Myanmar’s military government has announced that it has verified nearly 309,000 Rohingya refugees currently in Bangladesh as former residents of Rakhine State. According to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry over the weekend, authorities have processed 308,797 individuals from a total list of 828,824 names submitted by Bangladesh as of July 31.
The ministry’s report indicated that 4,241 individuals from the list were identified as being involved in “terrorist activities,” while another 113,507 people could not be verified. Despite this progress in identification, the military government maintained that any actual repatriation would only commence once security conditions in Rakhine State become more stable.
The current situation follows the mass exodus that began in August 2017, when attacks by a Rohingya insurgent group against Myanmar security personnel triggered a military campaign. The resulting offensive forced at least 740,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. The military has faced widespread accusations of mass rape, killings, and the burning of villages, leading to international claims of genocide and ethnic cleansing from organizations including the United Nations. Many Rohingya continue to risk their lives attempting to leave Myanmar through dangerous land and sea routes.
Currently, the Myanmar military is engaged in conflict with the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group that is pushing for increased autonomy in Rakhine State. Myanmar officials continue to characterize the repatriation of the Rohingya as a bilateral matter between their government and Bangladesh. Previous attempts at establishing repatriation arrangements in 2018 and 2019 failed to result in any returns, despite preparations made by both nations.
In addition to the situation in Bangladesh, Myanmar has agreed to accept 5,000 Rohingya asylum seekers from Malaysia. However, the government in Kuala Lumpur has clarified that it will not proceed with the repatriation of these individuals if their safety and lives could be at risk.
