Dhaka: Myanmar has confirmed that nearly 309,000 Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh were formerly residents of Rakhine State, a development that could reopen discussion about the long delayed return of hundreds of thousands of displaced people. However, Myanmar has made clear that the refugees will not be able to return immediately because of continuing security problems in Rakhine.
Myanmar’s military backed government said it had verified 308,797 people as former residents of Rakhine State from a list of 828,824 names submitted by Bangladesh. The verification was based on information provided by Bangladesh as part of efforts to restart a repatriation process that has remained largely stalled for years.
The announcement is important because the Rohingya crisis has continued for almost nine years. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar for Bangladesh after a military crackdown in 2017. They joined hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who had already crossed the border during earlier periods of violence and persecution. Today, more than one million Rohingya are living in Bangladesh, most of them in crowded camps in the Cox’s Bazar area.
Myanmar has said it is prepared to accept the verified refugees, but only when security conditions in Rakhine State improve. This condition is a major obstacle because Rakhine remains caught in a serious armed conflict. Fighting between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army has changed control of large areas of the state and made the situation increasingly uncertain.
The Arakan Army has become one of the strongest armed groups in Rakhine and has taken control of large parts of the region. Myanmar’s military continues to fight the group, while civilians remain caught between the competing forces. The continuing conflict makes it difficult to establish the safe conditions needed for a large scale return of refugees.
Myanmar’s latest verification also shows that not everyone on Bangladesh’s list has been accepted. More than 113,000 names could not be verified, while Myanmar said 4,241 people on the list had been identified as having links to terrorist activities. These classifications could become another source of disagreement between the two countries as they discuss the future of the refugees.
For Bangladesh, the announcement offers a limited sign of progress but does not solve the immediate problem. Dhaka has repeatedly said that any return must be voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable. Rohingya refugees have also demanded guarantees of safety, basic rights, citizenship and access to their homes and property before agreeing to return.
The refugees have spent years living in difficult conditions in Bangladesh. Many families remain dependent on international humanitarian assistance for food, health care, education and other basic needs. Overcrowding, poverty, crime and insecurity have created additional pressure inside the camps.
The situation has also encouraged some Rohingya to take dangerous journeys by sea in search of safety and better living conditions. Boats carrying Rohingya refugees have faced deadly accidents, while others have attempted to reach countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. These journeys underline the growing frustration among refugees who see little immediate prospect of returning home.
The international community has continued to call for a solution that allows Rohingya refugees to return safely and voluntarily. Bangladesh has also sought greater international involvement as it struggles to support such a large refugee population for so many years.
Myanmar’s confirmation of nearly 309,000 former residents therefore represents a significant administrative development, but it is not yet a repatriation agreement in practice. No clear date has been announced for the actual return of the refugees.
The biggest challenge remains the security situation in Rakhine. Until fighting decreases and conditions become safer, the promise to accept the verified refugees is unlikely to result in large numbers of people crossing back into Myanmar.
For the Rohingya families who have spent years waiting in Bangladesh, the announcement brings some hope but also another period of uncertainty. They now have confirmation that Myanmar is prepared to recognise many of them as former residents of Rakhine, but they are still waiting for the conditions that would allow them to return home safely and rebuild their lives.