Mizzima-July 17
A new political body called the Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) was officially formed on 13 July, aiming to restore the Rohingya’s indigenous identity and secure their full citizenship rights in Myanmar’s Arakan (Rakhine) State. The council’s formation is seen as a response to decades of systematic exclusion, state-backed persecution, and attempts to erase the Rohingya identity. In a public statement, the ARNC accused the Myanmar military of committing genocide in 2017 and alleged that the Arakan Army (AA) which now controls large areas of Rakhine State, is currently targeting the Rohingya population through violence, mass killings, destruction of property, and forced displacement. According to the council, since the AA began consolidating control, more than 2,500 Rohingya have been killed, over 150,000 have fled to Bangladesh, and thousands more have escaped by sea or crossed international borders. The statement claimed that dozens of Rohingya villages in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships have been burned down, leaving survivors without access to food, security, or freedom, and forcing them to live in constant fear. The ARNC said it will work toward securing full legal rights and international security guarantees for the Rohingya, with the ultimate goal of enabling a safe and dignified return to their ancestral lands under international supervision. It also pledged to respond to what it described as an ongoing genocide carried out by both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army. In building what it hopes will be a future federal democratic system, the ARNC stated that it will continue dialogue with Rakhine leaders, Myanmar’s broader democratic movement, and all relevant stakeholders, including the Arakan Army.
The council also vowed to advocate for Rohingya rights on the international stage, engaging with bodies such as the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), ASEAN, and the European Union. The ARNC comprises members from inside Myanmar, leaders from refugee camps, and members of the Rohingya diaspora. Its organizational structure includes 40 Central Executive Committee members and 60 Central Committee members. Read more at:
