Key Updates

• Afghan evacuees are stuck in legal limbo: Months after hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals were evacuated from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, many remain stuck in resettlement limbo in the western countries.

• Myanmar and Bangladesh resume talks on repatriating Rohingya refugees: While the two countries agreed on a repatriation date in June, many Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar say they are unwilling to return to Myanmar before a series of long-standing issues are addressed, including the granting of full citizenship rights and protection from persecution.

• Rohingya refugees continue onward movements from Bangladesh: On 25 March, 57 Rohingya refugees were captured by the Bangladeshi authorities while attempting to leave for Malaysia by a trawler. This was the second boat to attempt to leave Bangladesh in the first quarter of 2022.

• Escalating conflicts on multiple fronts displaced thousands of people in Myanmar: Fighting has intensified in Kayah and Kayin states since December 2021, creating volatile new conflict zones. In Kayah alone, up to 170,000 people have been internally displaced and forced to seek shelter in community centers, churches, the jungle, or in the neighboring Shan state after a January military crackdown.

• Refugees and migrants across the region still face barriers to accessing COVID-19 vaccine and treatment: Refugees and migrants in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia continue to face critical vaccine inequality due to logistical and administrative challenges.

• Refugees in Australia’s offshore processing centers are eligible for resettlement in New Zealand:
On 24 March, Australia announced that up to 450 refugees from its regional processing centers will be resettled in New Zealand over the next three years.

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