MYANMAR’S military-backed government has verified nearly 309,000 displaced people in Bangladesh as former residents of Rakhine State, but says their repatriation will proceed only after security conditions in the troubled region improve.
The Foreign Ministry said it had verified 308,797 people from a list of 828,824 names submitted by Bangladesh as of July 31, 2026.
More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017 following a crackdown by Myanmar security forces, according to the United Nations, while further departures by land and sea have continued amid persistent instability.
Reuters reported the county saying 4,241 people on Bangladesh’s repatriation list had been identified as being involved in terrorist activities, while another 113,507 could not be verified.
The government said repatriation would begin only when security conditions in Rakhine State had become sufficiently stable.
Myanmar’s military remains engaged in fighting against the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group based in Rakhine that is seeking greater autonomy for the region.
The Myanmar government has maintained that the repatriation process is strictly a bilateral matter between Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Previous repatriation arrangements agreed by the two countries in 2018 and 2019 failed to result in any Rohingya returning to Myanmar, despite preparations for their reception.
Myanmar has also agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya asylum seekers from Malaysia, although Kuala Lumpur has said the repatriation will not proceed if their safety cannot be guaranteed. - August 17, 2026
