Bangladesh turns down UN request for more land for Rohingya refugees

Mizzima

The United Nations has reportedly requested Bangladesh to allocate additional land for the accommodation of forcibly displaced Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, according to a report by RTV Online.

However, the proposal has been firmly declined by Dhaka, which has instead reiterated its long-standing position that the crisis requires a durable solution through repatriation.

According to sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government of Bangladesh has conveyed that it will not be able to provide further land for Rohingya settlement. Instead, it has urged stronger international cooperation to ensure the safe and dignified return of refugees to Myanmar.

The position was said to have been reaffirmed during a briefing held on 19 June by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Myanmar Ms Julie Bishop, where Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, emphasized that the Rohingya crisis originates in Myanmar and must be resolved there.

Bangladesh is currently sheltering over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, primarily settled in the overcrowded camps of Cox’s Bazar and the island of Bhasan Char. Displaced by severe persecution in Myanmar, the stateless population faces restricted movement, severe funding shortages, and persistent threats of disease outbreaks, human trafficking, and natural disasters. Resolving the Rohingya crisis is proving difficult, particularly due to the unstable situation in their home area of Rakhine State as the standoff between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military continues.