The United Council of Rohingya (UCR) has rejected Myanmar’s latest claims on Rohingya repatriation. It accused Myanmar’s military-backed government of trying to rewrite the history of the crisis and avoid accountability for alleged atrocities.

In a statement issued Monday, the UCR called Myanmar’s August 15 statement “misleading propaganda.” It said repatriation must be voluntary, safe and dignified. It also demanded citizenship and international protection for returnees. According to New Age, the group challenged several of Myanmar’s claims on the repatriation process.

Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry said it had verified 308,797 displaced people in Bangladesh as former residents of Rakhine State. It said they could return when security conditions improve. Myanmar also said repatriation should follow bilateral agreements with Bangladesh.

The UCR  categorically rejects and condemns the misleading press statement issued by the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 15, 2026 / Collected 

The UCR rejected Myanmar’s use of the term “Bengalis” for the Rohingya. It said the term was being used to deny their ethnic identity and history in Rakhine State.

The group also rejected Myanmar’s justification for the 2016–17 military operations. It said the operations involved killings, rape, village burnings and forced displacement. It described the campaign as genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Myanmar said about 540,000 people fled to Bangladesh during the 2017 crisis. It also claimed more than 200,000 remained in Rakhine. The UCR disputed the figures. It said more than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh in 2017.

The UCR also criticised Myanmar’s verification process. It questioned the rejection of 113,507 names submitted by Bangladesh. It also opposed Myanmar’s identification of 4,241 people as having alleged links to terrorist activities. The group said repatriation could not take place without strong guarantees for the refugees.

“No Rohingya will return to Rakhine without guaranteed security, legal citizenship rights, and direct UN peacekeeping oversight,” the UCR said.

Bangladesh submitted 828,824 names for verification, according to Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry. Of them, 308,797 were verified as former Rakhine residents. Another 113,507 could not be verified.

The UCR called for an independent verification process led by the UNHCR. It also urged the UN, Security Council and International Court of Justice to increase pressure on Myanmar.

The group said no repatriation would be acceptable without citizenship, security, property restitution, and UN supervision. Myanmar, however, maintained that verified Rohingya would be accepted when security conditions in Rakhine improve.

 

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