Eight Years On, Rohingya Still Await Justice and Recognition

Eight years after Myanmar’s military unleashed a brutal campaign against the Rohingya, calls for justice remain unanswered. As the anniversary of the 2017 atrocities approaches, rights groups and international bodies are urging renewed accountability and inclusion for the persecuted minority.

In August 2017, Myanmar’s security forces razed hundreds of Rohingya villages in Rakhine State, killing thousands and forcing over 700,000 people to flee to Bangladesh. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar later found evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity. Yet, not a single perpetrator has been held accountable within Myanmar.

Since the 2021 military coup, the junta has intensified its repression, targeting civilians with airstrikes and blocking humanitarian aid. Rohingya still living in Rakhine face severe movement restrictions, food shortages, and forced conscription—both by the junta and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group also accused of grave abuses.

Conditions in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar camps, home to over a million Rohingya refugees, have deteriorated sharply. Aid cuts have left many without access to healthcare, education, or basic nutrition, while reports of abductions and sexual violence continue to surface.

International legal efforts are underway. The International Criminal Court is investigating crimes committed in Myanmar and Bangladesh, and the International Court of Justice is hearing a genocide case brought by The Gambia. In late 2024, the ICC prosecutor requested an arrest warrant for Myanmar’s Commander-in-Chief, Min Aung Hlaing, though the court has yet to act.

Rights organisations are now pressing the UN Security Council to refer Myanmar to the ICC and urging member states to pursue prosecutions under universal jurisdiction, as Argentina has done. They also call for greater Rohingya representation at the upcoming UN High-Level Conference on 30 September, warning that survivors’ voices must be central to any future solution.

The message is clear: justice delayed is justice denied. Without accountability, restored citizenship, and meaningful inclusion, the cycle of violence and displacement will continue. The Rohingya must no longer be sidelined in shaping Myanmar’s future.

-2025-08-23