The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, have faced systematic disenfranchisement and persecution, culminating in their statelessness. Central to their plight is Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law, which effectively stripped the Rohingya of citizenship. The law established three tiers of citizenship but excluded the Rohingya, deeming them "non-nationals" despite their centuries-long presence in the region. It required proof of ancestry predating 1823, which most Rohingya could not provide due to lack of documentation, rendering them stateless.
Successive waves of violence and oppression have forced the Rohingya to flee Myanmar. In the late 1970s, Operation Nagamin marked the first major exodus, targeting the Rohingya under the guise of rooting out illegal immigrants. Similar campaigns in the 1990s pushed more Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh. The situation worsened in 2017, when a brutal military crackdown described by the United Nations as ethnic cleansing forced over 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh in a matter of months. Today, nearly a million Rohingya refugees reside in overcrowded camps near Cox’s Bazar.
In Bangladesh, these camps are among the world’s largest and most densely populated refugee settlements. Conditions are dire: residents lack access to basic necessities, education, and employment opportunities. The camps, plagued by poverty, malnutrition, and disease, offer little hope for a dignified future. With no clear pathway to repatriation or resettlement, the Rohingya face a grim limbo, trapped in a cycle of statelessness and marginalization. Their plight underscores the urgent need for international attention and a sustainable resolution to one of the most protracted refugee crises in modern history.
Rohingya refugee community of Cox's Bazar, living between the beach and flood prone areas of the city. Najirar Tak, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, December 2015
Woman in her makeshift shelter in a camp for un-registered Rohingya in Bangladesh, June 2015
New part of Kutupalong refugee camp for Rohingya being extended on daily basis to cope with the 100,000 Rohingya that have fled violence in Rakhine since October 2016. Kutupalong, Bangladesh, February 2017
Rohingya refugee camp during monsoon, Shamplapur, Bangladesh, June 2015
Makeshift shelter for Rohingya, Teknaf, Bangladesh, June 2015
Rohingya families that arrived few days ago, fleeing persecution and ethnic cleansing campaigns in northern Rakhine. Balukhali refugee camp, Bangladesh, February 2017
Makeshift camp near Teknaf housing un-registered Rohingya, East Nayapara, Shamlapur, Bangladesh, June 2015
Rohingya illegal camp settlement near Shamplapur, Bangladesh, June 2015
Rohingya refugees in Teknaf district at the border with Myanmar, Bangladesh, June 2015
Rohingya refugees at an informal coranic school, Teknaf, Bangladesh, June 2015
Rohingya makeshift refugee camp near Teknaf in Bangladesh, December 2015
Rohingya refugees living in the illigal part of Kutupalong camp, a section reserved for un-registered refugees receiving no support at all. Ukhiya, Bangladesh, December 2015
Rohingya refugees in an illigal makeshift camp, East Nayapara, Shamplapur, Bangladesh, June 2015
Teknaf tip between the Naf river and the Bay of Bengal, one of the main arrival and departure point for persecuted Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. Dakhinpara, Bangladesh, December 2015
Rohingya boy, Shamplapur refugee camp, Bangladesh, December 2015
Shamlapur beach near Teknaf, Bangladesh, May 2016
Rohingya boy, Shamplapur refugee camp, Bangladesh, December 2015
Rohingya refugee, Char Para on Maheskhali peninsula, Bangladesh, May 2016
Nazirar Tek settlement for stateless Rohingya near the fish drying fields of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, May 2016
Rohingya refugee, Char Para on Maheskhali peninsula, Bangladesh, May 2016
Latrine block after cyclone Roanu. Nazarir Tek settlement for Rohingya refugees. Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, May 2016
Rohingya refugees that arrived few days ago, fleeing persecution and ethnic cleansing campaigns in northern Rakhine. Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh, February 2017
Rohingya refugee, Char Para on Maheskhali peninsula, Bangladesh, May 2016
Rohingya children playing, West Nayapare camp for unregistered refugees from Burma. Shamlapur near Teknaf, Bangladesh, May 2016
Late afternoon games at the beach near Nazarir Tek settlement for un-registered Rohingya refugees. Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, May 2016
Rohingya children that arrived during the previous wave of violence in Rakhine in 2012. Kutupalong camp second extension for Rohingya refugees that arrived between 2008 and 2013, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, February 2017
New areas being used to extend Kutupalong refugee camp and host the 50,000 Rohingya refugees that have arrived there since October 2016. Kutupalong extension, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, February 2017
Rohingya girl that arrived few days ago with her family fleeing persecution and ethnic cleansing campaigns in northern Rakhine. Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh, February 2017
Improvised medressa or coranic school for Rohingya children that arrived from Myanmar during the past weeks. Having no access to formal education, un-registered Rohingya refugees have only the coranic schools as a sole form of education. New part of Kutupalong refugee camp for newly arrived refugees from Myanmar. Cox's Bazar, February 2017
A young Rohingya refugee with traditional tanakha protecting the skin. Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh, November 2017
New makeshift construction for the new wave of Rohingya refugees arriving In Bangladesh. Nearly 100,000 persecuted refugees have arrived from Maungdaw township in Myanmar since October 2016. New extension of Kutupalong refugee camp, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, February 2017
Newly built shelters at a new camp established to cope with a part of the 80,000 Rohingya that have fled northern Maungdaw township in Myanmar since the begining of the robust security crackdown in October 2016. New part of Kutupalong camp, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, February 2017
Rohingya refugee camp in southern Bangladesh, February 2017
Newly built part of Kutupalong refugee camp hosting more than 50,000 Rohingya refugees that have arrived in Kutupalong camp alone during the past 3 months. Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, February 2017
Newly arrived Rohingya refugees in Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh, November 2017
A deep tube well is being constructed in new makeshift blocks for the newly arrived Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. More than 650,000 refugees have fled persecution in neighbouring Myanmar since August 2017. Aid agencies are concerned the situation will spin out of control due to lack of clean water and lack of sanitation. Kutupalong refugee camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, November 2017
Newly built shelters at a new camp established to cope with a part of the 80,000 Rohingya that have fled northern Maungdaw township in Myanmar since the begining of the robust security crackdown in October 2016. New part of Kutupalong camp, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, February 2017
Religious class for Rohingya children that have recently fled from Myanmar, Balukhali camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, November 2017
Religious class for Rohingya children that have recently fled from Myanmar, Kutupalong camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, November 2017
Rohingya children on the way to help fetch firewood, essential for cooking. Kutupalong extension for newly arrived refugees from Myanmar, Bangladesh, November 2017
