As Bangladesh observes Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday, the hope that displaced Rohingya Muslims would celebrate the festival in their homeland this year has all but collapsed.
More than one million refugees remain trapped in the sprawling camps of Cox’s Bazar – the largest refugee settlement on earth – marking yet another festival in exile amid deepening uncertainty, shrinking aid, and renewed waves of displacement.
A promise unfulfilled
The current situation stands in stark contrast to the cautious optimism voiced on 14 March 2025, by the chief adviser of the then Interim Government, Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus.
During an iftar gathering, Yunus suggested that by Eid 2026, Rohingya refugees might be able to return to Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
This vision was endorsed at the time by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who previously served as the chief of the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
However, one year later, that vision remains unfulfilled. The long-discussed repatriation process has yet to begin, while conditions inside Myanmar continue to deteriorate, making any return unsafe.
Renewed violence across Rakhine State has triggered fresh displacement, with field reports indicating that nearly 500 people entered Bangladesh in the first two weeks of March 2026 alone, despite warnings that the country has reached its limit.
For many refugees, last year’s assurances now ring hollow. Yunus Arman, an activist in Kutupalong camp, told TIMES of Bangladesh that while global attention briefly intensified, life inside the camps has grown harsher and more complex.
On Saturday morning, thousands of Rohingya gathered in congregations across the settlements to offer Eid prayers, yet the spiritual solemnity could not conceal the weight of their displacement.
Eight years of tears, dwindling aid
“Like animals in cages, our Eid passes in tears,” said Azizur Rahman, a resident of Thainkhali camp in Ukhiya. He added that refugees have spent every Eid for the last eight years begging for a return to their homeland.
Lives remain constrained by overcrowding and a total dependence on humanitarian aid. Despite the significance of the festival, camp sources estimate that of nearly 250,000 Rohingya families, barely half receive any extra provisions.
Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), acknowledged that resources remain under severe pressure as the population continues to grow.
According to Shari Nijman, spokesperson for UNHCR in Bangladesh, escalating conflict in northern Rakhine since late 2023 has driven at least 145,000 additional Rohingya into the already overcrowded camps.
Nijman praised the “remarkable commitment and humanity” shown by the people of Bangladesh but warned that the solution lies ultimately in Myanmar.
The humanitarian response is further strained by a decline in global funding.
Aid agencies, in coordination with the government, are preparing to launch the updated 2026 Joint Response Plan, seeking $710 million to support approximately 1.2 million people, including new arrivals.
However, this appeal has been reduced by 26 per cent compared to last year, raising serious concerns about the sustainability of food assistance, healthcare, and education.
Nijman emphasised that refugees now need opportunities to build resilience and skills to cope with reduced aid.
Fresh violence, fresh arrivals
The ongoing violence, involving intensified activity by the Arakan Army, continues to block realistic prospects of repatriation.
The human cost is evident in the stories of new arrivals, such as a six-member family – including two women and three children – who recently fled Maungdaw.
They reportedly paid traffickers 7 million kyat (approximately Tk400,000) to enter Bangladesh through the waters near Shah Porir Dwip in Teknaf. Camp-in-Charge and Deputy Secretary Azgar Ali confirmed the family has taken shelter with relatives in Ukhiya.
When asked about the optimism expressed last year regarding an Eid celebration in Myanmar, Mohammad Kamruzzaman, director general of the Myanmar Desk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, declined to comment directly.
He noted, however, that the government remains fully cognizant of the complex realities surrounding the crisis.
For the Rohingya, this Eid serves as a stark reminder of broken promises and a homeland that remains out of reach. Until conditions in Myanmar undergo fundamental change, the prospect of celebrating at home remains an unfulfilled hope.
