Rohingya Caught in Crossfire, Fleeing Again Amid Renewed Persecution

[geovalin]

UNHCR

 

Rohingya refugees face mounting peril across borders, as Myanmar’s brutal military draft, ethnic violence, and regional instability push the stateless minority into an ever-worsening crisis.

 

Dawood, 19, now lives in a crowded refugee camp in Bangladesh, his life marked by trauma and flight. In early 2024, Myanmar’s military forcibly conscripted him and other young Rohingya men to fight the Arakan Army in Rakhine State. With little to no training, many were killed or maimed in battle. After a brief hospitalisation, Dawood was sent back to the front. In May, under siege, he deserted and returned to his village in Buthidaung — only to flee again under fresh shelling and accusations of being a military collaborator.

 

After escaping detention by the Arakan Army, Dawood crossed into Bangladesh — a journey repeated by tens of thousands of other Rohingya refugees this year. Yet Bangladesh, already hosting over a million Rohingya, says it cannot support the influx. Humanitarian aid has dwindled, worsened by US funding cuts.

 

Despite international condemnation of Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya, including acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing, the risks remain acute. The Myanmar military continues to target the group, while the Arakan Army — once seen as a lesser evil — is now also implicated in abuses. Most of Rakhine State is under their control, with little regard for Rohingya safety.

 

Calls are growing for international action. The UN Human Rights Council will meet this month to consider a resolution on the crisis. Human Rights Watch and other advocates are urging states to denounce forced returns, expand sanctions — particularly targeting Myanmar’s arms imports and oil revenue — and demand accountability.

 

With repatriation off the table and neighbouring states wary of new arrivals, Rohingya like Dawood remain trapped between war, discrimination, and diplomatic inertia. As international focus shifts elsewhere, their plight is slipping from view — yet their need for protection, justice, and long-term solutions is more urgent than ever.

 

-2025-06-17