For more than a decade, I have watched the international narrative surrounding the Rohingya evolve in ways that are deeply troubling. Time and again, governments, United Nations agencies, and global diplomatic forums have reassured the world that the eventual return of the Rohingya to Myanmar remains a central goal. Repatriation is consistently described as the ultimate objective, and yet, when one looks closely at the realities on the ground, it is clear that this goal exists more as a political talking point than as an actionable plan. Behind the rhetoric lies a much grimmer truth: the Rohingya are trapped in a permanent state of displacement, with no real path home. The repeated promises of return mask a crisis that has quietly become permanent.

The exodus that sparked this crisis began in August 2017, when a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State forced roughly 700,000 Rohingya to flee across the border into Bangladesh. I recall reading reports from the time, which documented villages razed to the ground, families torn apart, and communities left completely destroyed. In the years since, Cox’s Bazar has grown into the largest refugee settlement in the world, hosting over a million Rohingya. Nearly ten years on, these refugees remain in camps that are increasingly unsustainable, living under the constant pressure of overcrowding, insecurity, and dwindling resources.

Over the years, Bangladesh and Myanmar have signed multiple bilateral agreements aimed at facilitating repatriation. Yet despite these agreements, not a single large-scale return has succeeded. Pilot programs meant to allow small numbers of refugees to return have failed repeatedly. Verification processes, which were supposed to determine who could safely return, have collapsed. And the Rohingya themselves, understandably, have consistently refused to go back without guarantees-guarantees of citizenship, security, and fundamental rights. Today, none of these guarantees exist. Myanmar has yet to create conditions where the Rohingya could return voluntarily without fear, and even areas targeted for potential repatriation remain politically and militarily unstable.

UN assessments make the situation abundantly clear. Large parts of Rakhine State remain active conflict zones, where fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army has intensified over recent years. Many villages that once housed Rohingya communities have been destroyed or abandoned. Infrastructure, already weak before 2017, is now virtually nonexistent. Humanitarian access is severely limited, leaving those who might wish to return in a situation of profound vulnerability. Territories from which the Rohingya were expelled are either........

© Blitz