The United Council of Rohang aims to negotiate repatriation to Myanmar from Bangladesh’s crowded camps, but faces challenges of legitimacy, security, and political control.
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — For the first time in eight years, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s sprawling camps have elected a leadership body, expressing hope that it can negotiate their safe return to Myanmar and address desperate conditions in the settlements.
The newly formed United Council of Rohang (UCR) emerged from July elections involving more than 3,000 refugees across 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar. The area houses about 1.7 million Rohingya, most of whom fled a 2017 military campaign in Myanmar now under investigation for genocide at the United Nations’ top court.
“They are working to take us home,” said Khairul Islam, 37, a former timber trader living with his family in a single sweltering shelter. “We can hardly breathe here… Back in Myanmar, we didn’t even need a fan.”
The UCR, led by a committee and five rotating presidents, plans to focus on human rights, education, and health while pushing for repatriation talks from which refugees have long been excluded.
“UCR wants to emerge as the voice of the Rohingyas at the negotiation table,” said President Mohammad Sayed Ullah. “It’s about us, yet we were nowhere as stakeholders.”
In a speech to refugees, Sayed Ullah urged them to remember the violence that forced their flight from Rakhine State. “Never forget we left our parents’ graves behind,” he said, as listeners nodded in agreement.
Legacy of Repression and Violence
Previous attempts to organize Rohingya camps have been met with suppression and violence. After a large 2019 rally demanding full rights and safety guarantees upon return, several groups were shut down and organizers detained. In 2021, prominent activist Mohib Ullah was murdered.
“The hardest blow was the assassination of Mohib Ullah,” Sayed Ullah noted.
Yet some refugees express cautious optimism. “UCR will negotiate for better education. If we are better educated, we can build global consensus for our return,” said 18-year-old Mosharraf, who fled Buthidaung with his family.
Challenges to Legitimacy and Safety
Analysts question how independent the new council can be. Thomas Kean, senior consultant at the International Crisis Group, said the elections “appear to have been closely controlled by the authorities,” raising doubts about whether the UCR will ultimately serve refugees or Bangladeshi interests.
Security within the camps remains precarious. Armed factions such as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army operate freely, and violence is rampant—a Fortify Rights report recorded at least 65 Rohingya killed in 2024 alone.
Despite these threats, some refugees are turning to the UCR with complaints against camp leaders, signaling a shift in community trust. On a recent morning, more than a dozen waited outside its office to report abuses and lost property.
As the UCR begins its work, it confronts a formidable task: uniting a traumatized community under the watch of host authorities, navigating entrenched armed groups, and reviving a repatriation process that has seen little progress for nearly a decade.
