By Rohingya Khobor | July 17, 2025

A new political council representing the Rohingya people has been formed, aiming to reclaim their indigenous identity, secure rightful citizenship in Myanmar, and amplify their voice on the global stage.

The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) was officially launched on July 13 and includes members from within Rakhine State, refugee camps in Bangladesh, and the global Rohingya diaspora. Describing itself as a collective response to decades of erasure, violence, and exclusion, the ARNC says it will work toward justice, accountability, and the political recognition of the Rohingya as rightful stakeholders in Myanmar’s future.

In a public declaration, the council stated:

“We are Rohingya — a people of Arakan — and we will not allow our identity, history, and rights to be wiped from the earth.”

The ARNC was formed at a time of renewed crisis. Since the Arakan Army (AA) gained control over large parts of Rakhine State in late 2024, the Rohingya have faced a new wave of violence. The council claims more than 2,500 Rohingya have been killed in recent months, while over 150,000 have fled to Bangladesh since early 2024. Entire Rohingya villages in Buthidaung and Maungdaw have reportedly been burned, with survivors forced to live without food, medicine, or shelter.

Read more here.

By Mizzima | July 17, 2025

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.

Read more here.