 69 in June.
Separately, seven Protection Sector partners recorded 470 serious security incidents across the camps in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char.
The two figures come from different reporting systems and should not be treated as a combined total.
UNHCR’s data included 87 incidents of abduction or kidnapping, 66 serious physical assaults, nine killings, six extortion incidents, two incidents of forced recruitment and seven trafficking incidents.
The report also said armed or political groups held mobilisation gatherings in at least 19 camps. It did not attribute all such gatherings to specific organisations.
Violence, kidnapping, extortion and the activities of armed groups have remained persistent concerns for Rohingya refugees, while fear of retaliation and limited access to justice can discourage victims and witnesses from reporting incidents.
Gender-based violence and trafficking
Reported gender-based violence cases increased by 36 percent compared with the first quarter, while the number of reported rape cases more than doubled.
UNHCR cautioned, however, that stronger identification and outreach contributed to the increase in recorded cases, meaning the reporting figures should not automatically be interpreted as an equivalent increase in the underlying incidence of violence.
Among cases recorded through UNHCR channels, intimate-partner violence accounted for 90.9 percent of reported gender-based violence.
Refugees also told protection actors that reduced food assistance had increased financial pressure and tension within households.
Protection organisations identified 130 trafficking victims during the quarter, with children accounting for nearly one quarter of them. Forced labour represented 71 percent of the exploitation reported among identified trafficking cases.
Resettlement places remain far below assessed need
The report also highlights the limited availability of third-country resettlement.
UNHCR estimates that 125,500 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh need resettlement, while the country’s 2026 resettlement quota stands at only 2,300 places.
That is equivalent to about 1.8 percent of the population assessed by UNHCR as needing resettlement.
Resettlement places depend on quotas offered by receiving countries and remain available to only a small proportion of Rohingya refugees.
The latest findings come as Bangladesh hosts more than one million Rohingya refugees, most of whom remain dependent on humanitarian assistance and unable to return to Myanmar because conditions for safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return have not been established.
