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International Desk,
April 29, 2025
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has appealed to the Bangladeshi government to provide shelter to more than 113,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar’s Rakhine State. The request was made on Monday, as confirmed by Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Commissioner of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission, in an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.
According to Rahman, UNHCR sent a letter last week requesting Bangladesh to accommodate approximately 113,000 newly arrived Rohingya. Many of these refugees are currently living in makeshift tents around Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, while others have sought refuge in schools and mosques. Citing a national daily, Anadolu reported that these refugees belong to 29,607 families, with 1,448 families arriving in the past week alone. Most are residents of Rakhine State who crossed the Naf River to seek safety in Bangladesh.
UNHCR has urged Bangladesh to provide camp accommodations for all new arrivals. However, Rahman expressed concerns that continuously sheltering more Rohingya could complicate repatriation efforts to Myanmar. “We have not yet responded to the request, as we fear that ongoing arrivals may further hinder the repatriation process,” he told Anadolu.
The Rohingya crisis intensified in August 2017 following attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on police stations and military outposts in Rakhine. Myanmar’s military responded with a brutal crackdown, forcing thousands of Rohingya to flee across the Naf River to Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government initially sheltered them in Kutupalong, Cox’s Bazar, with support from the UN and other donor agencies. Currently, over 1.5 million Rohingya reside in the Kutupalong refugee camp.
Recent clashes in Rakhine between Myanmar’s military and the anti-junta Arakan Army have displaced more Rohingya. The Arakan Army now controls most of Rakhine, including the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, except for the capital, Sittwe, triggering a new wave of refugees seeking safety in Bangladesh.
AI/MR
