87pc of Rohingyas unwilling to return unless 5 conditions met

More than 87 per cent of Rohingya population does not want to return to Myanmar unless five conditions are met. These conditions are citizenship and recognition; security and international oversight; the return of land and homes with rehabilitation; ensuring freedom of movement and basic services, including healthcare, education and livelihoods; and ensuring justice and accountability.

The Bangladesh government is considered the most trustworthy by the Rohingyas, with nearly 56 per cent identifying it as such. These findings have emerged from research conducted by the Department of Criminology at the University of Dhaka.

The research report, titled ‘The Uncertain Return to Home: Rohingya Voices on Safe, Voluntary and Dignified Repatriation from the Camps of Ukhiya’, was published on Wednesday in an event at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban Auditorium of the University of Dhaka. A day-long panel discussion was also held to mark the publication of the report.

Presenting the research findings at the main session, it was said that students of the Department of Criminology at the University of Dhaka visited 17 camps in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, from 2 to 6 August to gather the views of Rohingya population.

A total of 816 Rohingyas participated in the survey, of whom 65 per cent were men and 35 per cent women. In addition, detailed interviews were conducted with 72 people, along with a head majhi-focused group discussion and interviews with two senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Qualitative data were analysed across 36 subjects or themes in the research.

According to the research findings, 713 of the 816 participants, or more than 87 per cent, said they did not want to return to Myanmar. However, this does not mean they do not want to return at all. They are willing to return if specific conditions are met, including security, citizenship, recognition of their identity, guarantees that they will regain their own land and homes, and international oversight.

According to them, given the violence they experienced in Myanmar, their repatriation would not be sustainable unless these conditions are met. Nearly 20 per cent of those surveyed said they owned property in Myanmar.

The research said around 1.2 million Rohingyas are living in various camps in Bangladesh, including around 150,000 who arrived in 2024.

The Rohingyas who took part in the research described experiencing violence in Myanmar. They also spoke of living in confined conditions in the camps, declining rations, lack of formal educational certificates, uncertainty over employment, human trafficking, extortion, abductions, gender-based violence and insecurity caused by armed groups in the camps.

In her speech as chief guest at the event, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam shared her experience of visiting the Rohingya camps on 6 May, saying that the hopes, frustrations and uncertainty of Rohingya people had deeply affected her. The burden of violence, displacement and insecurity has fallen disproportionately on young women and girls.

She said the University of Dhaka’s research shows that the Rohingyas are not rejecting Myanmar as their homeland. Rather, they are rejecting a return to the conditions that forced them to flee. This distinction is extremely important.

The state minister further said that repatriation cannot be considered successful simply because people have crossed a border. If the root causes of displacement are not addressed, rights are not protected, and security and dignity are not ensured, people may be displaced again. The government is placing emphasis, with empathy, on addressing the root problems of Rohingya repatriation.

Speaking as a special guest, Md Toufiq-ur-Rahman, director general of the Myanmar Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said there is no alternative to sustainable repatriation.

He said policymakers would be able to use the research findings to make decisions on addressing the core problems surrounding Rohingya repatriation. The prolonged stay of the Rohingyas has created a humanitarian crisis, including a funding shortage. He called on the international community to work with Bangladesh on the issue.

As convener of the event, Department of Criminology Chairman Md Rezaul Karim Shohag said ensuring the safety of the Rohingyas must be the top priority in repatriation. The research highlighted their socioeconomic circumstances, gaps in access to education, and their experiences of abduction, extortion and physical violence. These issues should be brought to light so that they can be discussed and steps can be taken to address them, he said.

Other special guests at the event included Professor Kazi Mohammad Mahbobor Rahman, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Dhaka; Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC); and Md Rajib Ahasan, director of the Prevention Education, Research and Publications sub-directorate of the Department of Narcotics Control.

Speaking as a Rohingya representative, Md Shafiq said, “Our main problem is citizenship. Without citizenship, land rights, and security, our repatriation to Myanmar will not be sustainable. The international community must pay attention to this. We do not want revenge, we want justice.”

The research report was presented by Safayet Hossain, president, and Adrita Arif, general secretary, of the Dhaka University Criminology Research Forum (DUCRF).

Before the main session, a panel discussion was held in the morning, with Professor Muhammad Sazzad Hossain Siddiqui, chairman of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Dhaka, and Shamim Ahmed, deputy director (Prevention Education) at the Department of Narcotics Control, taking part.

The session was moderated by Shaharia Afrin, associate professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Dhaka. The speakers said that because of restrictions on their movement and a lack of livelihood opportunities, many Rohingyas are becoming involved in crime or becoming targets of organised criminal groups.

The Rohingyas who took part in the survey identified the Bangladesh government as the most trusted institution, at nearly 56 per cent. The United Nations ranked second, with around 21 per cent of Rohingyas expressing trust in it. However, 4 per cent said they considered the Myanmar government the most trustworthy. Nearly 16 per cent said they did not trust any institution.

Detailed interviews revealed that life in the camps is also influencing decisions about repatriation. The Rohingyas are in a situation where, on one hand, there is the country that expelled them (Myanmar), and on the other, the host country (Bangladesh), which has not permanently integrated them.

Emergency assistance is declining, but no lasting solution has begun. Funding for the 2026 Joint Response Plan has fallen to USD 710 million, 26 per cent lower than the previous year. Rations have been reduced from USD 12 (Tk 1,474 at the current dollar exchange rate) per person to USD 7 (Tk 859).

The reduction in rations is prompting some men to take up informal work outside the camps, increasing their risk of abduction and arrest. The interviews also highlighted problems such as gambling resulting from unemployment, followed by domestic violence and indebtedness, as well as human trafficking.

The interviews also found that six to ten people are living in rooms measuring 10 feet by 15 feet in the camps. The education system is not accredited, healthcare is limited, movement is restricted and there are no legal opportunities for employment.

The Rohingya respondents also alleged that the camps come under the control of five to six armed groups from the afternoon onwards. Children and adults are abducted for ransom. There are allegations that ransoms ranging from Tk 200,000 to Tk 2 million are demanded.