From Loss to Resilience: Rohingya Mark Genocide Remembrance Day Across the Globe

August 25 marks the 8th anniversary of the Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day, a solemn occasion for one of the world’s most persecuted community. For the Rohingya, this date represents not just the brutal crackdown of 2017 but also the culmination of a century of systemic discrimination, ethnic cleansing, and statelessness. The genocide was not a sudden eruption of violence—it was the result of decades of planning, legislation, and repeated campaigns of expulsion that stripped the Rohingya of citizenship, land, and dignity.

Early Roots of Exclusion (Pre-Independence to 1970s)

Historical records confirm that Muslim communities were well established in Arakan (now Rakhine State) centuries before British colonization. Anthony Irwin, a British officer in 1944, described the “Musulman Arakanese” as a people who had lived in the region for over 200 years, even comparing them to “a nation within a nation.” Similarly, a British administrator, Major R.E. Roberts, noted in 1777 that three-fourths of Arakan’s population were Muslims.

Yet, ethnic division sharpened during colonial and wartime upheavals. The 1942 Arakan massacres, during World War II, left tens of thousands dead and planted seeds of distrust between Buddhist Rakhine and Rohingya Muslims.

Operation Nagamin (1978) – The First Major Exodus

In 1978, the Burmese military launched Operation Dragon King (Nagamin) under General Ne Win. Officially aimed at screening for “illegal immigrants,” the campaign descended into widespread violence, rape, and property seizures. Nearly 300,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, though most were forced back under a bilateral repatriation deal. Many of their National Registration Cards (NRCs) were confiscated and never returned, stripping them of recognized citizenship.

The 1982 Citizenship Law – Legalized Statelessness

• After Operation Nagamin, Ne Win’s regime sought a permanent solution: the 1982 Citizenship Law. This law restricted full citizenship to “national races” who could prove ancestral presence before 1824 (the start of British rule). Rohingya were deliberately excluded.
• U Ne Win, in his October 1982 speech, branded certain groups as “guests” and declared they would never be trusted with shaping the nation’s destiny. Dr. Aye Kyaw, a Rakhine nationalist involved in drafting the law, admitted the cut-off date was chosen to erase Rohingya identity from Burma’s history.
• The law created a tiered system of citizenship, relegating Rohingya to statelessness. This legal exclusion marked the beginning of institutionalized apartheid, leading to land seizures, restricted movement, denial of education, and systemic persecution.

Recurrent Expulsions (1990s–2012)

• Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation (1991–1992): Another military campaign displaced more than 250,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh.
• 2012 Rakhine State riots: Violence between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims killed hundreds and displaced over 100,000. Rohingya villages were torched, and survivors were forced into segregated camps where they remain confined today.
• These cycles of violence showed a clear pattern: periodic “clearance operations” to reduce Rohingya presence and push them toward exile.

August 25, 2017 – The “Final Clearance”

• The deadliest chapter came on 25 August 2017, when the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked police posts. The Myanmar military’s response was swift, disproportionate, and genocidal. Soldiers and local militias carried out a campaign of:
• Mass killings: Thousands of men, women, and children were executed.
• Sexual violence: Rape was systematically used as a weapon of war.
• Village burnings: Satellite images confirmed hundreds of Rohingya villages were razed.
• Forced displacement: More than 740,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, joining earlier refugees in sprawling camps in Cox’s Bazar.
• A UN Fact-Finding Mission later concluded these atrocities amounted to crimes against humanity and genocide, finding evidence of premeditated planning by the Myanmar military as early as 2013.

International Response and Inaction

While the United States and several nations recognized the atrocities as genocide, Myanmar continues to deny responsibility. Aung San Suu Kyi, once a global human rights icon, defended the military at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), deeply tarnishing her reputation. Despite international pressure, the 1982 Citizenship Law remains in place, ensuring that Rohingya remain stateless both inside Myanmar and in exile. Over 1.2 million Rohingya now live in refugee camps in Bangladesh, trapped between humanitarian crisis and uncertain futures.

The 8th Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day (2025)

For the Rohingya, 25 August is both a day of mourning and a call for justice. It marks not only the 2017 massacres but also a century of systematic persecution—from the colonial divide-and-rule to the discriminatory citizenship laws and planned mass expulsions. Every year, Rohingya communities in exile hold rallies, vigils, and prayers to honor their lost loved ones. Their message is clear: recognition, justice, and the right of safe return to their ancestral homeland.

The Rohingya genocide was not a sudden tragedy of 2017 but the result of long-term structural discrimination and state-led planning. From Operation Nagamin to the 1982 Citizenship Law, to the “final clearance” of 2017, the Rohingya story reveals a century-long trajectory of exclusion, statelessness, and annihilation. Eight years on, remembrance is not just about honoring the victims but also about demanding accountability, reform, and the restoration of rights. Until the 1982 Citizenship Law is abolished and the Rohingya are recognized as rightful citizens of Myanmar, the genocide remains ongoing in slow form—through camps, displacement, and denial of identity.

— Published by WMF News