Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
The newly elected executive members of the United Council of Rohang (UCR) took the constitutional oath on Thursday during a special ceremony held in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, attended by representatives of the Rohingya community and several local figures.
During the ceremony, the members pledged to serve the Rohingya community with sincerity and integrity, working to promote unity, justice, and freedom for all, while affirming their commitment to the Council’s core principles of transparency and accountability before God.
They also emphasized the importance of prioritizing the public interest above personal or factional considerations and working collectively to achieve progress and stability among the Rohingya both inside and outside the refugee camps.
In a statement, the Council said that taking the oath symbolizes a renewed covenant between the leadership and the Rohingya people, reflecting determination to build strong civil institutions capable of representing the community’s aspirations and advocating for its legitimate rights. The statement added that the next phase will focus on unifying efforts, nurturing young leaders, and raising awareness of civil and human rights among the Rohingya diaspora.
The members stressed in their speeches that true leadership is grounded in service, faith, and moral responsibility, asserting that every act of leadership must be guided by the principle of honesty before God, with the ultimate goal of serving humanity and upholding human dignity.
The ceremony concluded with a collective prayer seeking success and guidance in fulfilling their new duties, amid an atmosphere of optimism and hope for a more just and united future for the Rohingya people. They affirmed that this step marks a significant milestone in the Rohingya civil society’s journey toward building more organized and effective institutions.
Bangladesh currently hosts nearly 1.3 million Rohingya refugees in the Cox’s Bazar camps, which the United Nations classifies as the largest refugee settlement in the world. The refugees have lived there in dire humanitarian conditions since fleeing Myanmar in 2017, following the genocidal campaign carried out by the Myanmar military against them. Renewed waves of displacement to Bangladesh have continued since fighting broke out in Arakan State between the Myanmar army and the Arakan Buddhist militias (Arakan Army) in November 2023.
