Humanitarianism: Education & Conflict: PEAC/EDUC 072 (Amy Kapit)

Rohingya in Myanmar

The Rohingya people claim the Rakhine State of Myanmar as their ancestral home, but many have been living in exile since the 1990s1. They represent the largest ethnic group of Muslims in Myanmar, and are systematically persecuted by the country’s military and government, which claims that the Rohingya are actually illegal immigrants from Bangladesh2. The government’s violent crackdowns on Rohingya masquerade as a response to armed militant attacks from the Rohingya, but have far surpassed what could be considered a remotely reasonable response in this context. A wave of violence in the state beginning in 2017 has forced almost 750,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh3. Since this time, Burmese security forces have decimated hundreds of Rohingya villages, forcing their residents to flee4. If this weren’t enough, the Rohingya have also been denied citizenship in Myanmar, and systematically targeted in violent attacks for decades5. See below for further reading on the Rohingya, and to learn more about what you can do.

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