UN: Rohingya Return to Myanmar Impossible Without Justice

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The United Nations has issued a stark warning that the safe and sustainable return of over one million Rohingya refugees to Myanmar is “impossible” until violence ends and those responsible for atrocities are held accountable. Nicholas Koumjian, head of the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), made the statement ahead of a high-level dialogue in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, marking eight years since Myanmar’s brutal 2017 clearance operations.

Those operations saw mass killings, sexual violence, and the destruction of Rohingya villages, forcing three-quarters of a million people to flee. Koumjian stressed that no one has yet been held accountable, and impunity continues to fuel further violence. “Ending the atrocities against civilians in Rakhine is critical for any dignified and voluntary return,” he said.

The IIMM is now investigating fresh reports of killings, torture, and rape amid renewed conflict in Rakhine State, which has displaced another 150,000 Rohingya in the past 18 months. The destruction and appropriation of Rohingya land in 2017 is also under scrutiny, with Koumjian noting that the loss of property has “destroyed the social and cultural fabric” of the community.

Meanwhile, nationalist protests in Myanmar’s cities have reignited tensions over the very identity of the Rohingya. Demonstrators, including hardline Buddhist monks, are demanding the government reject the term “Rohingya” altogether, insisting the group be labelled “Bengali” to imply foreign origin. The U.S. embassy’s use of the term has drawn sharp rebuke, with Myanmar’s military leadership reiterating its refusal to recognise the ethnic group.

As the UN prepares for its September conference on minority rights in Myanmar, the message from Geneva is clear: without justice, accountability, and recognition, the Rohingya cannot go home. And for now, their future remains hostage to a regime unwilling to confront its past.

-2025-08-22