27/07/2025
Article about
Longing for Justice and Citizenship: The Rohingya Quest for a Homeland Before and Now
Introduction
For decades, the Rohingya people have been subjected to persecution, statelessness, and displacement. Rooted in the historical land of Arakan (present-day Rakhine State in Myanmar), the Rohingya are indigenous people who have lived in the region for centuries. Yet today, they find themselves either languishing in refugee camps in Bangladesh or living under a new and rising force of terror: the Arakan Army (AA). As their historical land continues to be militarized and their identity suppressed, the Rohingya people hold tightly to a collective dream—a return to their homeland with justice, citizenship, and dignity.
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1. The Lost Homeland: Arakan Before
Arakan, once a flourishing region of ethnic and cultural diversity, was home to the Rohingya for generations. Despite facing social and political challenges under British colonial rule and post-independence Burma, the Rohingya maintained deep-rooted ties to their land, especially in northern Rakhine districts like Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung.
The 1970s and 1980s marked the beginning of systematic exclusion. The 1982 Citizenship Law effectively rendered the Rohingya stateless, stripping them of their legal recognition and freedom. Despite these assaults, they stayed in their homeland with resilience, farming their lands, educating their children, and praying in ancient mosques built by their ancestors.
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2. The Genocide and Mass Displacement
In 2016 and 2017, Myanmar's military (Tatmadaw) launched massive clearance operations under the guise of counterterrorism, leading to widespread massacres, mass rapes, and the burning of entire villages. These actions were internationally condemned as genocide. More than one million Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, joining those who had already crossed in earlier waves of violence.
Inside the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, displaced Rohingya still wait for justice. Though physically safe from bombs and bullets, they suffer from identity erosion, lack of formal education, joblessness, trauma, and the permanent uncertainty of statelessness. The dream of returning to Arakan remains alive in every tent, every classroom, and every prayer.
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3. Under the New Brutality: The Arakan Army (AA)
In recent years, as Myanmar plunges deeper into civil war after the 2021 coup, the Arakan Army—a powerful Rakhine insurgent group—has taken control of large areas in Rakhine State. While the AA claims to fight for the liberation of the Rakhine people from Burmese domination, it has done little to include or protect the Rohingya.
Reports from Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and surrounding areas reveal new patterns of persecution under AA rule. Rohingya communities are forcibly recruited, used as human shields, or accused of collaborating with the military. Villages have been burned, civilians murdered, and entire families displaced again—this time by a new oppressor, replacing the old one. Humanitarian access is restricted, and the voice of the Rohingya is silenced under the brutal occupation of this emerging force.
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4. The Dual Struggle: Camps and Occupation
Whether in the camps of Bangladesh or the warzones of Arakan, the Rohingya now face a dual front of struggle:
In Bangladesh, they are refugees without rights. No citizenship, no official education, no employment opportunities, and now, increasing pressure to be repatriated without guarantees.
In Arakan, those who stayed behind are trapped between the Burmese military and the AA. Their suffering is invisible to the world, their voices drowned in propaganda and fear.
This situation creates a dangerous paradox: return is unsafe, yet life in the camps is unbearable.
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5. Longing for Justice and Citizenship
For the Rohingya, justice is not merely about returning home. It is about restoring humanity. It is about the right to exist with dignity in their ancestral land. Justice includes:
International recognition of the genocide and criminal accountability for the perpetrators.
Restoration of full citizenship rights in Myanmar.
The right of return with security guarantees, livelihood opportunities, and land restitution.
A place in the future of Rakhine State that recognizes their identity, history, and contribution.
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6. The Homeland Dream: A Nation Within a Nation
The Rohingya vision is not one of revenge but coexistence. They seek a homeland where they can live in peace as equal citizens—Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and others—together. They long for:
Self-governance or autonomy to protect their people.
Cultural freedom to speak their language and practice their religion.
Representation in local and national politics.
Truth and reconciliation, not forced silence.
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7. A Message to the World
The international community must understand that silence equals complicity. The Rohingya genocide did not end in 2017. It evolves with new faces and new flags. Whether under a uniform or a rebel flag, oppression is oppression. The Rohingya call on the world to:
Recognize the crimes of the Arakan Army.
Include Rohingya voices in peacebuilding and federal dialogues in Myanmar.
Support education, leadership, and digital rights for Rohingya youth.
Pressure Myanmar for meaningful repatriation processes, not forced returns.
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Conclusion: We Still Stand
Despite genocide, statelessness, and betrayal by neighbors and rebels alike, the Rohingya people still stand. Their longing for justice and citizenship, their love for their lost homeland, and their resistance against erasure continue to shine. Whether in Bangladesh or Arakan, the Rohingya remain a nation without a state—but not without hope.
Their message is clear:
We belong. We remember. We resist. We will return.
Rohingya Leadership Forum
