U.S. Declares Myanmar Repression of Rohingya a Genocide

Displaced Rohingya from the Rakhine State reside at a refugee camp set up by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Wikimedia).

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken formally declared that Myanmar’s violent campaign against the country’s Rohingya Muslim population amounts to genocide and crimes against humanity, according to the U.S. Department of State. The statement, delivered on March 21 in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, pins the blame on the Burmese military, which just over a year ago, per BBC, ousted the civilian government and seized power. Officials made the decision after careful examination of reports detailing widespread, systematic atrocities against the Rohingya.

“We must remember these individuals as more than victims, but rather as whole human beings, as mothers, as fathers, as sons, and as daughters,” said the U.S. Department of State.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs found that while persecution of the Rohingya Muslims dates back to the 1970s, the Burmese military launched a major crackdown in 2016, torturing and killing families, raping women and girls, and burning entire villages to the ground. The military operation provoked a massive refugee crisis, displacing over a million Rohingya and overwhelming neighboring countries, especially Bangladesh. 

Secretary Blinken called for a heightened focus on human rights violations around the world after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the recent attacks on Ukrainian civilians. “Even as we are working to increase international pressure on the Kremlin to end this unjustified war, we know there are many other places in the world where horrific atrocities are being committed,” the U.S. Department of State stated. 

The Rohingya genocide marks the eighth time the United States has recognized a genocide since the Holocaust. While the declaration does not require the United States to intervene, it could increase pressure on the Myanmar military junta  beyond sanctions. It could also prompt legal action against the regime, such as through the International Court of Justice at the Hague. 

The move signals a renewed dedication in U.S. foreign policy to promote human rights, something critics thought the Trump administration lacked, according to the Guardian. “The United States reaffirms its broader commitment to accompany Rohingya on this path out of genocide – toward truth, toward accountability, toward a home that will welcome them as equal members, and that will respect their human rights and dignity,” said Secretary Blinken.