Since 2015, the impoverished country of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has reached a high spike in numerous attacks and killings from the Rakhine Buddhists against the Rohingya Muslims. According to BBC, the Rakhine militia considers these series of violence as, “ethnic cleansing.” The militia says that it’s fighting the Rohingya rebels, rather than attacking the civilians. On the contrary, nearly 500,000-700,000 Rohingyas civilians have seeked refuge in various neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, India and even escaping to Malaysia by boat. The most refugees count is in Kutupalong Refugee Camp, Bangladesh. Though there are many refugees that are safe in the camp, there are also refugees that are not welcomed with open arms in the neighboring countries. The death toll is greater than a thousand people; this is still an ongoing event as of 2018.
Here’s What You Need to Know:
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This conflict has been happening since the 1940’s-1960’s. Rohingya Muslims are considered as a minority in Myanmar. Vox News reports the Rohingyas and Rakhines had had a nationality and political conflict during World War II. Each group supported both sides, the Rohingyas supported the British, while the Rakhines supported the Japanese, as they thought the invaders would end the British rule after the war.
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Though the Rohingyas have been traced back in Burma since the 15th century, they are still considered a minority. According to HerCampus NYU’s contributing writers, Pranati Wadhawan and Fareeha Mahmood, they also reported that refugees have problems becoming citizens in neighboring countries because of their legal status. They also reported that the nations of Bangladesh and Myanmar have signed an agreement to return the refugees to home, but no other discussions have been disclosed.
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Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize Winner and the State Counsellor of Myanmar have stayed silent about this issue. As of 2018, she has been stripped of her Honorary Citizenship in Canada and has skipped out on the United Nations’ General Assembly. According to The Atlantic, Suu Kyi has also defended two journalists that had killed 10 Rohingya men. She said, “There are, of course, ways in which we, with hindsight, might think that the situation could have been handled better … But we believe that for the sake of long-term stability and security, we have to be fair to all sides.”
How to Help the Rohingya Refugees
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You can always help by donating a penny or dollar to the United Nations’s Agencies. Currently, the refugees that are in need of food supplies are still at risk of being infected and malnutrition. In fact, many countries have been donating over $50 million dollars to these refugees as well.
You can also help spread awareness and keeping up with news from the United Nations about this issue. This crisis can also help many others, especially in first world countries, join the conversation and bring a resolution to the ignorance and mass killings against Muslims.