Rohingya refugees are delivering powerful testimony to the United Nations, detailing an ongoing cycle of violence and suffering in Myanmar that continues to prevent their safe return home.
At a special UN conference, a Rohingya man held up a photograph of dead women and children in civilian clothing, stating they were killed in a recent drone attack. He described the incident as part of a systematic campaign against the minority group, asking, “Where is justice for Rohingya?”
The mostly Muslim Rohingya have faced decades of persecution in Myanmar. While a 2017 military crackdown forced over 750,000 to flee to Bangladesh and is now the subject of a UN genocide case, intense fighting now rages in their home state of Rakhine. The conflict between Myanmar’s army and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, has created an “insurmountable barrier” to their return, according to a UN envoy.
Advocates report that Rohingya civilians are caught between the two forces. The junta is accused of blocking aid and using people as human shields, while the Arakan Army’s tactics are said to “mirror” the military’s, including massacre, forced recruitment, and sexual violence.
The situation for those who fled remains dire. Over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are now facing drastic cuts in international aid. Many live in what they describe as “dangerous and overcrowded” camps with severe restrictions on livelihood opportunities.
As one refugee who spent years in a camp simply asked, “Our goal is to return to our homeland safely with rights, but how do we get there?”
