Myanmar says over 300,000 Rohingya refugees verified for repatriation

Key Points:

• Myanmar's military-backed government announced it will accept the return of over 300,000 Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh once security conditions in Rakhine state improve, verifying them as former residents of the region.
• The Rohingya crisis began in 2017 when a military crackdown in Rakhine forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, amid accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide by the international community.
• Myanmar disputes the Rohingya's ethnic status, labeling them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and has verified 426,545 refugees from Bangladesh's list, with 4,241 identified as involved in terrorist activities.
• Efforts to repatriate refugees have stalled since the military coup in 2021 and ongoing conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, which controls much of Rakhine and has driven further displacement.
• Poor conditions in refugee camps and lack of safe return options have led many Rohingya to attempt dangerous sea journeys to Malaysia and Indonesia, with Myanmar recently agreeing to take back 5,000 refugees from Malaysia under a repatriation program.