Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said that the Rohingya situation has become increasingly complex despite Bangladesh sheltering hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds. The armed conflict between Myanmar’s junta forces and the rebel Arakan Army is now having a direct impact on Bangladesh’s border areas, he said.

The minister made the remarks on Sunday during a courtesy meeting with Nicholas Koumjian, head of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), at his office at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Director General Major General Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui and senior officials, including Additional Secretary of the Political and Immigration Division of the Home Ministry Dr Ziauddin Ahmed, were present at the meeting.

The discussions covered human rights violations and crimes against humanity in Myanmar, a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis, strengthening border security and the ongoing judicial proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The home minister said global assistance from international organisations has been declining, putting additional pressure on Bangladesh. He urged the international community and UN agencies to maintain financial and logistical support for the Rohingyas at the previous level so that their safe, dignified and speedy repatriation can be ensured.

IIMM chief Nicholas Koumjian expressed deep gratitude for the continued cooperation extended by the Bangladesh government. He said his team had conducted field visits to Cox’s Bazar and other locations and interviewed more than 200 victims and eyewitnesses. The evidence collected is being submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the ICJ and other international tribunals, he said.

He added that the IIMM is not limiting its investigation to the events of 2017. It is also documenting, with particular attention, recent violence and human rights violations against civilians resulting from clashes between the Arakan Army and Myanmar’s junta forces.

At the meeting, the BGB director general highlighted the serious risks posed by landmines planted on the Myanmar side of the border. He said landslides and monsoon floods were causing mines to cross the border into Bangladesh, putting the lives of farmers and hill communities at risk. He also briefed the meeting on measures taken by the BGB to prevent illegal entry across the border and the overall border situation.

When the IIMM team expressed interest in speaking with field-level BGB commanders to collect information from victims who had recently crossed the border, the Home Ministry and BGB expressed their positive consent.

The home minister expressed hope that the upcoming ruling of the ICJ would increase international pressure on Myanmar and play an effective role in facilitating the return of displaced Rohingyas to their homeland.