Situation
The Rohingya communities of Myanmar are confronting intensified violence and conflict as the year-long ceasefire between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar Army in Rakhine broke down on 13 November 2023.
In November 2023, a boat carrying about 250 refugees who attempted to land in Indonesia was rejected from entering the country. Following this, two more boats reached Indonesia with about 350 refugees and were rejected.
This aggravated displacement has brought to light the broader context of targeted violence against the Rohingyas and the political instability in Myanmar. Furthermore, the national and international responses attempting to address the rising refugee crisis have come under question in terms of tactics, human rights preservation, and feasibility.
Background
The forced displacement endured by Rohingyas began in 2012-13 when around 140,000 persons were compelled to leave Central Rakhine and were subjected to life in detention camps across the state. The UNFFM reported in 2018, “The 2012 and 2013 violence in Rakhine State was pre-planned and instigated…the Myanmar security forces were actively involved and complicit. They participated in acts of violence”. This was followed by mass violence and killings in 2016-17 after the first democratic elections, ending the military rule in Myanmar. Subsequently, about 87,000 Rohingyas were forced into Bangladesh as armed violence spread across Rakhine.
Gambia, in 2016-17 filed a case at The International Court of Justice against the state of Myanmar alleging the crime of genocide against the Rohingya people. Primarily, the ICJ recorded gross human rights violations and ‘clearance operations’ in Rakhine leading to significant loss of life and mental and physical harm to the Rohingyas.
Subsequently, in 2019, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (UNFFM), established by the UN Human Rights Council, found that Myanmar had committed four out of five acts of genocide under the Genocide Convention. These included killing members of the Rohingya group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.
Impact
Tun Khin, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK stated, “There is no doubt that the Myanmar military is still trying to erase the Rohingya from the face of the earth. Our report exposes how genocidal practices in Rakhine State are not only continuing, but have even intensified over the last six months”. Confronting violence and genocide in the state, Rohingya men, women, and children are struggling to survive without access to aid.
Subsequently, Cyclone Mocha struck Myanmar on 14 May 2023, when amidst widespread devastation, around 400 Rohingyas were confined to camps and villages. According to the UN Special Rapporteur, this has further enhanced the vulnerability of the community to systemic discrimination in the country. Following the cyclone, the military junta has blocked humanitarian access and aid for the affected communities. Presently, around 600,000 Rohingyas in Rakhine have been confined to the camps, unable to flee the life-threatening state.
In interviews conducted by Al Jazeera with the refugees, the individuals expressed extreme distrust of the Myanmar government and conviction about the absence of safety in national plans.
Current Action
The state of Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, beginning in 2023. In September 2023, the first group of refugees was initiated as the Bangladesh delegation visited Rakhine. Subsequently, the states agreed to repatriate about 100 refugees through the Ghumdhum-Tumbru border every day. The BROUK reported that ‘model villages’ are being constructed for the refugees in the areas where the clearance operations took place in 2017 recognising the ICJ’s order for Myanmar to prevent destruction and preserve evidence alleged to the genocide.
The Daily Star reported that the Bangladesh government has insisted on repatriating the refugees to their ‘original villages’ as the Myanmar government is working to identify persons and their origins. While repatriation continues to be contested as a durable solution, the insistence on forcing the refugees to reside in the location where they confronted persecution and were forcibly displaced is vexing. Especially with the past failures in repatriating Rohingya refugees in 2018 and 2019, in light of the lack of safety and citizenship in Myanmar, should inform the present decision and encourage routes for integration into the host country.
On 15 November 2023, the Maldives, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, as parties to the Genocide Convention, filed interventions under the ICJ Statute to hold the state of Myanmar accountable for its crime against the Rohingyas. Tun Khin said, “We welcome this important step for justice for Rohingya from the British government and partners. The intervention of other countries in support of The Gambia strengthens the case, and increases the pressure on the Burmese military who are still committing genocide against Rohingya.” The Human Rights Watch, among other international humanitarian organisations, has also criticised the repatriation efforts in light of “grave risks” to human rights and dignity.
Vrinda Sahai
References
https://www.thedailystar.net/rohingya-influx/news/rohingya-repatriation-likely-start-few-months-3411986
https://www.unrefugees.org/news/rohingya-refugee-crisis-explained/#RohingyainBangladesh
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/11/17/rohingya-refugees-reach-western-indonesia-on-decrepit-boat
https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/struggling-survive-november-2023
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/19/hrw-condemns-bangladesh-myanmar-on-plan-to-repatriate-rohingya
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/31/myanmar-176
The Rohingya communities of Myanmar are confronting intensified violence and conflict as the year-long ceasefire between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar Army in Rakhine broke down on 13 November 2023.
In November 2023, a boat carrying about 250 refugees who attempted to land in Indonesia was rejected from entering the country. Following this, two more boats reached Indonesia with about 350 refugees and were rejected.
This aggravated displacement has brought to light the broader context of targeted violence against the Rohingyas and the political instability in Myanmar. Furthermore, the national and international responses attempting to address the rising refugee crisis have come under question in terms of tactics, human rights preservation, and feasibility.
Background
The forced displacement endured by Rohingyas began in 2012-13 when around 140,000 persons were compelled to leave Central Rakhine and were subjected to life in detention camps across the state. The UNFFM reported in 2018, “The 2012 and 2013 violence in Rakhine State was pre-planned and instigated…the Myanmar security forces were actively involved and complicit. They participated in acts of violence”. This was followed by mass violence and killings in 2016-17 after the first democratic elections, ending the military rule in Myanmar. Subsequently, about 87,000 Rohingyas were forced into Bangladesh as armed violence spread across Rakhine.
Gambia, in 2016-17 filed a case at The International Court of Justice against the state of Myanmar alleging the crime of genocide against the Rohingya people. Primarily, the ICJ recorded gross human rights violations and ‘clearance operations’ in Rakhine leading to significant loss of life and mental and physical harm to the Rohingyas.
Subsequently, in 2019, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (UNFFM), established by the UN Human Rights Council, found that Myanmar had committed four out of five acts of genocide under the Genocide Convention. These included killing members of the Rohingya group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.
Impact
Tun Khin, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK stated, “There is no doubt that the Myanmar military is still trying to erase the Rohingya from the face of the earth. Our report exposes how genocidal practices in Rakhine State are not only continuing, but have even intensified over the last six months”. Confronting violence and genocide in the state, Rohingya men, women, and children are struggling to survive without access to aid.
Subsequently, Cyclone Mocha struck Myanmar on 14 May 2023, when amidst widespread devastation, around 400 Rohingyas were confined to camps and villages. According to the UN Special Rapporteur, this has further enhanced the vulnerability of the community to systemic discrimination in the country. Following the cyclone, the military junta has blocked humanitarian access and aid for the affected communities. Presently, around 600,000 Rohingyas in Rakhine have been confined to the camps, unable to flee the life-threatening state.
In interviews conducted by Al Jazeera with the refugees, the individuals expressed extreme distrust of the Myanmar government and conviction about the absence of safety in national plans.
Current Action
The state of Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, beginning in 2023. In September 2023, the first group of refugees was initiated as the Bangladesh delegation visited Rakhine. Subsequently, the states agreed to repatriate about 100 refugees through the Ghumdhum-Tumbru border every day. The BROUK reported that ‘model villages’ are being constructed for the refugees in the areas where the clearance operations took place in 2017 recognising the ICJ’s order for Myanmar to prevent destruction and preserve evidence alleged to the genocide.
The Daily Star reported that the Bangladesh government has insisted on repatriating the refugees to their ‘original villages’ as the Myanmar government is working to identify persons and their origins. While repatriation continues to be contested as a durable solution, the insistence on forcing the refugees to reside in the location where they confronted persecution and were forcibly displaced is vexing. Especially with the past failures in repatriating Rohingya refugees in 2018 and 2019, in light of the lack of safety and citizenship in Myanmar, should inform the present decision and encourage routes for integration into the host country.
On 15 November 2023, the Maldives, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK, as parties to the Genocide Convention, filed interventions under the ICJ Statute to hold the state of Myanmar accountable for its crime against the Rohingyas. Tun Khin said, “We welcome this important step for justice for Rohingya from the British government and partners. The intervention of other countries in support of The Gambia strengthens the case, and increases the pressure on the Burmese military who are still committing genocide against Rohingya.” The Human Rights Watch, among other international humanitarian organisations, has also criticised the repatriation efforts in light of “grave risks” to human rights and dignity.
Vrinda Sahai
References
https://www.thedailystar.net/rohingya-influx/news/rohingya-repatriation-likely-start-few-months-3411986
https://www.unrefugees.org/news/rohingya-refugee-crisis-explained/#RohingyainBangladesh
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/11/17/rohingya-refugees-reach-western-indonesia-on-decrepit-boat
https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/struggling-survive-november-2023
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/19/hrw-condemns-bangladesh-myanmar-on-plan-to-repatriate-rohingya
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/31/myanmar-176