28 August 2025, NIICE Commentary 11644
Ahamed Jobayer
A three-day international conference on the Rohingya crisis from the 25 of August 2025, held at Hotel Baywatch in Cox's Bazar, titled “Stakeholder Dialogue: Messages for High-Level Discussions on the Rohingya Situation”, on the Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day for the 8th anniversary of the Rohingya forced displacement in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs organises this event to unite national and international leaders. The motive is simple: to solve this crisis by getting more international support ahead of the upcoming UN high-level conference. On 25 August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya fled across the Naf River to Bangladesh after the brutal crackdown by Myanmar’s armed forces. It has been eight years, and there is still no lasting solution; the crisis is getting worse each day. At the conference, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus stated that, “Bangladesh has no scope to allocate more resources for its 1.3 million Rohingya refugees”. Incidentally, when Yunus said that at the conference, on the previous day, the Arakan Army abducted 26 Bangladeshi fishermen along with fish worth several lakh taka near Shah Porir Dwip and the estuary of the Naf River. A report indicates that since December, a total of 262 Bangladeshi fishermen have been abducted by the rebel group Arakan Army.
On the day of the conference inauguration, around 10,000 Rohingya refugees from different camps gathered in the Kutupalong camp open field, holding banners and posters that read, “No more refugee life” and “Repatriation the ultimate solution” with a demand for safe return to Rakhine with rights like other citizens. Eleven countries, including the United Kingdom and France, have also given a joint statement for this day: “We acknowledge the resilience of Rohingya in the face of their ongoing hardship and displacement, amid the current deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Rakhine State”. Several international organisations have also given statements to acknowledge the 8 years of military crackdown on the Rohingya. They urge the international community to unite for the end of this impunity and for safety and dignity, full recognition of the Rohingya as citizens of Myanmar.
Much development is happening regarding the Rohingya issue, but there is no sign of any real solution. Adviser Yunus proposed 7 points to resolve the Rohingya Crisis at the conference by mentioning the Rohingya as “guests” of Bangladesh. He gives importance to the particle roadmap, funding crisis, a channel for communication among all parties, urges the regional organization like ASEAN and other countries to be responsible for the Rohingya crisis - especially mentioning the 5-Point Consensus of ASEAN for peace, security, and stability in Rakhine and the region, call the International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Criminal Court (ICC) and other organizations to take advance accountability against the violence and genocide and ensure justice for the Rohingya communities.
However, these initiatives look fine on paper but are difficult to implement. Different parties have different interests, which makes it difficult. Myanmar does not recognise the Rohingya as its citizens under the Citizenship Law 1982, but on the other hand, the Rohingya community itself demands a safe return to Myanmar with their citizenship. The return of Rohingya communities does not depend only on the Military junta of Myanmar but also on many non-state actors. The Arakan Army (AA) - an ethnic armed organisation of Rakhine already controlled 13 out of 17 towns in Rakhine State, with a powerful position. There are strong allegations against AA that they committed serious human rights violations against the Rohingya civilians in Rakhine State. A 62-year-old Rohingya who fled from Rakhine with his wife and two children shared his experience under the AA rule to the Human Rights Watch - “Life during this time has been incredibly difficult…Travel between villages was restricted, requiring permits that were rarely given”. The funding crisis is also a serious problem that the camps are facing. The World Food Program already mentioned the “urgent new funding”, and due to the shortage, they have to reduce the monthly cost from USD12.60 to USD6.00 (approx. BDT24 per day) for food, which is barely enough to buy basic items such as an egg and a banana.
Another vital point arises about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The association already proposed a 5-Point Consensus about the Myanmar crisis, including an immediate end to the violence, dialogue among all parties, appointment of a special envoy, humanitarian assistance by them, and a visit to Myanmar to meet all parties by special envoys. However, ASEAN's non-interference policy has had a limited impact on Myanmar in the post-coup scenario. At the UN Security Council meeting 2022, a resolution 2669(2022) was adopted to address the crisis solution. Regional actors like India, China, and the Russian Federation abstained from voting in this resolution. However, the United States gave its consent in favour, but by cutting aid, it impacts negatively on the Rohingya refugee community and the sustainable solution. Neither ASEAN nor the United Nations has succeeded in finding a solution to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
The Rohingya crisis is entering its ninth year. Bangladesh is playing generously, but this has not been possible for them for a long time. Reports indicate that resurging skirmishes between Myanmar's armed insurgent group and the Arakan Army have occurred, after a period of 18 months on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. More people are crossing the Naf to Bangladesh for their safety. Until the Myanmar Military Junta, local rebel groups of Myanmar, including AA and others, the Bangladesh Government, different regional actors, and international organisations come to a position to share responsibility and the same goal about the Rohingyas, they will remain caught in limbo. The motive should be: this anniversary must not pass as just another reminder of failure for the world about the Rohingya refugee crisis, next year there should be an anniversary of their Rohingya settlement with human dignity and their citizenship. The UN high-level conference at its headquarters on 30 September 2025 can provide some solace to the predicament of the Rohingyas; hopeful eyes of the Rohingyas should not be disappointed.
Ahamed Jobayer is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in International Relations at South Asian University, New Delhi.
The views expressed here are the author's personal views.
