DHAKA: United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said on Saturday the organisation is exploring the possibility of a humanitarian aid channel from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

Guterres is on a four-day visit to Bangladesh that saw him meet on Friday with Rohingya refugees, threatened by looming humanitarian aid cuts. Around a million members of the persecuted and mostly Muslim minority live in squalid relief camps in Bangladesh, most of whom arrived after fleeing the 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar.

“We need to intensify humanitarian aid inside Myanmar to create a condition for that return (of the Rohingyas) to be successful,” Guterres said during a press briefing. Guterres suggested that under the right circumstances, having a “humanitarian channel” from Bangladesh would facilitate the return of the Rohingya community, but said it would require “authorisation and cooperation”.

Asked if dialogue with the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic minority rebel group in Myanmar, was essential for the repatriation of Rohingyas, Guterres said: “The Arakan Army is a reality in which we live.” He acknowledged that in the past relations with the AA have been difficult but said, “Necessary dialogue must take place”.

Guterres added that engaging with the AA was important as sanctions against the group would require the UN Security Council’s approval, which could prove difficult to obtain. “It’s essential to increase pressure from all the neighbours in order to guarantee that fighting ends and the way towards democracy finally established,” Guterres said.

The UN chief’s remarks came after human rights group Fortify Rights issued a statement urging the Bangladesh government to facilitate humanitarian aid and cross border trade to reach war-affected civilians in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2025