“I May Be Killed Any Moment”
Year
2022
2023
2024
Country of
57
Country of
Country of
origin
asylum
ressetlement
Persons
Myanmar
Bangladesh
Canada
48
Myanmar
Bangladesh
United States of America
62
Myanmar
Bangladesh
Canada
84
Myanmar
Bangladesh
United States of America
152
Myanmar
Bangladesh
Canada
937
Myanmar
Bangladesh
United States of America
Myanmar
Bangladesh
Australia
Myanmar
Bangladesh
New Zealand
Myanmar
Bangladesh
Finland
1844
339
68
5
Lack of Protection by the U.N. Refugee Agency
Other protection gaps exist due to a lack of appropriate responses by UNHCR. In most cases where
Rohingya faced threats to their lives, they told Fortify Rights they had been unable even to contact
UNHCR protection staff or had not received any protection even when they did manage to reach
UNHCR protection staff to report the threats. For example, a Rohingya man told Fortify Rights about
how he attempted to report threats against his life by ARSA in 2023 to UNHCR and the Bangladesh
authorities. He said:
There is a separate office for UNHCR in the CiC [Camp-in-Charge] office. I went to report the
case [to UNHCR]. I could not meet UNHCR, and a volunteer met with us and only took our name
and some brief details. The second time I tried to report the case, I waited until the afternoon.
We could not meet CiC or any UNHCR people.294
ARSA threatened the man for supporting a majhi, who was also a relative, that ARSA had shot and
wounded. ARSA members came to his shelter after the man had returned to the camp from bringing
the majhi to the hospital. 295 He said:
[ARSA] came around 12 midnight. They asked us to open the door. My wife did not open the
door. ... They directly told my wife, “We are from al-Yaqin [ARSA].” ... They were wearing pants,
black t-shirts, and a black cloth COVID mask. ... They said, “Why did you help [the majhi]? Do
you want to lose your life? We could not kill your [relative], but we will cut you down.”296
Initiative for Vulnerable Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh,” December 13, 2022, https://www.state.gov/resettlementinitiative-for-vulnerable-rohingya-refugees-in-bangladesh/. Other governments, including Canada, are also now
working with the Bangladesh authorities to provide third-country resettlement. Fortify Rights meeting notes with
donor governments, Dhaka Bangladesh, March 2023.
294 Fortify Rights interview with C.B., Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh, March 22, 2023.
295 Ibid.
296 Ibid.