The resumption of conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army in the Rakhine State in Myanmar has forcibly displaced over 150,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh since late 2023, who have joined over a million Rohingya refugees already living in the camps in Cox’s Bazar from the previous waves of displacement mainly following the 2017 “clearance operations” by the Myanmar military.
The new refugee arrivals bring to fore the continuum of atrocities and persecution against the Rohingya minority inside Myanmar despite the international justice and accountability efforts to protect their rights, including the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice.
The spillover impact of the developments in the Rakhine State, in the camps cannot be overstated – the precarious life of the Rohingya refugees already marred by insecurity due to abductions, extortion, and targeting of the community leaders by armed groups, was exacerbated by recruitment of Rohingya men and boys to fight in Myanmar. In 2024, at least 170 forced recruitment cases in the camps were reported, parallel to the Myanmar military’s abduction and coercion of the Rohingya civilians in the Rakhine State to fight on its behalf, which fuelled ethnic division between the Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhist communities.
More recently, since December 2024, the Arakan Army has solidified control over 90% of the Rakhine State, and widespread abuses against Rohingya have been reported in Myanmar.
In the backdrop of such rapidly evolving security and political climate in the Rakhine and the camps, this report aims to document the grassroots Rohingya voices on the pathways to their safe, dignified and peaceful future, and present their key messages and recommendations in this regard.
The purpose of this report is to catalogue the desires of the community and untangle their interests within the wider discourse on sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis. The report intends to inform the priorities of key member states, intergovernmental organizations, and donors, in framing the roadmap for Rohingya future at the 80th UN General Assembly High-Level Conference on situation of Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar.
More broadly, this report will build on the future-oriented focus of the report by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the 59th Human Rights Council on pathways for inclusive, democratic and peaceful future of Myanmar. The consultations will contribute toward preventing co-option of community voices by armed groups and encouraging discourse amongst the Rohingya on sustainable solutions and pathways for achieving their political aspirations. Further, it will lend nuance to the international community’s over-generalized calls for Rohingya repatriation by recognizing and mainstreaming the knowledge produced within refugees’ psychological and social spaces.
