Yunus tells international community to step up ‘pressure’ on Myanmar to resolve Rohingya crisis

He tells UN the Rohingya crisis is not a issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar, warning that aid cuts could push refugees into hunger and insecurity

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus has urged world leaders to intensify “pressure” on Myanmar and stakeholders in Rakhine State to secure a lasting political solution to the Rohingya crisis, alongside bolstering humanitarian assistance for refugees.

Addressing the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday night, Yunus said the Rohingya remain the worst victims of the crisis, followed by Bangladesh, which has hosted more than a million refugees since 2017.

“We must remember that the Rohingya crisis is by no means a bilateral issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar. We have only acted as a responsible neighbour and as a responsible member of the international community in fulfilling our humanitarian duty,” Yunus told the Assembly.

EIGHT YEARS ON, NO SOLUTION IN SIGHT

Rohingya began pouring across the border after the Myanmar military launched operations in Rakhine in August 2017, which UN investigators later described as ethnic cleansing. Within months, some 750,000 joined the 400,000 already in camps in Cox’s Bazar.

Though Myanmar’s government under Aung San Suu Kyi signed a repatriation deal with Dhaka later that year, attempts to send refugees back collapsed in 2019 amid mistrust. The process suffered further setbacks with the 2021 military coup and renewed conflict in Rakhine.

In the past year alone, Bangladesh says another 100,000 Rohingya have crossed the border as fighting between the junta and armed ethnic groups intensified.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE UNDER STRAIN

Yunus warned that funding shortfalls are threatening even minimum living standards in the camps.

“Due to funding shortages, our collective effort to maintain minimum living standards in the Rohingya camps is on the verge of collapse. The World Food Programme has already warned of severe shortfalls. Without fresh funds, monthly rations may be cut in half -- to as little as six dollars per person -- pushing refugees into hunger and malnutrition and potentially forcing them into desperate actions.”

He cautioned that further cuts would “inevitably multiply security risks, spilling beyond the camps”.

Yunus appealed to current donors to increase contributions and urged new donors to step forward to avert a “disastrous situation".

CALL FOR POLITICAL SETTLEMENT

Beyond humanitarian aid, Yunus called for international pressure on Myanmar and Rakhine actors to bring about “positive change and a swift political solution”.

He insisted the marginalisation of the Rohingya cannot continue.

“The process of marginalisation must not be allowed to go on," the chief advisor said. "The discriminatory policies and practices that created this situation can and must be addressed now, without waiting for a comprehensive national political settlement.”

He stressed that a durable solution requires full political settlement in Rakhine with the participation of all ethnic communities, ensuring the Rohingya enjoy equal rights and citizenship.

DHAKA SEEKS BROADER GLOBAL ROLE

Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024, the interim administration pledged to internationalise the issue. A high-level special conference on the Rohingya will take place on Sept 30 on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

“We hope the upcoming conference will generate strong global resolve and secure realistic international support for the Rohingyas, with fundraising as the highest priority. At the same time, a global roadmap and time-bound action plan must be adopted to find a lasting solution,” Yunus said.