The Rohingyas are an ethnic Muslim minority in the state of Rakhine, in Myanmar, a Buddhist majority Southeast Asian country. Since 2015, thousands of Rohingyas have either been displaced, left stateless, or have had to fled to the neighboring country of Bangladesh. The situation has only worsened, with latest reports suggesting that more than 300,000 people have now entered Bangladesh seeking protection.
Ordinarily, the situation, like most humanitarian crisis is much more complex than it appears. While the Burmese government have called them “Bangladeshi illegals,” many Rohingyas claim that they lived in Burma for generations.
Communal tensions between Myanmar and the Rohingyas, dates back to 1992, when as many as 250,000 Rohingyas fled from what they described as “forced labor,” “religious persecution,” and “rape” by the Burmese army. The Burmese army launched an intensive attack in villages of the Rakhine state as a response to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army’s (ARSA) attack on Myanmar’s police. Additionally, for more than two decades, Myanmar was ruled by the military before Nobel Laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi became the de facto leader of the country.
Suu Kyi’s role in what the U.N described as “textbook ethnic cleansing” has been quiet until recently, after pressures from the international community. Her critics include former laureate Desmond Tutu and the City of Oxford, latest among several other British institutions who unanimously voted to strip her off her honorary title. The de facto leader first broke her silence on the exodus in September of last month, failing to condemn the atrocities. However, earlier last week, one of Suu Kyi’s advisor said that she was appalled at the situation and as early as yesterday, Suu Kyi has set an aid work to end the crisis.
Whoever the political players may be, the truth of the matter remains that thousands, many of whom are malnourished children and pregnant women have suffered greatly and are in need of basic necessities such as water and food. Although the Bangladeshi government and United Nations Human Resource have massively aided and assisted the victims, the plight of the Rohingyas are still very much high. Charities such as One Nation and Human Appeal are working on ground and pushing for the donations to help provide lifesaving emergency kit.