Repatriation, not aid alone, is the real solution to the Rohingya crisis

Eight years after the Rohingya exodus from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, the crisis remains unresolved and is once again escalating.

A New Nation report on Tuesday said, new waves of refugees are fleeing intensifying clashes between the Arakan Army and Myanmar’s military, with some 50,000 people reportedly gathering near the Bangladesh border.

Far from abating, the crisis has entered yet another perilous phase, placing further strain on Bangladesh, which already hosts more than 1.4 million Rohingya. The humanitarian burden is immense.

Camps in Cox’s Bazar and Bhashan Char, already overcrowded, are facing worsening conditions as international funding wanes.

The World Food Programme has confirmed no assured supplies beyond November, and the provision of liquefied petroleum gas could cease after September.

Such shortages risk forcing refugees back to firewood collection, fuelling environmental degradation and community tensions.

Pledges made by donor countries remain largely unfulfilled, leaving Bangladesh to bear an unsustainable burden.

Dhaka has made clear that repatriation is the only durable solution. Yet international engagement continues to centre overwhelmingly on short-term humanitarian relief rather than a concrete political strategy for return.

The upcoming “Partner Dialogue” in Cox’s Bazar and the high-level UN-backed meeting in New York are critical opportunities to reframe the conversation.

Unless the focus shifts decisively towards creating conditions for safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation, the Rohingya will remain trapped in limbo, dependent on dwindling aid and vulnerable to exploitation.

At the same time, Myanmar’s domestic political trajectory compounds the challenge. The military junta’s plan to hold elections in December, the first since the 2021 coup, has been widely dismissed as a bid to legitimise authoritarian rule.

Without genuine political reform and reconciliation in Myanmar, the plight of the Rohingya cannot be meaningfully addressed. For Bangladesh, the message is clear: it cannot face this challenge alone.

The international community must not allow donor fatigue or geopolitical distractions to consign the Rohingya crisis to the margins.

Beyond funding humanitarian needs, pressure must be exerted on Myanmar’s authorities to ensure accountability and guarantee the conditions necessary for safe and voluntary repatriation.

Eight years on, the Rohingya crisis has become a protracted tragedy. Bangladesh has carried more than its fair share of responsibility.

Now the world must match its words with action — before an already dire humanitarian situation descends into something far worse.