Over 3 lakh Rohingyas cleared for return
Myanmar has said it is prepared to receive more than 300,000 Rohingyas from Bangladesh who have been verified as former residents of Rakhine State, but linked their repatriation to an improvement in the security situation there.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 426,545 people had been verified from a list of 828,824 displaced persons submitted by Bangladesh as of July 31, 2026. Of them, 308,797 were identified as former residents of Rakhine State.
The ministry said 4,241 individuals were found to have been involved in what it termed “terrorist activities”, while the information of another 113,507 could not be verified.
“Myanmar will receive the displaced persons who have been verified as former residents of Rakhine State when the security situation in Rakhine State becomes more stable,” the ministry said.
The statement also stressed that the repatriation issue should primarily be addressed through bilateral cooperation between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Nay Pyi Taw expressed displeasure over what it described as attempts to portray the issue as an international matter and said it would continue cooperating with Bangladesh and other friendly countries.
Myanmar also rejected what it called one-sided accounts and misinformation concerning displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh and people travelling by boat to other countries.
Nay Pyi Taw disputed claims concerning the scale of displacement from Rakhine State. It said more than 740,000 people it refers to as “Bengalis” had lived in Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships before the violence of 2016 and 2017, with more than 540,000 subsequently crossing into Bangladesh and more than 200,000 remaining in the area.
Myanmar attributed the displacement to attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on security installations in northern Rakhine in 2016 and 2017 and characterised the subsequent military operations as a response to terrorism.
That account differs sharply from findings by the United Nations and other international bodies, which have documented widespread atrocities committed against the Rohingya during the 2017 military crackdown. More than 700,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh following the violence, while Myanmar has faced international accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide over the operation.
Myanmar said several previous attempts had been made to begin repatriation, including arrangements in January and November 2018 and August 2019, but no refugees returned under those initiatives.
It also cited earlier repatriation programmes, saying 186,968 displaced people returned from Bangladesh between 1978 and 1979 and another 236,495 between 1992 and 2005.
According to the ministry, preparations for the current repatriation process have included a “Come-and-See” visit to Rakhine State, “Go-and-Talk” visits to Bangladesh, in-person verification missions and diplomatic visits connected with a proposed pilot repatriation project.
Myanmar said it would continue working with Bangladesh “in the spirit of good neighbourliness” to facilitate what it described as the voluntary, safe and dignified return of verified former residents.
However, the latest statement leaves the timing of any actual return uncertain as fighting and instability continue in Rakhine State. The Arakan Army has taken control of much of the state following renewed fighting with Myanmar’s military since 2023.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, has repeatedly sought the early, safe and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas, almost nine years after the mass influx triggered by the August 2017 violence.
The latest Myanmar position highlights continuing differences between Dhaka and Nay Pyi Taw over the number of displaced Rohingyas, their verification, the circumstances behind the 2017 exodus and the security conditions required before repatriation can begin.
