Between 2016 and 2017, the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group in Myanmar's Rakhine State, faced extreme persecution, leading many observers to label the violence as ethnic cleansing or even genocide. In response to attacks on security posts by Rohingya militants, Myanmar's military carried out brutal operations targeting civilians, involving mass killings, torture, and sexual violence. Entire villages were destroyed, and families were displaced, with the military's actions resembling signs of genocide as outlined by the United Nations Genocide Convention. Women and girls were particularly subjected to horrific sexual violence, which was used as a weapon of war. Babies and children were killed, and many survivors were left with severe physical and psychological trauma.
The international community has condemned these actions, and in 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Myanmar must take steps to prevent further genocide and preserve evidence. However, the political challenges of holding Myanmar accountable have hindered meaningful action. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, facing dire conditions in overcrowded refugee camps. Despite humanitarian efforts, refugees continue to suffer from inadequate shelter, sanitation, and healthcare. Many survivors are emotionally scarred, and repatriation remains uncertain, leaving the Rohingya in a prolonged state of displacement and fear.
The ongoing crisis highlights the failure of the international community to prevent genocide and protect vulnerable populations, leaving the Rohingya with little hope for justice or a better future.
Mohammad Idris, 10 years old from Reskinapara near Maungdaw. He was hit in the head by a lost bullet when the village was attacked. He escaped to Bangladesh with his brother, sisters and parents. Nobody of his family got injured except him. He was for 2 months in hospital after reaching Bangladesh. Lambashiya, Kutupalong, Bangladesh, March 2018
A new extension to the already overcrowded refugee camps to shelter part of the 650,000 newly arrived Rohingya refugees. The Rohingya refugee camps are now sheltering Rohingya victims of the 1978, 1992, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2017 ethnic cleansing campaigns. By begining 2018 more than one million Rohingya refugees live in tha camps near Cox's Bazar making it the largest refugee camps in the world. Balukhali section, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Rohima Khatun, 45 years, from Chut Pyin near Rathedaung in Myanmar. Her husband, two sons of 20 and 25 were killed and her 18 year old daughter was killed after being gang-raped. She fled to Bangladesh with her only surviving daughter and son in law. Her family was killed inside their house before being set on fire by the military and local Rakhine mobs. She remembers that the village was surrounded by at least 100 military aided by local Rakhine mobs. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
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. Lambashiya section of Kutupalong refugee camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Ongoing religious examination to become an islamic scholar. Medressa in Balukhali refugee camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
Momtaj Begum, 30 years old and her sole surviving child, Ruziya, 7 years old from Tula Tuli village in Maungdaw township. Tula Tuli village was attacked by Myanmar military forces on 30 August 2017 and survivors have witnessed extreme atrocities committed by military forces that international human rights groups have called brutal ethnic cleansing with possible genocidal intent. Momtaj Begum had 3 of her four children and husband executed and decapitated in front of her. She was consequently raped in front of her sole surviving daughter who was assaulted with a machette and left for dead. After the rape and the killings the house was locked by the military and set a blaze. She managed to escape with her daughther who had severe head wounds through the back door, while the military stayed in front of the burning houses. Doing so she was severely burned on more than 80% of her body, her daughter has several machette wounds on her skull. They arrived 5 days later in Bangladesh where she stayed one month in the MSF hospital. Her husband and 3 other boy children of 9,11 and 12 years were all burned in the house after being killed. Since our last meeting in November, they continue to struggle and to suffer as a result of the wounds and trauma. Going to the clinic to get care is challanging as it take 1$ for the trip and queues of more than one day. Also to collect the food rations she has to send her daughter as she has difficulties to walk. Her only surviving daughter has further head aches as a result of the machette wounds to her skull. Balukhali refugee camp in Bangladesh, March 2018
Balukhali refugee camp for newly arrived Rohingya, nearly one million Rohingya have fled persecution and brutal ethnic cleansing campaigns carried out by the military since October 2016. Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Hasina Begum, 20 years, from Chut Pyin, Rathedaung. Her husband was killed by Myanmar military during the attack on the village. She has one son and one daughter and fled with them and her parents to Bangladesh. Days before the attack they were forbidden to leave to buy food in the market and were basically under a 24 hours curfew within the village. The curfew was implemented by local Rakhine mobs, they didnt expect though what would follow. During the attack on the village about 120 villagers were collected and men and women were separated in the fields. More than 100 military were present. About 50 women were abducted and taken away to be raped. Their husbands were executed on the spot. Her baby who was with her, was taken away and given to her mother. All women (about 50) were taken to the local school building. Before being raped they were stripped searched for money and gold. While being raped they were putting heavy logs on their bodies so they wouldnt move. They were gang raped for 2 days. More than 100 military and locals were present in the school, maybe more groups passed during the 2 days. most of the time the women would be semi consicious. During the second night around 2AM, 5 of them including Hasina decided to try escaping through a back door. They were barely dressed and disorientated. Eventually they found their surviving families hiding in the jungle surrounding their village. The next early morning they all fled to Bangladesh where she now lives with her parents, one brother and 2 children. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
Rohingya child who broke his arm while playing. Several clinics and health post have been set up in the refugee camps since last year's large influx. But with more than one million refugees in the camps, the services are streched to the extreme and insufficient to reach all in need. Balukhali refugee camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
A Rohingya refugee that recently arrived from Myanmar. Rohingya have fled Myanmar since August and the start of the latest military security operations that are now widely qualified as ethnic cleansing campaigns. Balukhali camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Sufayra Begun (left) and Fatima Khatun (right), respectively 20 and 28 years, from Chut Pyin, Rathedaung. Survivors of the Chut Pyin massacre and victims of extreme sexual violence. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local Rakhine mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred and dozens of women have been gang-raped in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
A young Rohingya refugee with traditional tanakha protecting the skin. Lambashiya, Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh, March 2018
Rohingya children's playground in Shamplapur refugee camp. Shamplapur, Teknaf, Bangladesh, March 2018
Abdul Karim,19y, Chut Pyin (same village), Rathedaung. He was shopkeeper with his father. Arrived in Sep in BD. Lost his leg, got a prothesis from a donor. Sister, father, brother were killed. Came to BD with one brother and mother. During the attack he was shot in the leg. It took them 7 days to reach BD. Got the first medical care once reaching BD, he was referred to Chittagong where they had to amputate his leg till under the knee as the untreated wound got badly infected. He learns now English to become business man.
A Rohingya girl that recently arrived from Myanmar. Rohingya have fled Myanmar since August and the start of the latest military security operations that are now widely qualified as ethnic cleansing campaigns. Balukhali refugee camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Nur Begum, 25 years from Chut Pyin, Rathedaung. Arrived in September 2017 in Bangladesh. Her husband was killed when their village was attacked end August 2017. She is a victim of torture and rape. She fled to Bangladesh with her 3 sons and daughter, it took them 7 days to reach the Bangladeshi borde. Her father was also killed, being a lone mother she survives on the rations refugees are receiving. She is a refugee for the second time after having fled with her patents in the nineties when she was a young child. She now fled herself with her four children. As she says "I has never known a moment of hapiness in my life since I was born" She was gang-raped by military and local rakhine mobs with 4 other women from the village. While they were assaulted and raped raped their assailants cut off a breast of one of the women. They were taken in a remote place in the hills where they were raped continously by 10-12 people for 5-6 hours. Off the five women all were killed except her. She thinks she was not killed because she was with her 6 month old baby. The other women were decapitated. When she returned to the village to find her family she witnessed between 400 and 500 dead bodies of Rohingya villagers. Among them she saw her brother and sister in law and her father. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
Early morning at the newly established refugee camp for Rohingya refugees. Balukhali camp near Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Shaju Begun, 40 years, from Chut Pyin near Rathedaung in Myanmar. Her husband, 2 daughters and 2 sons were killed when their village was attacked. While going inside the burning house to safe her younger children she got burned all over her body. She escaped from the fire and collapsed in the paddy fields where two of her surviving younger children found her. They fled to Bangladesh after that. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
Elder Rohingya refugee with mental health issues. Fled recently with his care taking wife to Bangladesh. Balukhali refugee camp, March 2018
A Rohingya family building their makeshift shelter with donated materials. The huge influx of refugees during the past months has put an enourmeous strain on the local environment and economy resulting in substantial deforestation, pollution, price hikes and tensions with local communities. Thangkhali refugee camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Survivors of the Chut Pyin massacre and victims of extreme sexual violence, waiting to testify of what happened in their village on 27 August 2017. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local Rakhine mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred and dozens of women have been gang-raped in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
Rohingya refugee that fled recently from persecution in Myanmar, Balukhali refugee camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
Rohingya children collecting pine needles and fire wood that will be used for cooking. Shamplapur beach area, Bangladesh, March 2018
Noor Boshor, 50 years from Garotobil near Maungdaw. Was hit by a shrapnel in the arm when their village was attacked. Made it safely tto Bangladesh with his wife and eight children. Balukhali refugee camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
A plot on a steep hill allocated to build a new refugee camp extension. Although this zone is considered at high risk during the monsoon for landslides, desperate refugees build on whatever piece of land they can use, The huge influx of refugees during the past months has put an enourmeous strain on the local environment and economy resulting in substantial deforestation, pollution, price hikes and tensions with local communities. Balukhali refugee camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Rohingya refugees who fled from northern Rakhine in 2016 and settled themselves near the fish drying processing plants of Cox's Bazar. Najirar Tak, Bangladesh, March 2018
Sufayra Begun, 20 years, from Chut Pyin, Rathedaung. Got married one month before the attack in August 2017. Her husband was shot and killed, along with her father in law and brother by the military. Together with other women and girls she was taken blindfolded and tight to a shed where they would be gang-raped by the military and local rakhine mobs for several hours. Few of them were killed while being abused. Together with eight other women she managed to escape and returned near the village to find family that had survived the massacres. Although she was blindfolded she has recognized the voices of the non-military rapists, all were local Rakhine from the same village. It took her nearly a week to reach Bangladesh in September 2017. She now lives alone with her 4 year old sister, her mother lives in another block of the camp. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
A newly arrived Rohingya refugee at a new extension of the already overcrowded refugee camps to shelter part of the 650,000 newly arrived Rohingya refugees. The Rohingya refugee camps are now sheltering Rohingya victims of the 1978, 1992, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2017 ethnic cleansing campaigns. By begining 2018 more than one million Rohingya refugees live in tha camps near Cox's Bazar making it the largest refugee camps in the world. Balukhali section, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Rape victim, Sufia Khatun, 30 years from Chut Pyin, Rathedaung. She has 3 daughters, one daughter of 14 was gang raped and killed in front of her in the same room where she was raped, by military and local Rakhine which she can identify by name. She has 5 sons that were saved along with 2 of her younger daughters. Her husband was decapitated in front of them. She was gang-raped for a couple of hours by military and local mobs. The main local Rakhine rapists and killers were identified by her by their voice as she was blindfolded and tight while being raped and beaten. She was let go after giving all her gold jewellery and the equivalent of 500 usd in local currency. Two of her brothers and her sister in law were also massacred. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
A new extension to the already overcrowded refugee camps to shelter part of the 650,000 newly arrived Rohingya refugees. The Rohingya refugee camps are now sheltering Rohingya victims of the 1978, 1992, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2017 ethnic cleansing campaigns. By the begining of 2018 more than one million Rohingya refugees live in tha camps near Cox's Bazar making it the largest refugee camps in the world. Thangkhali refugee camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
New makeshift blocks for Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. More than 650,000 refugees have fled persecution in neighbouring Myanmar since August 2017. Balukhali refugee camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Roiza Khatun, 23 years, from Chut Pyin, Rathedaung. Her husband, daughter and one of her 3 sons were killed when the village was attacked. She was gang-raped in her house with 4 other women by 8 to10 military for a couple of hours. Two of the women died while being raped. They were blindfolded so they would recognize their rapists, and their hands would be tight. She lives now with her mother in law, her two surviving sons. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
Korima Khatun, 20 years, from Chut Pyin, Rathedaung. Her husband was killed during the attack on the village, she fled with her 8 month old baby in her arms. She got shot in her wrist and the bullet killed her baby instantly. She took her baby's dead body with her and burried it during her escape. She came alone as her close family were all killed. She now lives in Bangladesh with neighbours. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
A new extension to the already overcrowded refugee camps to shelter part of the 650,000 newly arrived Rohingya refugees. The Rohingya refugee camps are now sheltering Rohingya victims of the 1978, 1992, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2017 ethnic cleansing campaigns. By the begining of 2018 more than one million Rohingya refugees live in tha camps near Cox's Bazar making it the largest refugee camps in the world. Thangkhali refugee camp, Ukhiya, Bangladesh, March 2018
Sufayra Begun, 20 years, from Chut Pyin, Rathedaung. Got married one month before the attack in August 2017. Her husband was shot and killed, along with her father in law and brother by the military. Together with other women and girls she was taken blindfolded and tight to a shed where they would be gang-raped by the military and local rakhine mobs for several hours. Few of them were killed while being abused. Together with eight other women she managed to escape and returned near the village to find family that had survived the massacres. Although she was blindfolded she has recognized the voices of the non-military rapists, all were local Rakhine from the same village. It took her nearly a week to reach Bangladesh in September 2017. She now lives alone with her 4 year old sister, her mother lives in another block of the camp. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
Fatima Khatun, 28 years, from Chut Pyin, Rathedaung. Her father, husband and 8 month old son were killed and decapitated. She was gang-raped twice, once by the military and a second time she was taken away and raped by several local Rakhine residents. When the military attacked the village, most of the men would be killed, the ones surviving are the ones that were hiding in the woods. The women and young girls were rounded up and about 50 of them were selected to be raped in different locations in the area. After being tortured and raped by the military, they would be taken by local Rakhine mobs to be gang-raped again in another locations. She was not blindfolded so could recognize all her rapists which were all from the same area. She fled to Bangladesh with her 3 remaining sons of 6, 8, 10 years old that had managed the flee when the military and local mobs came to the house. Chut Pyin village is one of the numerous Rohingya villages that have been totally wiped out and where severe acts of ethnic cleansing with genocidal intend have been committed by the military and local mobs. Hundreds of Rohingya have been massacred in this village alone. Tangkhali camp, Bangladesh, March 2018
