By: Hafizur Rahman
Cox’s Bazar — For the Rohingya people, August 5 is no longer just a date—it is a painful reminder of a genocide that continues to unfold. While August 25, 2017, is widely recognized as the beginning of Myanmar’s systematic campaign of violence, many Rohingya now view August 5, 2024, as a symbolic Black Day, marking the ongoing atrocities that aim to erase them from their ancestral homeland. For survivors and especially the youth, August 5 has come to represent not a single incident, but a reflection of the relentless suffering and terror they continue to endure.
The Rohingya, rendered stateless by Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law, have faced decades of exclusion, displacement, and violence. Once carried out by Myanmar’s military, this persecution is now being driven by the Arakan Army (AA). Since the launch of “Operation 1027,” the AA has escalated its campaign in Rakhine State—burning villages, blocking humanitarian aid, enforcing communication blackouts, and displacing more than 100,000 Rohingya.
Md Younus Arman, a human rights activist, expressed his sadness: “I have worked very closely with the border communities and witnessed the darkest face of human cruelty. The wounds of the Rohingya crises of 2017 and 2024 are still fresh in my heart—two genocides where the world witnessed the systematic killing of the Rohingya.”
Between April 27 and May 20, 2024, the AA burned 48 Rohingya villages in Buthidaung, leaving over 70,000 displaced and more than 4,000 civilians killed. In early August, artillery and drone strikes struck Maungdaw, killing at least 200. Survivors describe these acts not as random chaos, but as coordinated attacks designed to cleanse Rakhine of the Rohingya people.
“It was a painful experience of my life in 2024, my soul was completely broken. I, along with others, pulled hundreds of lifeless bodies of our Rohingya brothers, sisters, and innocent children from the Naf River. They were brutally killed by the terrorist Arakan Army simply because they were Rohingya,” Younus told Rohingya Khobor.
“My experience on the ground compels me to ask: How can I remain silent? How can I not stand against them when I have held the cold, lifeless hands of innocent Rohingya children who never got the chance to grow up?” Younus added.
The violence has been accompanied by forced displacement, as homes are burned, aid is restricted, and families are pushed to flee. This is more than just conflict—it is a deliberate attempt at ethnic cleansing. Alongside this, economic weaponization has deepened the community’s suffering. In April 2024 alone, Rohingya families were extorted of more than $635,000 under threats of execution or eviction. Security fees, fishing bribes, and the confiscation of livestock forced many into deeper poverty and dependence.
Osman, speaking to Rohingya Khobor, said: “In August 2024, I witnessed the Rohingya people being brutally targeted from both sides—the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA). We are innocent civilians, yet instead of launching attacks against the Arakan Army, the Myanmar government directed drone strikes and airstrikes on Muslim villages. At the same time, the AA issued a chilling statement, warning: ‘Leave your villages. If you don’t leave, we will kill you.'”
Following this threat, the Arakan Army carried out horrific attacks on our village of Haari Para and other villages in Maungdaw, killing hundreds of Rohingya. Thousands more were forced to flee their homes in terror. Along the shores of the sea in Maungdaw and Buthidaung, countless dead bodies now lie, victims of drone attacks and airstrikes.
“In my opinion, the events of August 5, 2024, were even more devastating than those of 2017. On that day, the Arakan Army carried out drone attacks and airstrikes that killed hundreds of innocent people along the seashore. Many dead bodies were later recovered from the Bangladeshi side of the Naf River after the Arakan Army targeted and destroyed a boat carrying fleeing civilians. People who were only trying to save their lives were mercilessly attacked in the middle of the river. This is why I believe August 5 should be remembered as a historical day of genocide—the Naf River Massacre Day, a black day in our history,” Khin Maung Thein, a renowned Rohingya photographer and storyteller, told Rohingya Khobor.
Abductions and sexual violence also continue to haunt the community. More than 6,000 Rohingya were abducted or disappeared in 2024, with many killed when families could not afford ransom. Women and girls remain vulnerable to rape, enslavement, and exploitation, echoing the patterns of abuse first seen during the 2017 crisis.
“The violence shows no sign of stopping. Both the Myanmar government and the Arakan Army continue to commit atrocities against our people. How long can we survive while facing such a systematic genocide?” Osman added.
The international community must take urgent action and put pressure on the Arakan Army to end these massacres against the Rohingya people.
“We fled for our lives after witnessing the killings. There were bodies everywhere,” said Mohammed Osman, a newly arrived survivor, speaking to Rohingya Khobor.
Communication blackouts have further silenced survivors. Phones have been criminalized, and internet access blocked, preventing the outside world from witnessing the full extent of the atrocities. Meanwhile, the AA has reportedly begun resettling Rakhine and Marma communities into cleared Rohingya villages such as Burashikdar Para, Rabaillah, and Minga Lar. On February 25, 2025, mosques and homes in Thaie Chaung were destroyed to erase the Rohingya’s cultural and religious presence, signaling a deliberate effort at demographic engineering.
“Since 2024, the Rakhine Army has mirrored the same brutal policies of the Myanmar military, unleashing systematic violence and persecution against the Rohingya community. Hundreds of innocent lives have been lost through mass killings, arbitrary arrests, village burnings, and forced displacements. Women, children, and the elderly continue to endure inhumane treatment with no access to justice. If their goal is not to eliminate us from Arakan State, then why are Rohingya who attempt to return to their ancestral homes tortured and forced back into Bangladesh? These actions are not random—they are a calculated attempt to erase the Rohingya from their own homeland. The world must no longer turn a blind eye to this silent genocide,” Ro Habib Arkani, a human rights defender working for peace and justice, told Rohingya Khobor.
Though atrocities in May 2024 claimed even higher numbers of lives, August 5 holds a unique place in the hearts of Rohingya survivors. It marked the moment when youth and displaced communities began openly articulating their pain and demanding recognition. One survivor recalled, “On August 5, 2024, at the Maungdaw–Buthidaung border, the second wave of AA attacks brought drone strikes, village raids, and forced displacement. More than 200 were killed.” Field data from the Rohingya FDMN Representative Committee supports these accounts, though the actual death toll may be far higher due to restricted access and ongoing violence.
August 5 is not being declared as a new international genocide day, but it has become a symbol for the Rohingya—a day of mourning, a day to honor the dead, and a day to remind the world that the genocide continues. If August 25, 2017, marked the beginning of Myanmar’s genocidal campaign, then August 5, 2024, must be remembered as one of its many tragic symptoms. It is not about dividing timelines but about preserving memory, awakening conscience, and pressing for justice.
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