Amid continued violence and human rights violations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, over 150,000 Rohingya refugees have entered Bangladesh in the past 18 months, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a report release on Friday.
The report highlights that ongoing armed conflict and targeted attacks in Rakhine have forced thousands of Rohingya to flee across the border, adding to the nearly 1 million already residing in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar. Since the 2017 military crackdown, which triggered the mass exodus of over 750,000 Rohingya, the crisis has only deepened.
According to UNHCR, approximately 121,000 of the newly arrived refugees have completed biometric registration. Most are women and children, living in densely populated camps and reliant on humanitarian aid.
UNHCR warns that the humanitarian response is under severe strain. Aid agencies are struggling to reach unregistered refugees with basic services including food, healthcare, education, and shelter. With global aid funding at critical lows, essential services are at risk.
Without urgent funding, health services could be severely disrupted by September, LPG cooking fuel may run out, and food assistance could end by December. Education for around 230,000 children is also under threat, including 63,000 who arrived in the recent influx.
UNHCR and other aid agencies are urging the international community to provide immediate support and stand in solidarity with Bangladesh and neighboring host countries. Until peace and safe repatriation are possible in Myanmar, they stress, sustained global assistance is vital.
