USCIRF Calls for Action Against Burmese Military’s Genocidal Campaign and Expanded Assistance for Rohingya Survivors

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) marks the sixth anniversary of the Burmese military’s genocidal campaign against the predominantly Muslim Rohingya community in Rakhine State. USCIRF calls for accountability for the country’s ruling military junta and the need for the international community to expand assistance for nations that have hosted mass numbers of displaced Rohingya survivors, in particular Bangladesh, where a funding crisis threatens the humanitarian needs of those refugees.

“On this day in 2017, the Burmese military reignited its oppression of Rohingya Muslims through attempted genocide, displacing over a million Rohingyas abroad and leaving some 600,000 behind in apartheid-like conditions. The genocide perpetrators have yet to be held accountable for these atrocities,” said USCIRF Commissioner Mohamed Magid. “The Rohingya refugees want to simply return to their homes, which they are unable to do. We appreciate the consistent generosity of the Bangladeshi government who has given refuge to around a million displaced people and urge for an increase of U.S. assistance in support of these efforts.” 

Earlier this year, USCIRF welcomed the launch of the 2023 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis in Bangladesh with new funding for programs in Bangladesh which provides life-sustaining support to nearly 980,000 predominantly Muslim Rohingya refugees. In June 2023, during a United Nations Human Rights Council panel discussion, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, noted that approximately 600,000 Rohingyas remain in Burma. She also highlighted a fundamental step toward ending the crisis was the full recognition of the right to citizenship for all Rohingya individuals.

“USCIRF reiterates its conviction that Burma cannot secure the human rights of its people, including Rohingyas, while the Burmese military remains in power,” added USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper. “We call on the U.S. government to fulfil its obligations under the Burma Act of 2022 to work with partners in the international community as well opposition groups to ensure that a post-coup Burma includes justice, voluntary repatriation, and restored citizenship for the Rohingya community.”

In its 2023 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate Burma as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for its systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. In February 2023, USCIRF held a hearing to discuss this urgent and ongoing crisis. In November 2022, a USCIRF delegation traveled to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh to assess the current conditions that Burmese Rohingya refugees are facing. The findings of this visit were discussed in a USCIRF Spotlight podcast episode.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].