[🇧🇩] Insurgencies in Myanmar. Implications for Bangladesh

[Saif]

UN considering humanitarian channel from Bangladesh to Myanmar

UN chief Antonio Guterres the organisation is exploring the possibility of a humanitarian aid channel from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

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UN considering humanitarian channel from Bangladesh to Myanmar
AFP
Dhaka
Published: 15 Mar 2025, 22: 25

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres speaks during a press briefing in Dhaka on 25 March 2025. AFP

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said Saturday the organisation is exploring the possibility of a humanitarian aid channel from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

Guterres is on a four-day visit to Bangladesh that saw him meet on Friday with Rohingya refugees, threatened by looming humanitarian aid cuts.

Around a million members of the persecuted and mostly Muslim minority live in squalid relief camps in Bangladesh, most of whom arrived after fleeing the 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar.

"We need to intensify humanitarian aid inside Myanmar to create a condition for that return (of the Rohingyas) to be successful," Guterres said during a press briefing.

Guterres suggested that under the right circumstances, having a "humanitarian channel" from Bangladesh would facilitate the return of the Rohingya community, but said it would require "authorisation and cooperation".

Asked if dialogue with the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic minority rebel group in Myanmar, was essential for the repatriation of Rohingyas, Guterres said: "The Arakan Army is a reality in which we live."

He acknowledged that in the past relations with the AA have been difficult but said, "Necessary dialogue must take place".

Guterres added that engaging with the AA was important as sanctions against the group would require the UN Security Council's approval, which could prove difficult to obtain.

"It's essential to increase pressure from all the neighbours in order to guarantee that fighting ends and the way towards democracy finally established," Guterres said.

The UN chief's remarks came after human rights group Fortify Rights issued a statement urging the Bangladesh government to facilitate humanitarian aid and cross border trade to reach war-affected civilians in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The AA is engaged in a fierce fight with the military for control of Rakhine, where it has seized swaths of territory in the past year, all but cutting off the state capital Sittwe.

The UN's World Food Programme said on Friday that it will be forced to cut off one million people in war-torn Myanmar from its vital food aid because of "critical funding shortfalls".

The upcoming cuts would hit 100,000 internally displaced people in Rakhine -- including members of the persecuted Rohingya minority -- who will "have no access to food" without its assistance, it said.

Last year, the UN warned that Rakhine faces an "imminent threat of acute famine".​

 

[Saif]

US aid cuts to Myanmar are having catastrophic impact, UN rapporteur says

US cuts to humanitarian aid are having a crushing impact on people in Myanmar, with violence likely to spiral, Thomas Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar told a press briefing in Geneva on Monday. Sudden cuts to food and health programs supporting people

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

US aid cuts to Myanmar are having catastrophic impact, UN rapporteur says
REUTERS
Published :
Mar 18, 2025 00:51
Updated :
Mar 18, 2025 00:51

Soldiers from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) patrol on a vehicle, next to an area destroyed by Myanmar's airstrike in Myawaddy, the Thailand-Myanmar border town under the control of a coalition of rebel forces led by the Karen National Union, in Myanmar, April 15, 2024. Photo : REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/Files

US cuts to humanitarian aid are having a crushing impact on people in Myanmar, with violence likely to spiral, Thomas Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar told a press briefing in Geneva on Monday.

Sudden cuts to food and health programs supporting people have made an already grave humanitarian situation worse, as airstrikes and violence by the military junta, which seized power in 2021, increase, Andrews said.

"The sudden chaotic withdrawal of support - principally by the US government - is already having a crushing impact on the people of Myanmar," he added.

On taking office on January 20, US President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on all foreign assistance pending reviews of whether aid programs conformed with his America First foreign policy.

Recently announced cuts to the World Food Programme could make current conditions even worse, Andrews stated, warning that famine is imminent in Rakhine State, in the west of the country.

People in Myanmar have also lost access to medical care, with some HIV patients unable to take their medication for the last seven weeks due to largely US-funded health programmes, Andrews explained.

"This is a catastrophe that is unfolding - it is unnecessary and it is cruel," said Andrews, who shared findings of a newly published UN report on the human rights situation in Myanmar with reporters in Geneva.

The UN special rapporteur warned that these destabilising conditions will force people into sexual exploitation, human trafficking and will increase the flow of people crossing the Myanmar border into neighbouring Bangladesh or beyond.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021, when the military ousted an elected civilian government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a protest movement that morphed into an armed rebellion against the junta across the Southeast Asian country.​

 

[Saif]

EC granted access to UNHCR’s Rohingya database

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has granted Bangladesh’s Election Commission (EC) access to its database of registered Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. ASM Humayun Kabir, director general of the EC’s National Identity Registration Wing (NIDW) wing, made

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

EC granted access to UNHCR’s Rohingya database
bdnews24.com
Published :
Mar 19, 2025 21:25
Updated :
Mar 19, 2025 21:25

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has granted Bangladesh’s Election Commission (EC) access to its database of registered Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar.

ASM Humayun Kabir, director general of the EC’s National Identity Registration Wing (NIDW) wing, made the announcement following a meeting with UNHCR representatives at the EC headquarters in Agargaon on Wednesday.

Officials from both UNHCR’s Geneva office and its Cox’s Bazar operations were present at the discussions.

“We have been trying for a long time to obtain the Rohingya data maintained by UNHCR. The Bangladesh government has been making efforts since 2018,” Kabir said after the meeting.

A memorandum of understanding has already been signed between Bangladesh and the UN refugee agency regarding the exchange of information, he added.

“In this context, UNHCR has agreed to share Rohingya data with us. Today’s discussion was preliminary, focusing on how the data will be shared and utilised.”

The Rohingya crisis escalated in August 2017, when hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State following a military crackdown widely condemned as ethnic cleansing.

Within months, more than 750,000 Rohingyas had crossed into Bangladesh, joining an estimated 400,000 refugees already sheltering in makeshift camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf.

To facilitate potential repatriation efforts, Bangladesh launched a biometric registration initiative, and by 2018, more than one million Rohingya had been registered.

ELECTION COMMISSION TO RETAIN DATA

According to Kabir, the database of over one million Rohingya refugees will be housed within the EC, with the foreign ministry having agreed to the arrangement.

“The decision has been finalised—this data will remain with the EC,” he said, though he noted that further discussions would be held on the specifics of access and usage.

TECHNICAL TEAM TO OVERSEE IMPLEMENTATION

To streamline the process, a three-party technical team—comprising representatives from the EC, the foreign ministry, and UNHCR—has been established.

Mohammad Ashraf Hossain, the EC’s NID wing system manager, will coordinate the team, which also includes an assistant secretary from the foreign ministry and a UNHCR representative.

Kabir indicated that the team’s first meeting is scheduled for next week.

“Once we have the data, we will be able to use it for our work. I have told them our urgency,” he said.​

 

[Saif]

Rohingyas are victims of racial discrimination

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday called for global action against racial injustice and highlighted the plight of the Rohingyas, who remain victims of racial discrimination and prolonged statelessness.

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Rohingyas are victims of racial discrimination
Says Prof Yunus

File photo

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday called for global action against racial injustice and highlighted the plight of the Rohingyas, who remain victims of racial discrimination and prolonged statelessness.

Since 2017, Bangladesh has sheltered over a million forcibly displaced Rohingyas, but their repatriation to Myanmar remains the only sustainable solution to this protracted crisis, he said in a message on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The global community must engage actively to ensure their early repatriation to their homeland in Myanmar, Yunus said.

On this occasion, Bangladesh reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance in all its forms.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

"As a state party to ICERD, Bangladesh upholds non-discrimination as a core principle of governance and society," said the chief adviser.​

 

[Saif]

Four bodies recovered after Rohingya boat capsizes off Teknaf coast, several still missing

A Rohingya child and three women have been found dead after a boat capsized while trying to enter Bangladesh through the Teknaf coast, according to the local authorities. Several people, including a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) member, are still missing. A total of 25 people have been rescued by

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Four bodies recovered after Rohingya boat capsizes off Teknaf coast, several still missing
bdnews24.com
Published :
Mar 22, 2025 23:57
Updated :
Mar 22, 2025 23:57

A Rohingya child and three women have been found dead after a boat capsized while trying to enter Bangladesh through the Teknaf coast, according to the local authorities.

Several people, including a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) member, are still missing.

A total of 25 people have been rescued by Bangladesh's border security forces.

BGB spokesperson Shariful Islam told bdnews24.com that the boat was heading towards Bangladesh via sea route around 2:30am on Friday.

"Near Shah Porir Dwip, the boat began to sink after its hull cracked. Hearing the cries of the passengers, a nearby BGB patrol team rushed to the scene.

“They rescued 25 people from the boat. During the operation, one BGB member went missing."

The spokesperson added that the missing BGB member's name is Billal Hasan, and he is serving as a sepoy.​

 

[Saif]

UN General Assembly adopts resolution on Rohingya crisis

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on the scope, modalities, format, and organisation of the high-level conference on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar under the sponsorship of Malaysia and Finland on Tuesday.

en.prothomalo.com

UN General Assembly adopts resolution on Rohingya crisis
UNB
Dhaka
Published: 26 Mar 2025, 21: 34

Rohingya refugees from Myanmar's Rakhine state wait for aid at Kutupalong refugee camp in the Bangaldeshi town of Teknaf on 5 September, 2017. File photo

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on the scope, modalities, format, and organisation of the high-level conference on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar under the sponsorship of Malaysia and Finland on Tuesday.

The Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, Ambassador Md Salahuddin Noman Choudhury, made an intervention during the open debate session and proposed a vote on this resolution, as Russia had proposed several amendments that Bangladesh did not accept.

The President of the General Assembly convened the vote, and the resolution was adopted with 141 votes in favour, according to a message received today.

There was no vote against the resolution. However, 10 countries abstained from voting.

The adoption of this resolution is a significant landmark in resolving the Rohingya issue in the future, as it comes at a time when Dhaka is planning to organise a special summit on the Rohingya crisis in New York in September.​

 

[Saif]

US to give $73 million to aid Rohingya refugees: state dept

'This food and nutrition support through @WFP will provide critically needed food and nutrition assistance for more than one million people,' US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce says in a post on X

www.thedailystar.net

US to give $73 million to aid Rohingya refugees: state dept

A view of the Rohingya refugee camp with mountains of Myanmar in the background is pictured in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, March 16, 2025. Photo: Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

The Trump administration said on Thursday it will provide $73 million in new financial aid to Rohingya refugees through the UN World Food Programme, amid concerns that aid cuts could deepen the crisis for the world's largest stateless population.

"This food and nutrition support through @WFP will provide critically needed food and nutrition assistance for more than one million people," US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a post on X. "It is important that our international partners engage with sharing the burden with life-saving assistance such as this."

The infusion comes as US President Donald Trump and his administration have made sweeping cuts to foreign assistance as part of his "America First" agenda and wider efforts to drastically cut federal spending and dismantle parts of the US government.

Two United Nations agencies had warned that a funding deficit would curb rations for the Rohingya in Bangladesh who have fled violence in neighboring Myanmar for the past eight years. Refugees have worried that cuts would worsen hunger, curtail critical healthcare and fuel crime.

Washington had been the largest provider of aid to the Rohingya refugees, contributing nearly $2.4 billion since 2017, according to the State Department. But the recent freeze on funds after Trump took office in January has forced at least five hospitals to reduce services.

Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk have moved to shutter USAID, the main US foreign aid agency, and merge its remnants into the State Department, fired hundreds of staff and contractors and terminated billions of dollars in services on which tens of millions of people around the world depend.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in February granted a waiver for all life-saving assistance and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such aid.

The Trump administration official overseeing the dismantling of USAID had proposed phasing out help for the Rohingya, Reuters reported earlier this month.​

 

[Saif]

WFP reverses decision to cut food aid for Rohingyas in Bangladesh

The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations has reversed its decision to reduce food aid for Rohingyas residing in Bangladesh's refugee camps, following concerns over the impact of the cut. In the latest development, the residents of various camps along the coast of Cox's Bazar will now r

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

WFP reverses decision to cut food aid for Rohingyas in Bangladesh
FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Mar 27, 2025 22:49
Updated :
Mar 27, 2025 22:49

The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations has reversed its decision to reduce food aid for Rohingyas residing in Bangladesh's refugee camps, following concerns over the impact of the cut.

In the latest development, the residents of various camps along the coast of Cox's Bazar will now receive a monthly food allocation of $12 per person, down from the previous $12.50, UNB reports.

Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, the Refugee, Relief, and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), said, "WFP has informed us of this decision in a letter, which will come into effect from April 1."

He added that Rohingyas living in Bhasan Char would receive $13 per person, one dollar more than those in Cox's Bazar.

This change comes after WFP had previously communicated its plans to reduce food aid for Rohingyas in Bangladesh. On March 5, the Refugee Commission of Bangladesh received a letter from WFP saying that due to a funding crisis, it would cut the monthly food allocation for Rohingyas from $12.50 to $6 per person starting in April.

The letter from WFP raised concerns about the adequacy of food provisions for the refugees.

Then on March 14, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh.

During his visit, he was presented with details of what the Rohingyas would be receiving in terms of food for $6, which raised alarm over the insufficient amount.​