25/08/2026
Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day
25 August 2026
Today we pause to remember the events that began on 25 August 2017 in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar.
On that day, following attacks on security posts, Myanmarโs security forces carried out large-scale operations against Rohingya communities. What followed was widespread violence: people were killed, women and girls were subjected to sexual violence, homes and villages were burned, and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee for their lives. Within weeks, more than 740,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh. Independent reports and medical estimates recorded thousands of deaths in the first month alone. Entire villages were reduced to ashes.
Nine years later, more than one million Rohingya remain in camps in Coxโs Bazar. Living conditions continue to worsen as aid decreases. There is still no safe or dignified way for them to return home. The suffering has not ended; it has only changed form.
As someone who studies crime and justice, struck by how carefully planned and systematically carried out this violence was. The patterns were clear: the targeting of civilians, the destruction of communities, and the deliberate creation of conditions that made life impossible. These were not isolated acts. They were organised, widespread, and devastating.
Remembering this day is not only about looking back. It is about recognizing what happened, honouring those who were killed and those who survived, and refusing to allow the truth to fade. Justice has been slow. Accountability remains incomplete. Yet the responsibility to remember, to speak, and to demand better does not disappear with time.
To the survivors still living in exile: your endurance is seen. Your demand for safety, dignity, and a path home is just.
We remember the lives lost. We acknowledge the pain that continues. And we hold to the simple truth that such violence must never be allowed to happen again.
In Picture: FDMN Camp, Ukhiya
By: CARC Research Team
