Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain spoke today at a seminar held at the Foreign Service Academy (FSA) in the capital. Photo: MoFA

DHAKA, Feb 3, 2025 (BSS) – Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain today stressed that the protracted Rohingya crisis is not solely Bangladesh’s burden but a global issue that could threaten the entire region if left unaddressed.

“Many perceive the Rohingya presence in Bangladesh as our problem. It is not. It is a global crisis. If the Rohingyas become desperate, it will pose a challenge not just for Bangladesh but for the entire region,” he said at a seminar at the Foreign Service Academy (FSA) in the capital. 

Hossain urged the international community to step up its support for the Rohingyas, warning that potential funding cuts by the new US administration could worsen the humanitarian crisis.

 “Foreign aid for over a million Rohingya refugees has already been declining, and any further US fund cuts will make the situation even more difficult,” he noted.

The United States has been a major donor for the Rohingya response. However, the new Trump administration has issued an executive order to review US foreign aid programmes, excluding emergency food assistance.

The foreign adviser highlighted the ongoing civil war in Myanmar, predicting changes in its political landscape. 

He emphasized that ethnic groups and civilian leaders negotiating with the Myanmar military must include Rohingya repatriation in their agenda to ensure the forcibly displaced people regain their citizenship and basic rights.

"Repatriation remains the only sustainable solution," he added.

The seminar, organized by Dhaka University’s Department of International Relations, was chaired by its chairman Prof. ASM Ali Ashraf. 

Chief Adviser’s High Representative on Rohingya Affairs Dr. Khalilur Rahman, Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin, Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Prof. Niaz Ahmed Khan, and former ambassador M. Humayun Kabir also spoke at the event.

Bangladesh has been grappling with the Rohingya crisis since the mass exodus in 2017 while the situation has further deteriorated since July last year, with more Rohingya fleeing intensified clashes between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army in Rakhine State, adding pressure on overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar.