Myanmar agrees to take back more than 300,000 Rohingya

Photo: Collected

News Desk: Myanmar has, for the first time, recognized approximately 309,000 Rohingya who have taken refuge in Bangladesh as former residents of Rakhine State. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the verified displaced people will be repatriated once the security situation in the conflict-affected Rakhine region improves. The report was published by Anadolu Agency.

According to a statement from Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 308,975 displaced people have been identified as former residents of Rakhine through the verification process. The country will repatriate these verified individuals as the security situation in Rakhine stabilizes. The recognition is being considered a significant development in the long-running Rohingya repatriation process.

Earlier, Bangladesh and Myanmar had taken several initiatives to begin repatriation, but large-scale repatriation of Rohingya was not possible due to concerns over security, citizenship and fundamental rights.

Recently, the conflict between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army, an armed group that has taken control of large parts of Rakhine, has further complicated the process.

Myanmar’s minority Rohingya community has long been subjected to discrimination, persecution and statelessness. In 2017, millions of Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh in the face of brutal repression and violence by the Myanmar military. Currently, more than 1.3 million Rohingya are taking refuge in Bangladesh. In addition, many others have risked their lives to travel by sea to countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

Bangladesh has consistently emphasized that the repatriation process of the Rohingya must be voluntary, safe and sustainable. On the other hand, before returning to Rakhine, the Rohingya have been demanding guarantees of full citizenship, security and fundamental human rights.