Myanmar says the refugees have been verified as former residents of Rakhine, but its latest statement provides no timeline or guarantees on citizenship, rights or conditions for return.
by RK Desk
15 August 2026: Myanmar’s military-backed government said on Saturday that it would accept the return of 308,797 Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh once security conditions in Rakhine State become more stable.
In a statement, Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the individuals had been verified as former residents of Rakhine State from lists submitted by Bangladesh.
Bangladesh provided Myanmar with the names of 828,824 Rohingya refugees for verification. By the end of July, Myanmar said it had processed 426,545 of those cases.
Of them, 308,797 were identified by Myanmar authorities as former residents of Rakhine State, while information relating to 113,507 people could not be verified.
Myanmar authorities also claimed that another 4,241 people had been involved in what the government described as “terrorist activities.” The ministry did not provide publicly available evidence supporting those allegations.
The Foreign Ministry said Myanmar would continue discussions with Bangladesh and receive verified former residents when the security situation in Rakhine becomes more stable.
The statement did not provide a timetable for repatriation or explain what security conditions would have to be met before returns could begin.
Verification Does Not Resolve Citizenship Question
Myanmar’s verification of more than 300,000 refugees as former Rakhine residents does not resolve one of the central barriers to Rohingya repatriation: their citizenship and legal status.
Myanmar has long refused to recognise the Rohingya as an indigenous ethnic group and commonly refers to them as “Bengalis,” implying that they are immigrants from Bangladesh.
Rohingya refugees have repeatedly demanded restoration of citizenship, freedom of movement, security, access to their land and other fundamental rights as conditions for returning home.
The latest Foreign Ministry statement did not announce any change in Myanmar’s position on Rohingya citizenship or provide guarantees concerning these rights.
Control of Rakhine Has Changed
The territorial situation in Rakhine State has also changed dramatically since earlier repatriation negotiations between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Renewed fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) began in late 2023. Since then, the AA has captured extensive territory and emerged as the dominant military and administrative authority across much of Rakhine, including areas of northern Rakhine from which large numbers of Rohingya were displaced.
This raises a major practical question over how Myanmar’s central authorities could implement large-scale returns to areas they no longer fully control.
Continuing conflict has also forced additional Rohingya to flee into Bangladesh in recent years.
Previous Repatriation Attempts Failed
More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after Myanmar’s military launched its 2017 campaign in northern Rakhine. They joined Rohingya who had escaped earlier waves of persecution and violence.
UN investigators later found evidence of grave international crimes and genocidal intent in the military campaign, while international legal proceedings over alleged genocide and other crimes remain ongoing.
Bangladesh and Myanmar subsequently developed arrangements for repatriation, and several attempts were made to begin returns. None resulted in significant voluntary repatriation, largely because refugees said conditions in Myanmar were not safe and their fundamental rights had not been guaranteed.
Myanmar’s latest announcement comes amid renewed regional discussion about Rohingya repatriation and growing pressure on Bangladesh, which is hosting around 1.2 million Rohingya refugees.
Humanitarian agencies have also warned that declining international funding is putting food assistance and other essential services in the camps under increasing pressure.
Despite Myanmar’s latest commitment, no specific date has been announced for the return of the 308,797 verified refugees, and questions over security, citizenship, rights, land and the political authority controlling their places of origin remain unresolved.
