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Thursday | October 01, 2026 | Dhaka
Rohingya Crisis

UNHCR seeks global support to end Myanmar hostilities

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:01 AM, 01 October 2026

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has urged greater regional and international support to advance a political solution to the crisis in Myanmar and bring an end to the ongoing hostilities against the Rohingya communities.

The call came as the UNHCR expressed concern over Malaysia’s recent return of 1,476 Rohingya people to Myanmar amid the country’s continuing conflict and dire human rights and humanitarian situation.

“We are concerned by these returns at a time when people sent back to Myanmar may face serious risks, and some within the group may be in need of international protection,” UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Edem Wosornu said on Wednesday.

Wosornu noted that while Malaysian authorities had described the returns as voluntary, those sent back had been held in immigration detention.

“This raises serious questions about whether decisions to return were genuinely free and informed. UNHCR did not have access to the individuals to assess this,” she said.

The UNHCR said it fully recognised Malaysia’s sovereign responsibility to manage asylum and migration.

However, it urged Malaysia to ensure that all returns were subject to robust safeguards, including individual assessments and access to protection procedures.

It stressed that decisions to return people should be voluntary and assessed outside detention settings.
The agency also highlighted the principle of non-refoulement, under which no one should be returned to a country where they may face persecution, torture or other serious threats to their life or freedom.

“Until conditions in Myanmar allow for safe, dignified and sustainable returns, States must continue to provide access to asylum and uphold international protection obligations,” the UNHCR said.

The agency said it remained ready to work with Malaysia to strengthen national asylum and protection arrangements.

Beyond the issue of returns, the UNHCR called for stronger international efforts to address the underlying crisis in Myanmar.

“Greater regional and international support is needed to advance a political solution to the crisis and end the hostilities in Myanmar,” the agency said.

The UNHCR also called on the international community to maintain support for countries across the region hosting refugees from Myanmar.

It said sustained support for host countries remained important as the conflict continued to drive displacement and humanitarian needs across the region.

The agency stressed that conditions in Myanmar must allow for safe, dignified and sustainable returns before refugees and others in need of international protection can be expected to return.