Imagine living in the world’s largest refugee settlement, rarely permitted to leave, your livelihood destroyed by bulldozed shops, and your children’s schools shut down. For the Rohingya, this is a daily reality, compounded by the grim truth that warring factions in their homeland seem to unite only in their disdain for these stateless people.
Eight agonizing years have passed since hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims were forced to flee a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing in their native Myanmar, only to find themselves stuck in vast, sprawling camps in Bangladesh. This Tuesday, global leaders and dedicated activists will gather in New York, on the fringes of the U.N. General Assembly, to deliberate a ‘road map’ for their repatriation.
Yet, in a striking omission, not one Rohingya refugee from these very camps will be present at the table.
Showkutara, a respected Rohingya leader from the camps, voiced a poignant question that echoes the sentiments of many: ‘They will be taking decisions about our lives. So why can’t we go?’
As stateless individuals, the Rohingya in Bangladesh possess no independent means of arranging travel beyond the camp borders. While the United Nations and the Bangladeshi government have previously facilitated trips for refugees to advocate for their community globally, no such assistance was provided for this critical conference.
Navigating the complexities of obtaining U.S. visas, securing travel permits for stateless individuals, and addressing safety concerns proved too challenging. Consequently, the Bangladeshi government opted against pursuing a path for camp-dwelling Rohingya to attend the event. Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh’s high representative for the Rohingya issue, explained their decision: ‘We looked at all of this and then we didn’t try.’
He admitted the uncertainty: ‘Nobody could be sure if we would be able to go through all these hoops.’
Although Rohingya from Western diasporas will be present, Ms. Showkutara expressed her struggle to feel truly represented by them. ‘They haven’t spent a single night in the camps,’ she lamented. ‘How can they explain our situation to the world?’
Sayed Ullah, one of five Rohingya recently elected to represent their community in Bangladesh-organized polls, received no communication regarding his attendance at the conference.
Instead, he will be confined to his tarp home, following the crucial discussions on his phone.
His frustration was palpable: ‘If the refugees are not involved, how can their issues be resolved? Without us, this conference will be meaningless.’
The U.N. stated that registration for the event was open to all, and speakers were chosen based on criteria like their ‘scope of work, including recent experience in Myanmar or refugee camps,’ and ‘safety and security considerations.’
This significant gathering was initiated by Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s interim leader and a Nobel laureate, who took power in 2024 and passionately urged the world to re-engage with the Rohingya’s desperate situation. However, any hope for the refugees’ return home appears increasingly distant as Myanmar remains engulfed in a relentless civil war.
An impactful image shows Rohingya refugees gathered at a camp near Amtoli, Bangladesh, in 2017, illustrating the stark living conditions within the world’s largest refugee settlement.
A photograph depicts Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s interim leader, addressing the United Nations, highlighting his role in bringing renewed attention to the crisis.
The Rohingya exodus began in 2017, triggered by a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign by Myanmar’s military. A subsequent military coup plunged Myanmar into a civil war, further complicating their plight. While a rebel group now controls significant parts of their ancestral Rakhine State, conditions for the Rohingya have not improved. Disturbingly, these rebels, much like the junta they fight, are implicated in horrific atrocities against the ethnic minority. This renewed violence has displaced an additional 150,000 refugees into Bangladesh over the last two years.
An aerial view captures the immense scale of the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh last month, a powerful reminder of this sprawling settlement.
Despite the escalating severity, human rights experts note a concerning decline in international attention to the crisis. In March, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres visited the Rohingya camps, describing them as ‘ground zero for the impact of budget cuts on people in desperate need,’ underscoring the severe consequences of diminishing aid.
Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya activist residing in Germany who is slated to attend the conference, expressed a clear preference: that the refugees themselves, who constitute the majority of the Rohingya population, be given the platform to speak. ‘They should be heard directly, not through us,’ he asserted.
Just last month, the Bangladeshi government held a ‘stakeholders’ dialogue’ in Cox’s Bazar, the city nearest the camps. Rohingya residents were bused in to discuss their predicament within the opulent setting of a luxury hotel banquet hall.
While many refugees appreciated the local meeting, the sentiment of being excluded from the New York conference persists, a fact acknowledged by Bangladesh. Mr. Rahman conceded, ‘It would have been wonderful if they could come.’
Nicholas Koumjian, head of the U.N. team investigating rights violations in Myanmar, voiced concerns that Tuesday’s conference might squander a vital opportunity to genuinely engage with ‘the ones we hope would be able to return’ about their repatriation.
He emphasized, ‘It’s important to understand what they need to feel safe.’
Maung Sawyeddollah, one of four U.S.-based Rohingya speakers at the conference, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to represent his community. However, he sharply criticized the United Nations for failing to ensure that Rohingya from the camps were also in attendance, stating that the refugees require more external support to amplify their voices.
His conviction was clear: ‘It would have been possible if they had tried harder.’