Myanmar confirms 309,000 Rohingya eligible for return pending Rakhine security

Verification milestone

Myanmar's Foreign Ministry has for the first time acknowledged nearly 309,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as former residents of Rakhine state, saying they would be eligible to return once the security situation stabilizes in the conflict-hit region. The ministry said 308,975 displaced people had undergone verification as former residents, marking a shift in Yangon's position after years of stalled repatriation talks with Dhaka.

"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 in a statement, adding that the verification process represents a significant step toward resolving the protracted refugee crisis. Previous attempts coordinated with Dhaka to begin repatriation have collapsed without large-scale returns taking place, as refugees refused to return without guarantees.

Conflict blocks returns

Several coordinated efforts by Bangladesh and Myanmar to start returns have failed amid concerns over security, citizenship and basic rights for the Muslim minority. The process has stalled further amid intensifying clashes between Myanmar's military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group that has seized broad swathes of Rakhine state and complicated humanitarian access to the region.

Refugee demands

The Rohingya have faced decades of discrimination and statelessness in Myanmar, with hundreds of thousands fleeing violent military crackdowns and arson attacks since 2017. More than 1.3 million now live in Bangladeshi camps, while others have undertaken perilous sea voyages to Indonesia and Malaysia, according to UN estimates. Dhaka maintains that any return must be voluntary, safe and sustainable, while refugees demand guarantees of citizenship and fundamental rights before departing.