After five years of exodus, the Rohingyas of Burma await justice

The Rohingyas, Burma's Muslim minority, were forced to exodus in 2017 to flee the abuses of the Burmese army

Already five years of exodus.

In 2017, some 740,000 Rohingyas took refuge in Bangladesh to flee the abuses of the Burmese army and Buddhist militias, which today earned Burma a complaint of genocide before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

From rebel attacks punished with deadly reprisals to exodus, from the military junta's coup to accusations of genocide,

20 Minutes looks

back on the main events that have affected the Rohingya population over the past five years.

Rebel attacks and reprisals

On August 25, 2017, insurgents from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched around 30 attacks on police stations in Rakhine State (west).

At least twelve policemen are killed.

The army retaliates with raids on Rohingya villages, presented as anti-terrorist operations.

The UN mentions at least 1,000 deaths in the first two weeks, mostly civilians according to opponents of the regime.

There are reports of murders, rapes and arson.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya are fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh, where they are settling in already overcrowded makeshift camps.

Aung San Suu Kyi comes out of silence

Burma's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi said she was open to a Rohingya return on Sept. 19 in an English-language speech to foreigners.

The international community denounces its ambiguity with regard to the Muslim minority, stateless persons considered by Burmese society as foreigners threatening the national identity.

On November 23, Burma and Bangladesh sign an agreement on the return "within two months" of refugees.

The text remains a dead letter.

Suspicion of genocide

On August 27, 2018, UN investigators called for international justice to prosecute Burmese army chief Min Aung Hlaing and five other high-ranking officers for "genocide", "crimes against humanity" and "crimes of war ".

On December 20, the Burmese army carries out new “cleansing operations” in Rakhine State after attacks, one of which is attributed to Rohingyas.

US sanctions

On July 16, 2019, Washington announced sanctions against the army chief and three other military officials.

From August 22, some 3,500 Rohingyas are allowed to return to Burma if they wish.

None present themselves at the border, for lack of security guarantees.

Legal proceedings

On November 11, 2019, The Gambia, mandated by the 57 member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), begins an action against Burma for "acts of genocide" before the ICJ, the highest court of the United Nations. .

For its part, the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose headquarters is also in The Hague, gives the green light to an investigation.

At the same time, a complaint was filed in Argentina, invoking the principle of universal justice.

Aung San Suu Kyi before the ICJ

On December 11, 2019, Aung San Suu Kyi appeared personally before the ICJ to defend her country.

She admits that the army may have used excessive force, but denies the charges of genocide.

On January 23, 2020, the ICJ ordered Burma to "take all measures within its power" to prevent any crime of genocide.

Burmese army coup

On February 1, 2021, the Burmese army overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

With Min Aung Hlaing at its head, the junta began a bloody repression, marked at the end of July 2022 by four executions, the first in the country for more than thirty years.

Aung San Suu Kyi, charged with a multitude of offences, has already been sentenced to seventeen years in prison and faces decades in prison in total.

The 77-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner is currently in custody.

The competent ICJ

On March 21, 2022, the United States officially recognizes that the Rohingyas were victims of a "genocide" perpetrated by the Burmese army, saying that there is clear evidence of an attempt to "destruct" this Muslim minority. .

On July 22, the ICJ, rejecting the objections of the Burmese government, declares itself competent to judge the accusation of genocide brought by The Gambia.

On the night of August 9 to 10, two Rohingya leaders were shot dead in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, the latest victims of a series of murders attributed, according to Rohingya sources, to ARSA.

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