Myanmar Verifies 308,797 Rohingya Refugees for Potential Return

The Government of Myanmar announced on August 15 that it has verified 308,797 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as former residents of Rakhine state. The military-backed administration stated it will accept the return of these individuals once security conditions improve. This verification process involved a list of 426,545 refugees provided by Bangladesh; however, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that over 113,000 could not be verified and 4,241 were linked to terrorist activities.

Repatriation efforts have remained stalled for nine years following a 2017 military crackdown that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh. Progress has been further hindered by a 2021 military coup and active conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army for control of Rakhine state.

A separate dispute has emerged regarding refugees in Malaysia. While Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim claimed Myanmar agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya, Myanmar's foreign ministry rejected this assertion. Officials maintain that any repatriation program only applies to verified Myanmar nationals in detention centers and explicitly excludes the acceptance of Rohingya.