The Rohingya genocide is a term applied to the persecution—including mass killings, mass rapes, village-burnings, deprivations, ethnic cleansing, and internments—of the Rohingya people of western Myanmar (particularly northern Rakhine state).
International reaction focused on pressuring Aung San Suu Kyi to condemn the atrocities and address human-rights issues. Suu Kyi's power was restricted under the 2008 Constitution of Myanmar, which placed key ministries like home, border affairs and defense under military control and reserved 25% of seats in the legislature for serving military officers. Military chief Min Aung Hlaing is regarded as the most powerful person in the country, and in 2021 he launched a military coup, seizing control of the government.
Background
Since October 2016, thousands of Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar due to persecution in the Rakhine State. The exodus has become a humanitarian crisis. The persecution was preceded by crackdowns in 1978, 1991–1992, 2012 and 2015. The United Nations believes that Myanmar wants to expel its entire Rohingya population.
The events have been termed a genocide by international observers.
On 25 August 2017, the Tatmadaw (the Myanmar armed forces) launched a military operation against the Rohingya civilian population in response to attacks by Rohingya militants on 30 police posts and an army base. The Myanmar military—with help from mobs of local Rakhine people—is alleged to have burned Rohingya villages, carried out summary executions and beheadings of Rohingyas (including children), raped Rohingya women; and planted landmines. Between 400 and 3,000 people were killed between 25 August and 11 September 2017. On 22 September 2017, satellite images indicated that Rohingya villages were still being burned. An estimated 655,500 refugees had fled into Bangladesh since 25 August 2017 (a larger weekly outflow of refugees than during the Rwandan genocide), out of a pre-violence Rohingya population of about one million in Rakhine State. In August 2018, study estimated that more than 24,000+ Rohingya people were killed by the Myanmar military and the local Buddhists since the "clearance operations" started on 25 August 2017. The study also estimated that 18,000+ the Rohingya Muslim women and girls were raped, 116,000 Rohingya were beaten, 36,000 Rohingya were thrown into fire Mass graves have been discovered in several parts of Rakhine State. Evidence of atrocities emerged with reports of the Gu Dar Pyin massacre and Tula Toli massacre. Footage obtained by Reuters showed the summary execution of 10 Rohingya men. Two Myanma journalists who obtained the information for Reuters have since been arrested. Amnesty International has described Rakhine State as a "crime scene". There have been calls for the prosecution of members of Myanmar's military.
Despite centuries of settlement in the Arakan region (now Rakhine State), the Rohingya population are denied citizenship and other basic rights under several controversial Myanmar laws (particularly the 1982 Myanmar nationality law). Myanmar has been accused of genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya. Progress on a negotiated program for the return of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar have been made much more difficult by the emergence of fighting in Rakhine State following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'etat.
The persecutions of ethnic Rohingyas in Myanmar continued up to 2018, and is viewed to continue until a lasting resolution is made between the Government of Myanmar (which has internal political disputes on the matter), the Government of Bangladesh, representatives from the Rohingya people, and states in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
Countries
Afghanistan
The Afghan foreign ministry said in a written statement, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan condemns in the strongest terms the devastating cruelty and murder of innocent Rohingya Muslims by Myanmar’s security forces. While vehemently condemning these vicious and inhuman attacks by the government forces against its Muslim population, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the United Nations and other International Human Rights Organizations to examine the genocide and massacre of innocent Muslim community in this country".
Algeria
The Algerian foreign ministry expressed "great concern" about the persecution. According to a spokesman, "The tragedies that occur behind closed doors in Burma where Burmese Muslim citizens are the victims, reached unspeakable heights in horror, according to information reported by many media and diplomatic sources".