FROM PAGE 4

prospects for safe return.

At the same time, shrinking humanitarian assistance, harsh camp conditions and limited access to education and livelihoods are pushing refugees to take dangerous routes by sea.

False promises of better wages abroad and misinformation spread by smuggling networks are also luring both Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals into taking major risks, they said.

Such conditions, the agencies warned, are enabling smugglers and traffickers to exploit vulnerable people and put their lives in grave danger.

Calling for urgent international support, UNHCR and IOM urged the global community to strengthen solidarity and sustain funding for lifesaving assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, alongside support for host communities.

As Bangladesh marks the new year, they said the latest tragedy highlights the need to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar and create conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Rohingya refugees.

Without collective action, more lives will be lost at sea and along other deadly migration routes, the statement added.