New political body launched to advocate for Rohingya rights

DHAKA, Bangladesh

A group of Rohingya leaders from Myanmar, refugee camps in Bangladesh, and the global diaspora have launched a new political body aimed at unifying and advancing the political struggle of the persecuted minority.

The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC), officially launched on Sunday, said it will represent the Rohingya people inside Myanmar and abroad, including those displaced by violence and living in refugee camps.

In a statement, the group said its mission is to fight for “rights, recognition, and political representation” and to provide a unified political voice for Rohingya worldwide.

The council includes 40 members on its Central Executive Committee and 60 members on the Central Committee. The group said its delegates represent nearly every township in Rakhine State and include a majority of leaders from refugee camps and the global Rohingya diaspora.

ARNC said it was formed in response to decades of systemic exclusion and persecution, culminating in what it called the 2017 genocide carried out by Myanmar’s military and aided by extremist groups.

More than 1.3 million Rohingya have taken refuge in Bangladesh since the 2017 crackdown. Despite repeated international efforts, no large-scale repatriation has occurred.

Violence intensifies in Rakhine State

The council also accused the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group currently in control of parts of western Myanmar’s Rakhine State, of displacing and targeting Rohingya civilians through “mass killings, widespread violence, and destruction.”

It said the worsening security situation has forced around 150,000 more Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh in recent months, while thousands of others have undertaken dangerous sea and land journeys to escape the violence, citing data from the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

ARNC claimed that the Arakan Army has killed more than 2,500 Rohingya since gaining control in the region, while those remaining “live in fear without food, safety, or freedom.”

“What is unfolding in (Rakhine) State under the Arakan Army is nothing short of a calculated and systematic genocide,” the council said, calling on the international community to act with urgency.