Bangladesh forms security-heavy committee to tackle Rohingya repatriation within 90 days

Bangladesh has established an 11-member national committee headed by newly-elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to formulate a comprehensive strategy for Rohingya repatriation, the Cabinet Division announced on Sunday. The committee must prepare a national action plan within 90 days, setting priorities and coordinating activities across ministries, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, the Daily Times of Bangladesh reported. The body’s composition, dominated by military, police and intelligence officials, signals a shift towards prioritising security concerns over purely humanitarian approaches, analysts say. The announcement came less than two weeks after Rahman’s visit to Beijing, where discussions with Chinese leaders prominently featured the Rohingya crisis. The Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division will serve as chief coordinator, while the director general of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) has been appointed member-secretary. Other members include the home and foreign affairs ministers, advisers for finance, planning and defence, the inspector general of police, and the directors general of National Security Intelligence (NSI), Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Bangladesh Coast Guard. The DGFI will provide secretarial and administrative support to the committee. The foreign secretary’s absence from the committee has drawn attention, though some observers suggest the government will likely create separate mechanisms to ensure diplomatic coordination. The committee’s security-heavy makeup reflects concerns about instability in Myanmar’s Arakan State spilling into Bangladesh, particularly Cox’s Bazar district. Security agencies are monitoring risks of extremism within refugee camps, cross-border infiltration, arms smuggling, drug trafficking and human trafficking. Officials note that narcotics and illegal weapons flows have become increasingly intertwined with the conflict in Myanmar, creating additional challenges for Bangladesh’s border security. Analysts identify two broad areas of concern driving the approach: domestic security and regional stability, with the prolonged nature of the refugee crisis requiring enhanced state capacity alongside continued diplomatic efforts. Former principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division Mahfuzur Rahman described the committee’s formation as demonstrating the government’s top priority accorded to the Rohingya crisis. “The appointment of the Principal Staff Officer as chief coordinator will improve coordination among government agencies. On many occasions, actors from Myanmar side were unsure whom to engage with. This arrangement should remove that ambiguity,” he told the Daily Times of Bangladesh. He argued that economic considerations should also feature in Bangladesh’s long-term strategy, noting that improved livelihoods in Arakan State would increase prospects for voluntary refugee returns. Mahfuzur Rahman also recommended including civil society and academic experts involved in the Rohingya crisis studies to add inclusive dimensions to government efforts.