Bangladeshi border forces on Sunday prevented nearly 100 Rohingya from entering the country through the Naf River, citing national security concerns and limited capacity.As the country continues to shoulder the long-standing burden of a protracted regional crisis with little international support.
The group, including women, children, and the elderly, had fled from conflict-affected areas of Myanmar’s Arakan (Rakhine) State, where the Arakan Army (AA) has reportedly intensified persecution of the Rohingya population. According to local sources, the refugees were transported by boat from Buthidaung to the island of Jaliadwip on July 25, facilitated by a group affiliated with the AA in exchange for 700,000 kyats per person.
Sources further claimed that the same group forcibly pushed the refugees into Bangladeshi waters in the early hours of July 26. However, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) intercepted the boats and turned them back, leaving the refugees stranded in the middle of the river under harsh monsoon weather conditions, without shelter, food, or medical aid.
Officials in Dhaka said Bangladesh has reached its limit in absorbing displaced Rohingya populations and that the country cannot accept further influxes without jeopardizing its own stability.
“Bangladesh has already done more than its fair share. The world must now act. We cannot carry this burden alone,” said a government source familiar with the situation.
Most of the refugees are reported to be residents of Buthidaung and Maungdaw, where rights monitors say the Arakan Army has carried out widespread abuses, including forced labor, extortion, land grabs, arbitrary arrests, and restrictions on movement. Several sources said that the recent escalation in persecution by the AA exceeds the level of repression previously imposed by Myanmar’s military.
Since launching a military offensive against the junta in November 2023, the Arakan Army has captured 14 out of 17 townships in Arakan State. However, Rohingya civilians caught between both warring sides have faced repeated violations, forced displacement, and exploitation.
Despite repeated calls for international intervention, global actors have remained largely silent, prompting frustration in Dhaka. Authorities stress that while Bangladesh continues to host over one million Rohingya refugees who fled military crackdowns in 2017, its resources are overstretched and international responsibility-sharing remains minimal.
“The international community’s silence on renewed displacement is deeply troubling,” a senior humanitarian official said. “This is no longer just a regional issue. The failure to act is prolonging human suffering.”
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