by Hafizur Rahman
September 14, 2025 – The Rohingya people, one of the world’s most persecuted communities, continue to face escalating violence and humanitarian crises in Myanmar’s Arakan (Rakhine) State. A recent webinar hosted by the American Bar Association International Law Section’s International Criminal Law Committee, titled “Chaos and Fear in Arakan: Stopping Violence, Emphasizing the Rule of Law”, brought together experts who underscored the urgent need for humanitarian aid, justice, and recognition of the Rohingya’s basic rights.
“This is not history; this is happening today”
Dr. Habib Ullah, General Secretary of the Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNA), opened the session by stressing the dire conditions inside Arakan.
“This is not history; this is happening today,” he said.
Between 400,000 and 550,000 Rohingya remain trapped inside Myanmar, living under constant threat. Survivors report attacks from the junta and other armed groups, aerial bombings of villages, sexual violence, and forced displacement. Food supplies are being blocked, creating famine-like conditions in some areas.
Meanwhile, over 1.3 million Rohingya are confined to camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Families live in bamboo-and-tarpaulin shelters vulnerable to monsoons, floods, and fires. Refugees are barred from work, children lack formal schooling, and everyone depends on shrinking aid.
“Right now, refugees get only 27 cents a day for food—not even enough for one meal,” Dr. Ullah said. Mothers skip meals for their children, grandparents wait hours in line for minimal rations, and healthcare is increasingly unavailable. Schools remain closed, fueling child labor, early marriage, and deepening insecurity.
He emphasized that the Rohingya ask for survival and dignity, not luxury. Citizenship, stripped in 1982, must be restored before any repatriation is possible. “Sending us back now means sending us to war, famine, and death,” he warned, criticizing the international community’s failure to act decisively after the 2017 genocide.
The Weakness of International Justice
Tanvir Munim, an international criminal law expert at City St. George’s College, University of London, explained that repeated violence is rooted in structural discrimination, the denial of citizenship, and geopolitical interests.
While the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ) have launched processes, enforcement remains weak without political will. Munim argued that a UN Security Council referral could strengthen the ICC’s mandate, allowing for prosecutions against individuals across all armed groups involved in crimes against the Rohingya.
Systematic Discrimination and Dehumanization
Kindra Lakusta, from the UN’s International Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), traced the persecution’s roots to decades of systematic discrimination. Rohingya have long been denied citizenship, excluded from education and healthcare, barred from political participation, and subjected to land confiscation and home destruction.
She highlighted how state propaganda and media-fueled dehumanization enabled mass violence, including the 2017 clearance operations that forced more than 750,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh. The cycle continues today, with ongoing displacement and abuse targeting those who remain inside Myanmar.
Lakusta stressed that justice and accountability are essential: “Without prosecutions and recognition of crimes, the violence will not end.”
The Role of the Arakan Army
Dr. Ullah also addressed the role of the Arakan Army (AA), which has gained significant control in Rakhine since the 2021 coup. While some ethnic groups resist the junta to defend their communities, the AA has also committed atrocities against Rohingya civilians, including drone strikes during Eid celebrations that killed hundreds.
He warned that the AA’s long-term vision of a “Free Arakan” could mean further displacement of the Rohingya, destabilizing borders with Bangladesh and India through cross-border recruitment and demographic engineering.
Challenges for Justice Mechanisms
Experts also raised concern over cuts to funding for the IIMM, which collects and preserves evidence of atrocities from 2011 onwards. Reduced resources threaten the loss of critical staff and technical capacity, weakening efforts to authenticate evidence and prepare for future prosecutions.
Combined with shrinking humanitarian budgets, the cuts leave the Rohingya doubly vulnerable: unprotected on the ground and unrepresented in international courts.
Call for Global Action
The session ended with urgent appeals for coordinated humanitarian and legal responses:
- Maintain food, health, and education support in refugee camps.
- Pressure Myanmar’s armed groups to stop targeting civilians.
- Strengthen ICC and ICJ processes to ensure accountability.
- Amplify Rohingya voices in shaping their future.
Dr. Ullah reminded participants that behind every statistic is a family struggling to survive.
“If we walk away now, we risk an entire people disappearing from their homeland,” he said.
The discussion underscored the need for immediate, global attention. Without sustained humanitarian aid and effective legal action, the Rohingya crisis risks sliding further into neglect, even as atrocities continue in Arakan.
