In the dimly lit confines of his home in Arakan, Myanmar, Mohammed, a 32-year-old Rohingya man, is speaking above the cries of his youngest child. His three children, he says, are hungry. As he talks, his parents can be seen, huddling together in the background, their faces barely visible in video calls. Mohammed’s voice trembles as he conveys the harrowing reality of his life in Myanmar.
“We are struggling just to survive,” he says, describing the daily battle for basic survival amidst escalating violence. “Food is scarce, clean water is a luxury, and every day feels like a fight to protect my family from horrors around us.”
The situation has only worsened for Rohingya in recent months. Mohammed expresses a deep sense of despair, especially following recent actions in Bangladesh against the persecuted group. “But after events this month against our people in Bangladesh, we have lost all hope,” he adds.
Rohingya people, a mostly Muslim minority in Myanmar, have been subjected to decades of violence, discrimination, and statelessness. Since Myanmar stripped me of my citizenship in the 1980s, Rohingya have been left vulnerable, unable to cross borders legally, and denied basic rights that might allow me to escape their plight. The only escape route for many Rohingya has been crossing the border into Bangladesh, where nearly 1 million refugees have sought refuge since 2017.
Detention of Rohingya Refugees
On January 5, 2025, 36 Rohingya refugees were detained by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) as they attempted to flee Myanmar. The following week, on January 11, at least 58 Rohingya refugees were apprehended by BGB while trying to cross the border from Myanmar with the assistance of human traffickers. Several days later, a group of 30 women and children was “rescued” by Bangladeshi police, though the current status remains unclear.
Local Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies have been instructed to take measures to prevent “illegal entry” of Rohingya refugees. Bangladesh’s government has made it clear that it will not allow undocumented refugees from Myanmar to enter the country. Khalilur Rahman, a representative on Rohingya issues, confirmed that 58 detainees from January 11 would also be sent back to Myanmar. “Our policy is to not allow undocumented residents of a foreign country to enter Bangladesh,” Rahman stated.
Rohingya refugees are often forced to live in overcrowded and squalid conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh, with limited access to basic services and resources. Yet, even this escape route is closing, as Bangladesh takes increasingly harsh measures to prevent more refugees from crossing the border.
Life Under Siege in Rakhine
Rohingya continue to face grave abuses at the hands of Myanmar’s military forces. As fighting between Myanmar’s junta forces and the Arakan Army (AA), a rebel group fighting for autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine population, intensifies, civilians are trapped in crossfire. Recent reports indicate that insurgents have occupied much of Rakhine state, and the situation for Rohingya has become increasingly dire.
Approximately 600,000 Rohingya remain in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, enduring massacres, forced conscription, rape, looting, drone strikes, and widespread displacement. Many Rohingya, particularly men, are subjected to forced labor, and women and children are vulnerable to both physical and sexual violence.
Anxiety Amid Uncertainty
latest reports of Rohingya being detained by Bangladeshi authorities have sparked alarm within the community still trapped in Myanmar. Htway Lwin, a Rohingya activist living in Bangladesh, said the detention of 58 refugees in early January sent shockwaves of fear throughout the Rohingya community. “Such actions risk normalizing denial of protection to a persecuted group. It undermines international commitments to refugee rights and protection,” Lwin said.
For refugees like Mohammed Shofique, who escaped Myanmar in June 2024, fear of being sent back is all too real. Shofique had been forcibly conscripted by Myanmar’s military to fight against AA. “I was first abducted from my village by the Myanmar military in April 2024. y forced me to fight for me against AA with little training,” he recalls. After enduring severe abuse and torture, he managed to escape and flee to Bangladesh.
John Quinley, director of the international advocacy organization Fortify Rights, condemns actions taken by Bangladesh’s interim government and urges the country not to follow the restrictive policies of the previous administration. “Interim government should make sure that refugees are welcomed into the country and work with UNHCR to register them,” Quinley says.
Rising Tide of Displacement
the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state continues to deteriorate. UN has warned that the region is on the brink of famine, as ongoing conflict has decimated agriculture and trade. With over 3.5 million people displaced by fighting, the international community is under increasing pressure to respond.
The latest detentions of refugees have led many Rohingya to fear that their escape routes are closing. “When I heard the news of my detention, it broke something inside me,” says Mohammed. “We had considered fleeing to Bangladesh too, thinking we might find safety re. But after hearing this, we have decided it might be better to die here.”
As violence escalates and options for safety grow fewer, the Rohingya community is left with dwindling hope and no clear path to refuge.
