Published : 24 Aug 2026, 02:01 AM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:35 AM
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed has urged the world to help return Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, warning against letting the crisis drag into another decade.
She spoke in Dhaka on Sunday, two days before the ninth anniversary of the latest major Rohingya influx into Bangladesh.
She said, “Ten years should not become 20. The Rohingya people deserve more than survival. They deserve a future. They deserve a home. They deserve safety. They deserve dignity. And they deserve the right to return to their homeland in peace.”
She spoke at a daylong seminar titled “Rohingya Crisis Heading Towards 10 Years: From Humanitarian Response to Sustainable Solution”.
Since Aug 25, 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas fleeing a Myanmar military crackdown in Rakhine have sought refuge in Bangladesh.
Around 1.3 million now live in camps in Cox’s Bazar, Ukhiya and Teknaf, placing mounting pressure on the country’s economy, environment and security.
“For a child growing up in a refugee camp, 10 years is a childhood. For a young person, it is an education lost. For a family, it is a decade without a home. And for an entire community, it is a generation living in uncertainty. We must not allow 10 years to become 20,” Shama said.
She said humanitarian assistance was necessary but could not resolve a crisis created in Myanmar.
“The ultimate goal is a safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingya people to their homeland in Rakhine,” she said.
European Union Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller described the Rohingya crisis as “a tragedy” and “a man-made tragedy” that can only be resolved politically.
“This is not just a bilateral issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar,” Miller said, adding that the EU is both a humanitarian and development funding partner and a political partner.
“What I want to underline here is that this crisis response to be effective has to also be about effective multilateralism,” he said.
With Bangladesh set to assume the UN General Assembly presidency, Miller said the country was “better placed than ever” to promote a multilateral approach to the crisis. He also pledged continued EU support.
On verification of Rohingya identities, Miller said the exercise with Myanmar could be useful administratively, but was not enough to create conditions for voluntary returns.
“This may be a useful administrative slash procedural step but it is not the creation of conditions in which refugees can make important and voluntary decisions on return,” he said.
“That is more complex and we need to engage in a very diligent manner to identify such conditions.”
Centre for Alternatives Executive Director Prof Imtiaz Ahmed said the Myanmar government, the Arakan Army, China, and India all have important roles to play in Rohingya repatriation.
He also said Bangladesh’s repeated appeals to the United Nations were “separating” Myanmar and other countries from the situation.
Chinese Deputy Ambassador to Bangladesh Liu Yuyin said Beijing had long been working for a peaceful resolution and the early repatriation of Rohingyas.
“The Rohingya issue has very complex underlying policy and its ultimate resolution requires the joint efforts of international community,” Liu said.
