The Rohingyas consist of Muslim people in Burma described as the most discriminated against and persecuted group globally. These people live in internally displaced camps and are viewed as “those worse than animals” (Lindsey, 2015). They live in Northern Arakan/Rakhine State and have been suffering for a long time due to oppression and persecution by the Burma government. President Barack Obama in 2014 asked the Burmese government to stop the oppression of the Rohingyas, arguing that a legitimate government should acknowledge the equality of all its people, which is not different from the Rohingya community (Lindsey, 2015). These people are persecuted because they lack basic human rights such as the right to food, shelter, or security. Every person in the current world can access basic human rights, but it is different.
The Rohingya group is linked to direct and structural violence due to ethnic cleansing and genocide. Myanmar’s military caused ethnic cleansing and genocide as indicated by the United Nations agencies and international courts, governments, journalists, and human rights groups. According to the Myanmar Hague hearing, Aung San argued that many people’s lives were torn apart due to the armed consequence of 2016 and 2017 and were forced to flee their homes and had to settle in the camps (Euronews, 2016). The U.N. agency reported human rights violations of these people, such as gang rapes, extrajudicial killings, executions, business, and school arsons. The Burmese government indicated that the claims were exaggerated, leading to a lack of proper actions to protect the Rohingya people. The military operations that resulted in displaced people led to the crisis in the refugee camps.
The latest violence started when the Rohingya insurgents decided to raid police posts with knives and homemade bombs. This forced large numbers of Rohingya civilians to flee towards the border in Bangladesh. The raid made the Burmese troops attack the Rohingya villages by burning their properties and shooting with the support of the local Buddhist mobs. Many of those who fled arrived in Bangladesh with bullets or wounds on their bodies. The group decided to seek refuge in Bangladesh with the support from UNFPA, who offered mental health psychological support. This was integrated with sexual reproductive health services and gender-based violence humanitarian assistance. Yung boys and men received livelihood training and engaged them in GBV prevention. Women and young girls were offered psychological support to empower them.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reinforced shelters, brought relief items, constructed basic infrastructure for the Rohingya people, and supported them embracing their lives. The U.N. General Assembly offered a solution by forming a non-binding solution to urge the Burma Government to give the Rohingya community full citizenship and guarantee them a free movement (Press, 2021). The U.N. and Bangladesh signed an agreement to support the refugees in Bengal, where many of the Rohingya people had relocated. The main aim of the U.N. working together with the Bangladesh government was to start serving the people and move some people out of the crowded camps. The agreement ensured that the support remained until the Rohingya people returned to Myanmar safely.
There can be lasting peace if this minority group is embedded in the world, be given basic human rights, and be allowed to access opportunities like any other person. In my opinion, the best way to offer a lasting solution is to repatriate the whole community to Myanmar and have their leadership. The leaders should be acknowledged as a civil entities with windows of opportunity in the international community.
Work Cited
BBC News, (2017). Myanmar: What the arked latest violence in Rakhine? Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41082689
Euronews, (2019). Aung San Suu Kyi denies genocide in Myanmar Hague hearing. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL5tZ-ugPl0
Lindsey N. Kingston (2015) Protecting the world’s most persecuted: the responsibility to protect and Burma’s Rohingya minority, The International Journal of Human Rights, 19:8, 1163-1175, DOI: 10.1080/13642987.2015.1082831
Press, T. A. (2021, October 11). U.N. and Bangladesh signed a deal to aid Rohingya relocated to an island in the Bay of Bengal. NPR. Retrieved January 23, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2021/10/11/1044977066/un-and-bangladesh-sign-deal-to-aid-rohingya-relocated-to-island-in-the-bay-of-be
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