By Lara Kajs
Thinking Out Loud
The Rohingya crisis remains one of the most severe cases of mass displacement and statelessness in the world today. Years after Myanmar’s military crackdown forced hundreds of thousands to flee, Rohingya communities continue to face persecution at home and insecurity in exile. Understanding the structural roots of this crisis—from discriminatory citizenship laws to ongoing conflict—is essential to addressing both the humanitarian emergency and the long-term accountability challenges surrounding what many international bodies have described as genocide.
For generations, the Rohingya Muslim minority has lived in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Yet despite centuries of presence in the region, Myanmar’s government refuses to recognize them as one of the country’s official ethnic groups. The 1982 Citizenship Law effectively rendered the Rohingya stateless, stripping them of basic rights, including freedom of movement, access to education, and healthcare. This legal exclusion laid the foundation for decades of discrimination, marginalization, and violence.
Tensions between Myanmar’s predominantly Buddhist population and the Rohingya community have existed for decades. However, the crisis reached a devastating turning point in August 2017, when Myanmar’s military launched sweeping operations across Rakhine State. Entire villages were destroyed, civilians were killed, and more than 700,000 Rohingya fled across the border into Bangladesh. International investigators and human rights organizations widely condemned the campaign as ethnic cleansing, with several bodies concluding that evidence pointed toward genocide.
Life in Exile: Cox’s Bazar
Today, nearly one million Rohingya refugees live in camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the largest refugee settlement in the world. While humanitarian agencies provide critical food, shelter, and health services, the camps face mounting security and governance challenges.
Overcrowding, poverty, and limited infrastructure have created conditions where criminal networks and armed groups can operate with relative impunity. Armed clashes, extortion, and targeted killings have become increasingly common. Some camps have effectively fallen under the influence of organized criminal groups, which exert control through intimidation and violence. Community leaders, aid volunteers, and activists often become targets for speaking out.
What was once seen as a refuge from military violence has increasingly become an environment of chronic insecurity.
Women and Children at Risk
Women and girls face particularly acute dangers within the camps. Gender-based violence—including domestic abuse, trafficking, and sexual assault—remains widespread. Poor lighting, inadequate security, and overcrowded shelters make even basic activities risky. For many women, something as routine as walking to a latrine after dark carries real danger.
Children also bear the psychological and physical scars of displacement. Limited access to education leaves many young Rohingya without opportunities for development or stability. This environment increases vulnerability to trafficking, forced labor, and recruitment by armed groups. Many children in the camps have witnessed extreme violence both in Myanmar and during their displacement.
Statelessness and Legal Limbo
At the heart of the Rohingya crisis lies statelessness. Denied citizenship in Myanmar and not formally recognized as refugees by Bangladesh, the Rohingya exist in a precarious legal vacuum.
While Bangladesh has shown significant generosity in hosting the refugee population, authorities remain cautious about permanent settlement. Refugees are restricted from formal employment, higher education, and integration into broader Bangladeshi society. These policies, intended to discourage long-term settlement, inadvertently deepen cycles of dependency and frustration.
Without pathways to citizenship, repatriation, or large-scale resettlement, Rohingya communities remain trapped in prolonged uncertainty.
Statelessness lies at the heart of the Rohingya crisis, leaving an entire people without protection, rights, or a path home.”
Escalating Violence After Myanmar’s 2021 Coup
The situation inside Myanmar deteriorated further after the military coup in February 2021. Fighting between the military junta and ethnic armed groups, including the Arakan Army, intensified across Rakhine State.
Rohingya communities have again found themselves caught between multiple armed actors. Tens of thousands have fled renewed violence despite border restrictions. Reports also indicate that the Myanmar military has forcibly recruited Rohingya men and boys, sometimes under threat of violence or with false promises of citizenship.
In 2024, escalating clashes caused further displacement and civilian casualties. Drone and artillery attacks in Maungdaw Township reportedly killed hundreds of Rohingya civilians who had gathered near the Naf River seeking safety. Women and children were among the victims.
The Struggle for Accountability
International investigations have repeatedly documented the scale of atrocities committed against the Rohingya. A UN fact-finding mission concluded in 2018 that Myanmar’s military had acted with genocidal intent.
Legal efforts to hold perpetrators accountable are ongoing. In 2019, The Gambia filed a case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the state of violating the Genocide Convention. The court ordered provisional measures requiring Myanmar to prevent further acts of genocide. However, progress toward justice remains slow.
At the same time, humanitarian access inside Myanmar remains severely restricted. The military junta continues to limit aid deliveries and impose tight controls on international organizations.
A Test for the International Community
The Rohingya crisis represents more than a humanitarian emergency; it is a test of the international community’s willingness to confront genocide, protect displaced populations, and address systemic discrimination.
Meaningful progress requires more than humanitarian assistance. Durable solutions must include restoring citizenship rights, dismantling discriminatory laws, ensuring safe conditions for voluntary return, and pursuing accountability for crimes committed against the Rohingya.
Until those steps are taken, nearly a million people remain in exile—waiting for recognition, justice, and the fundamental human dignity that has long been denied to them.
Photo credit: Bangladesh – Rohingya women in refugee camps share stories of loss and hopes of recovery by UN Women Gallery. Licensed under CC BY NC ND 2.0. Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. March 2018. Photo: UN Women/Allison Joyce.
Published 10 July 2025
About Thinking Out Loud
Thinking Out Loud is a commentary series by Lara Kajs examining international law, humanitarian crises, and the prevention of mass atrocities. Drawing on field experience in conflict and displacement settings, the column explores the legal and policy challenges that shape contemporary conflicts
Lara Kajs is the founder and executive director of The Genocide Report, a Washington, DC-based educational nonprofit focused on atrocity prevention and international law. She is the author of several field-based books on conflict, displacement, humanitarian crises, and international humanitarian law, drawing on extensive research and field experience in Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan. Her writing and public speaking focus on atrocity crimes, forced displacement, the protection of civilians, and the legal frameworks governing armed conflict.