On March 14, 2025, at a high-profile Iftar in Ukhiya, then–interim Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, alongside UN Secretary-General António Guterres, signaled that Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar could take place before Eid 2026. That Eid is coming on March 21, 2026. The deadline has arrived. The Rohingyas are still in the camps.
Since then, Bangladesh has undergone a political transition following the 12 February 2026 election, and Yunus is no longer in office. Yet the promise remains, unfulfilled, unaccounted for, and carried forward without clarity by a new government. The shift in leadership has not changed the reality on the ground.
There is still no condition for return. Rakhine State remains engulfed in escalating conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army. Rohingya communities continue to face violence, displacement, and the denial of citizenship. Without safety, rights, or guarantees of protection, repatriation is not delayed, it is structurally impossible.
Meanwhile, the situation in Cox’s Bazar is worsening. More than 1.2 million Rohingyas remain in overcrowded camps, while new arrivals continue to cross into Bangladesh. International funding has declined, food rations have been reduced, and risks of trafficking and violence are increasing. What was once framed as a temporary refuge is now becoming a long-term containment.
What was announced in 2025 was not a plan, but a performance. No enforceable framework, no accountability from Myanmar, and no mechanism for safe, voluntary return were ever established. The promise has outlived the government that made it, but not the conditions required to fulfill it.
Eid has arrived. The Rohingyas have not gone home. And once again, return exists only in words, while reality remains unchanged.
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