After nine years of a protracted Rohingya crisis, a new stage has emerged: verification. Bangladesh has submitted 828,824 names to Myanmar, with the total number of registered and unregistered refugees around 1.25 million. Of the 426,545 cases reviewed, Myanmar says 308,797 are former residents of Rakhine State. It could not verify another 113,507, while 4,241 were excluded over allegations of involvement in what Myanmar calls terrorist activities. The question is: what happens to those left out?
Over the past nine years, thousands of children have been born in Bangladesh’s refugee camps. Their repatriation will require separate documentation and verification of their parents’ identities and family links to Myanmar. This will make an already complex process even more difficult.
The situation in Rakhine has further complicated matters. Fierce fighting continues between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army (AA), while the junta does not have full control of the region. Under such circumstances, ensuring safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation on a large scale remains extremely difficult.
The Rohingyas, meanwhile, have made their position clear: they are unwilling to return without guarantees of citizenship, security and the right to reclaim their homes and land.
For 2026, the UN and its partners, in coordination with the Bangladesh government, have appealed for $710.5 million under the Joint Response Plan (JRP) to support refugees and host communities. Major funding gaps remain. Bangladesh itself faces economic pressures, including high inflation, revenue shortfalls and a growing debt burden. Prolonged hosting therefore puts pressure on public finances while straining the local economy and environment.
Rohingya repatriation, therefore, cannot be treated as an immediate objective. It requires sustained, pragmatic and coordinated efforts: engagement with the Arakan Army, diplomatic leverage through China and India, a preference for grants over loans, tighter security and intelligence monitoring in the camps, continued international pressure through the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and third-country resettlement.
For a war-torn world and an economy under strain, can a crisis as large as the Rohingya issue—both a national challenge and an international humanitarian crisis—truly be considered beyond resolution? Or can sustained efforts turn this road of uncertainty towards a durable solution?
By Salam Abu
Editor
