This year too, Rohingya’s celebrating Eid in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps

During Ramadan last year, the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar gleamed with hope. 

"The Rohingyas will be able to return to their homeland by the next Eid; they will celebrate Eid in their own country," Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government said at a pre-Iftar gathering with hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees in attendance on 14 March 2025. 

Yunus was visiting the Rohingya camps in Ukhia, accompanied by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. 

But a year on, that hope has not materialised into reality.

There has been no progress in Rohingya repatriation since, and, on the contrary, a new influx of refugees have fled Myanmar and taken shelter in the camps of Cox's Bazar in the meantime.

Mohammad Zubair, a senior Rohingya leader and chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, told TBS that upon hearing Professor Yunus's promise, the refugees had held out some hope of returning to their homeland and celebrating Eid on their own soil.

"But since then, no one knows of any discussions regarding repatriation. Instead, nearly 200,000 more Rohingya have fled Myanmar and arrived in Bangladesh in the meantime. Professor Yunus has exited his role in the government following the elections, but our lives remain trapped within the camps," he said.

Jahangir Alam, a member of the United Council of Rohang, told TBS that the interim government did not make any major effort to repatriate the Rohingya. He hopes the current government will take the necessary steps to send the Rohingya back to their homeland.

Rohingya refugees living in the camps said they have been waiting to return to their country for a long time. However, this wait seems to be sinking into despair.

Following Yunus's remarks last year, the then High Representative to the Chief Adviser and current Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman offered a more sobering explanation at a press conference held at the Foreign Service Academy on 8 April 2025. 

"To ensure that peace and stability swiftly return to Arakan — where a severe humanitarian crisis is unfolding — we are working with international organisations and various countries to resolve it. For that, a ceasefire between the two warring factions is needed. From that point onwards, we will be able to hold realistic discussions on repatriation," he said.

Out of the list of 800,000 Rohingya that Bangladesh provided to Myanmar in six phases between 2018 and 2020 for repatriation, the latter has so far reviewed the data of 250,000 Rohingya. 

Among them, the junta government identified 180,000 Rohingya and confirmed that they came from Myanmar. There is some confusion regarding the names and photographs of the remaining 70,000, and the two sides will continue discussions to resolve this, Khalilur Rahman informed at the conference.

He stated that Myanmar had told Bangladesh they would complete the review of the data for the remaining 550,000 Rohingya soon.

"We will be able to make arrangements to repatriate 180,000 Rohingya. However, it will take time; it is not happening tomorrow. We will endeavour to ensure they can return as quickly as possible, and for this, we will work together with the de facto authorities in Myanmar, international organisations, and our friendly nations. The Chief Adviser has said that they will celebrate the next Eid in Myanmar, and that is our goal."

For the Rohingya refugees, most of whom have been stuck in Bangladesh since 2017, the dream of Eid in their homeland still remains just that — a dream.