Opinion: Responding to the Ongoing Genocide of the Rohingya & Civil War in Myanmar
Map and flag of Myanmar. (Graphic made by BBC)
Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a new series by the Anti-Racist Collective, a student organization seeking to “deconstruct racial discrimination on campus.” Their series is titled “World Conflicts & Humanitarian Exigency.”
By Oumye Toure, Anti-Racist Collective President
I want to preface by stating the importance of employing empathy and understanding when learning about any conflict, domestically and internationally. Every number is a person with values, thoughts, friends, and family. Likewise, every life has just as much value as yours and your beloved ones.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is a country located in South Asia bordering Thailand, Laos, Bangladesh, China and India. In 1962 a military regime took over the country, leading to sanctions and international isolation from much of the world.
In 2011, the military agreed to share power with a civilian government. Elections followed in 2015, won by the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi. In the 2021 election, the NLD won again though this time the military disputed the result. They staged a coup to take back power and imprisoned Suu Kyi. This led to the ongoing civil war, sparked especially by violent military responses to peaceful civilian protests. Mass demonstrations were met with mass killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and indiscriminate attacks that, according to global human rights organizations, amount to crimes against humanity & war crimes.
Civilians have built armed resistance to the military, primarily through ethnic armed groups and new resistance organizations. Ethnic armed groups have existed for 60 years and continue to fight for distinctive autonomy, while new resistance groups formed in response to the 2021 coup. The new resistance is often trained by ethnic armed organizations. The People Defense Forces (PDF) are the primary rival opposition government, and armed ethnic organizations are credited with making significant strides against the military regime.
As a result of their mobilization, the military regime maintains full control of only 21% of the country, primarily Myanmar’s major cities. The regime utilizes scorched earth tactics to suppress opposition; this tactic destroys infrastructure, crops and any possible resource for survival or further mobilization.
More than 3.5 million Burmese people have been internally displaced, an increase of nearly 1 million in the last year. Over one-third of the population, 19.9 million people, require humanitarian assistance to meet basic needs. An estimated 15.2 million people require food assistance, and the number of people with preventable diseases is increasing.
Violence against aid workers, overwhelming disease outbreaks, and climate disasters such as cyclones and floods have significantly increased hardship in pursuing safety for civilians. Sexual and gender-based violence has increased dramatically since 2021. The military’s airstrikes are killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure like schools, markets, religious centers and medical facilities. There are an average of three airstrikes per day and the increase in airstrikes in areas with no active conflict demonstrates increased hostilities and escalation from the regime.
Despite borders being controlled by resistance groups, the Burmese are receiving little to no foreign humanitarian aid. Aside from the involvement of China, which supports both the army and ethnic groups through arms, Myanmar receives a lack of diplomatic engagement.
The Rohingya
The Rakhine state, located in Myanmar, is home to the primarily Muslim Rohingya ethnic group. They are a religious minority with the majority of the country being Buddhist. The Rohingya face systemic abuses including apartheid, persecution and deprivation of liberties, which amount to crimes against humanity. They are confined to camps and villages with no freedom of movement, cut off from access to sufficient food, health care, education and livelihoods. They are even denied citizenship under Myanmar’s 1982 citizenship law, which renders them stateless.
In 2017, around 730,000 Rohingya people fled to Bangladesh attempting to escape genocidal violence, joining hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled in prior waves of persecution. Currently, an estimated 600,000 Rohingya remain under oppressive rule in Myanmar. Rohingya Muslims have been victims of abhorrent violence including but not limited to massacres, rape and property destruction through arson.
That same year, soldiers systematically killed and raped Rohingya villagers before torching their homes, destroying nearly 400 villages and communities. The military regime has imposed new movement restrictions and aid blockages on Rohingya camps and villages, increasing water scarcity, food shortages, disease and malnutrition. At least 2,000 Rohingya have been arrested, hundreds being children, for “unauthorized traveling.” Many have been sentenced to the maximum of five years in prison.
Empirical & Speculative Engagement of the United States
The violent implications of the military regime in Myanmar warrant international intervention through various channels. This may include humanitarian assistance, support for resistance forces and further sanctions to discourage the regime. The U.S., like any other member of the global community, should prioritize safety and resist oppressive violence to civilians.
The engagement of the United States should not be limited to former President Joe Biden’s prior declaration of a national emergency in Myanmar (Executive Order 14014). Rather, the U.S. government should actively take action against the regime and provide necessary resources to prevent the undermining of Myanmar’s democratic process. Upholding and encouraging democracy requires supporting efforts to maintain democracy and prevent military repression. According to the State Department, “the United States has led an international effort to use sanctions, diplomatic engagement, and other tools to pressure the military regime to return Burma to the path to democracy.”
The recent executive order issued by President Donald Trump that froze all foreign aid claims that “the United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values.” Further, it states, “They serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries.”
As a result, speculative engagement with Myanmar has been preemptively hindered. America’s prior feat under Biden’s presidency to isolate the regime and pressure the Burmese state to transition its power should be strengthened and pursued with humanitarian consideration of Burmese citizens and the Rohingya ethnic group.
Advocacy
You can conduct research and use your voice academically, socially and professionally to discuss the ongoing civil war and genocide in Myanmar. There are ongoing efforts for policy changes, as mentioned in the brief description of Refugees International that interested individuals can pursue. Learning shouldn’t be the limit of your involvement with oppression. Below are some resources to aid in your pursuit of knowledge.
Organizations that Provide Assistance
Zakat: Provides aid to Rohingya muslims to provide relief through food packages, medical treatment, mosquito nets, blankets, cooking equipment and temporary shelter equipment. You can donate, fundraise or volunteer.
Rohingya Culture Center: Located in Chicago, they are described as a “community-based social service organization serving the needs of the Rohingya refugee population in Chicago.” RCC provides a variety of programs for the Rohiyna including ESL class, religious education, youth sports, academic support, adult tutoring, case management and health support. You can donate and/or pursue involvement with the organization through outreach or internship opportunities.
International Rescue Committee: Funds shelter programs that help displaced and vulnerable communities survive and recover, and works with local partners in the Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayah and Kayin states of Myanmar. They focus on improving health, protection and access to water in the country.
Women’s Refugee Commission: Focuses on the impact of the crisis in Myanmar on women and children which includes Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Their top priorities are funding for programs in support of refugees and spreading awareness through advocacy. They have written on sexual violence against Rohingya men and boys, gender inequality and holding the Myanmar military accountable for violence against women.
Doctors Without Borders: They primarily treat refugees in camps located in neighboring Bangladesh. Many refugees arrive with gunshot wounds, injuries from landmines or poor general health due to a lack of access to vital medications in Myanmar.
Refugees International: Policy advocacy for the BURMA act, which called for the “provision of humanitarian assistance and authorizes funding to support Myanmar civil society and to investigate atrocities.”
UNICEF: Delivers relief through addressing malnutrition and child protection, creating youth centers, prioritizing education, providing access to safe water and imperative healthcare resources.
Resources for Further Education
“Myanmar – Genocide of the Rohingya” by World Without Genocide
United Nations Human Rights Panel, 2023, United Nations
Timeline of “Burmas Path to Genocide” by the United States Holocaust Musuemm
Introduction to “The Plight of the Rohingya” by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
“Myanmar: No Justice, No Freedom for Rohingya 5 Years On” by Human Rights Watch
