Seven years of crisis for Rohingya refugees

As the world marks the seventh anniversary of the large-scale forced displacement of Rohingya refugees, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is again calling for sustained commitment from international partners to support and protect nearly one million Rohingya hosted by Bangladesh, and to help secure solutions to end their plight.

Seven years ago, on 25 August 2017, some 700,000 Rohingya men, women and children were forced to flee Myanmar and seek protection in Bangladesh. The generous support from Bangladesh and the international community has been critical in meeting the refugees’ most basic needs and providing protection.

However, new security concerns and funding uncertainties now undermine all but the most critical and life-saving assistance.

In Myanmar’s Rakhine state, the escalated conflict has only worsened conditions for the Rohingya: internal displacement is at an all-time high, with more than 3.3 million people displaced within the country. Among them, at least 128,800 are in northern Rakhine in Buthidaung, Rathedaung and Maungdaw Townships. The fighting can be heard by Bangladeshi communities living close to the border.

As the conflict in Myanmar continues unabated, UNHCR is closely monitoring the situation at the border, providing life-saving assistance, and advocating with the Bangladesh authorities for access to asylum for civilians fleeing Myanmar.

Dignified, voluntary and sustainable return to Myanmar remains the primary solution to this crisis and UNHCR calls on the international community to demonstrate the political will to make this possible.

UNHCR also welcomes the renewed commitment to the refugees, made by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of Bangladesh’s Interim Government, on 18 August. We call for continued solidarity from the international community through consistent financial support so Rohingya refugees can eventually be repatriated to Myanmar, with safety, dignity and full rights.

Until that happens, the refugees need immediate assistance and help to build for the future: 52 per cent of the refugees are under 18 years old, and many were born in asylum or spent their first years in refugee camps.

In 2024, humanitarian agencies appealed for $852 million to assist some 1.35 million people, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis in surrounding communities. This appeal remains inadequately funded.

Underfunding has severely hampered humanitarian efforts to support refugees and hosts in Bangladesh. As a result food rations have been reduced in the first half of 2024; health centres face shortages of medical personnel, specialized equipment and medicine; water quality has declined, leading to an upsurge in cholera and hepatitis; and vocational training and income-generation opportunities have reduced.

Bangladesh is also facing catastrophic flash floods affecting millions of its citizens. Here, UNHCR has immediately made available water purification tablets, hygiene kits, jerrycans and tarpaulins from its existing humanitarian stockpiles to support communities hosting refugees. Two inflatable rescue boats have also been deployed in Feni, in south-eastern Bangladesh. The country cannot be left to shoulder this crisis alone.

More systematic and sustained global support is needed for countries like Bangladesh which are exposed to extreme weather conditions and natural disasters that are becoming more frequent due to climate change.

We urge donors and private actors to step up funding to the Rohingya refugee response in a timely manner. Without sustained financial backing, including addressing the needs of new arrivals, a broader humanitarian crisis may be around the corner. The Rohingya people deserve our support, as do the generous people of Bangladesh.