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.
