Rohingya council rejects Myanmar narrative, calls for international role in repatriation

The United Council of Rohingya (UCR), an elected representative body for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, has rejected Myanmar's account of the displacement of the Rohingya, accusing the government of attempting to rewrite the history of the crisis and evade responsibility for abuses.

In a statement issued on 16 August, the UCR condemned a recent statement by Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying its narrative was a "calculated attempt to rewrite history" and evade accountability for state-sponsored crimes.

The group rejected Myanmar's use of the term "Bengali" to describe the Rohingya, calling it a "weapon of erasure". It said the Rohingya were the indigenous people of Rakhine State and had a centuries-old history and culture there.

The UCR called for the restoration of Rohingya identity and citizenship rights, saying the community's status had previously been recognised by the Myanmar government.

Dispute over cause of displacement

Myanmar has attributed the displacement of Rohingya to security operations against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which carried out attacks on security posts in Rakhine State.

The UCR rejected that explanation, saying the mass displacement resulted from state-sponsored genocide and ethnic cleansing.

It described the 2016 and 2017 "clearance operations" as systematic campaigns involving mass rape, the burning of more than 300 villages and summary executions.

The group described ARSA's actions as a "desperate reaction" to decades of apartheid rather than the cause of the exodus.

More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine State in 2017. The United Nations and rights groups have documented widespread allegations of killings, sexual violence and the destruction of villages during the campaign.

Dispute over figures and verification

The UCR also disputed Myanmar's figure of 540,000 Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh. It cited UN statistics indicating that more than one million Rohingya have been displaced, including about 700,000 who fled during the 2017 crisis and another 200,000 during earlier waves of displacement.

The group described Myanmar's verification process as a "sham", arguing that Rohingya are required to register as "Bengalis".

It also rejected Myanmar's designation of 4,241 people as "terrorists", calling the classification a pretext to prevent families from returning.

The UCR said Rohingya who remain in Rakhine State are effectively "interned in camps" and denied freedom of movement.

Calls for international role in repatriation

The UCR said it had no confidence in Myanmar's current military regime or in previous bilateral agreements on repatriation, citing earlier returns in 1978 and 1992 that it said were followed by renewed persecution.

The group argued that the Rohingya crisis should not be treated as a simple diplomatic dispute between Bangladesh and Myanmar, but as a matter involving crimes against humanity and genocide.

It said the case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) meant the crisis required international law and global intervention rather than relying solely on bilateral negotiations.

The UCR also rejected Myanmar's argument that security conditions must improve before repatriation can begin. It said the "security situation" would never be stable while the Tatmadaw, or Myanmar military, remained the "occupying force", describing the military as the perpetrator of the violence.

The group called on the UN Security Council and the ICJ to pressure Myanmar to fulfil its legal obligations.

It said any return of Rohingya to Myanmar must be voluntary, safe and dignified, take place under UN supervision and be accompanied by a binding roadmap towards full citizenship and the restitution of ancestral lands.