In Bangladesh, the term “host community” primarily refers to the local Bangladeshi populations living in areas adjacent to Rohingya refugee camps, especially in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf upazilas. These communities, often characterized by fishing, farming, and day labor economies, initially extended significant hospitality to over a million Rohingya refugees arriving in 2017, providing food, shelter, and land for makeshift camps amid shared Muslim identity and humanitarian solidarity. Over time, however, prolonged crisis effects—such as resource competition, rising living costs from NGO-driven inflation, loss of forest access, cheap refugee labor disrupting markets, and occasional security issues—have strained relations, shifting initial sympathy toward frustration and calls for repatriation. Despite tensions, host communities benefit economically from aid-related jobs, rentals, and services, prompting humanitarian programs to foster social cohesion through livelihoods, health, and child protection initiatives. This dynamic underscores Bangladesh’s role as a major refugee-hosting nation, balancing local resilience with protracted displacement challenges.
