‘Forgotten Refugees’: Rohingyas Who Fled to Bangladesh in 1991 Still Living in Limbo

By Saiful Arakani Rohingya Political Journalist.

RCAC- Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh October 19, 2025

More than three decades after fleeing persecution in Myanmar, thousands of Rohingya refugees who arrived in Bangladesh in the early 1990s say they feel abandoned and forgotten. While global attention has focused on the Rohingyas who fled Myanmar in 2017, the earlier wave of refugees from 1991 and 1992 continues to live in difficult conditions, with little recognition or hope for a better future.

Among them is Mohammad Karim, who was born in a refugee camp in 1993. Today, at 32, he has never known life outside the camps.

“I was born here, I grew up here, and now I have children who are also growing up as refugees,” Karim told the RCAC. “We have spent our whole lives waiting for freedom that never comes.”

Picture was taken by a 1992 Registered refugee photographer Mr.Jony Ahmed.

Three Decades of Uncertainty

Tens of thousands of Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh in 1991 and 1992 after the Myanmar military launched violent campaigns in Rakhine State, forcing families to cross the border to escape killings, rape, and torture.

Since then, they have lived in camps in Cox’s Bazar and nearby areas under strict restrictions on movement and work. Many of their shelters are deteriorating, and food rations have been cut due to funding shortages.

Human rights groups say these refugees are among the most neglected populations in the world.“The international community has largely forgotten those who came before 2017,” said one rights activist based in Dhaka. “They receive limited assistance and have no legal recognition in Bangladesh.”

No Legal Protection

Bangladesh has hosted Rohingya refugees for more than 30 years but is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. This means that the Rohingyas are not formally recognized as refugees under Bangladeshi law and are instead labeled as “Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals.”

This classification denies them access to legal rights such as work, education, and freedom of movement, all of which are guaranteed under international refugee law.

“These refugees are caught in a legal limbo,” said a lawyer specializing in refugee rights. “They cannot return to Myanmar safely, but they also cannot build a future in Bangladesh.”

Focus Shifts to Recent Arrivals

The United Nations and aid agencies have devoted significant resources to the roughly one million Rohingyas who arrived after 2017, when Myanmar’s military carried out what the UN later described as a campaign of “genocidal intent.” While the newly arrived refugees receive international aid and attention, those from the early 1990s say they feel invisible. “We are the first generation who came here to save our lives,” said Karim. “But now, no one talks about us. We are treated like we don’t exist.”

Calls for Long-Term Solutions

Refugee advocates are urging the UNHCR, Bangladesh, and international partners to address the needs of the older refugee population and provide durable solutions, including resettlement, local integration, or safe repatriation if conditions in Myanmar improve.So far, progress remains slow. Many fear that without renewed attention, the 1991 refugees and their children will remain in limbo for another generation.

“These people have waited more than thirty years for justice and dignity,” said the Dhaka-based advocate. “Their suffering should not be forgotten just because the world moved on.”