Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has said the chances of Rohingya repatriation remain bleak due to Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, fragmented governance, and the continued lack of security and citizenship guarantees for the displaced population.
Speaking at a seminar jointly organized by the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) and the Armed Forces Division, he noted that the crisis has persisted for years without a viable solution.
He pointed out that the mass exodus in 2017, driven by military crackdowns, was the third major wave of Rohingya fleeing Myanmar, adding that nearly 300,000 others had crossed into Bangladesh earlier in a slow and continuous manner.
Touhid also criticized Bangladesh’s initial reliance on bilateral diplomacy with Myanmar, suggesting it was unlikely to produce meaningful results.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain also described the years-long bilateral repatriation process as ineffective, pointing out that not a single Rohingya has returned to Myanmar through such efforts.
Repatriation must be voluntary and based on credible guarantees of safety and full citizenship, as Rohingya refugees are unlikely to return to a country where they face threats to their lives and lack fundamental rights, he said.
He added that, despite the limitations, refugee camps in Bangladesh offer at least a basic level of security.
