25 August 2026
On Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day, the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) bows its head in memory of every Rohingya man, woman and child killed during the genocidal violence that began on 25 August 2017.
We remember the babies thrown into fires, the children shot while fleeing, the women raped and murdered, the elderly burned inside their homes and the families wiped out in a single night.
We remember the villages set on fire and the bodies left beside roads, inside homes and along riverbanks. We remember those buried in mass graves and those whose remains were never found.
They were not statistics. They were farmers, fishermen, teachers, students, mothers, fathers and children. They had names, hopes and plans. They were killed because they were Rohingya.
The Myanmar military carried out the genocide after decades of stripping the Rohingya of citizenship, identity, movement and basic human rights. Extremist local Rakhine actors also participated in atrocities in several locations.
More than a million survivors fled to Bangladesh. Many arrived barefoot, injured and exhausted. Some carried children who had died along the way. Others arrived alone after losing every member of their family.
Nine years later, survivors still wake from memories of burning villages and the cries of relatives they could not rescue. Children born in the refugee camps are growing up hearing stories about grandparents they never met and homes they have never seen.
“Please do not remember us only once a year. Remember our parents who were killed, our homes that were burned and our children who are growing up without a country. We do not ask for pity. We ask for justice and the right to return home safely.”
The genocide did not begin in 2017, and its consequences did not end when the fires stopped burning. Statelessness, displacement, denial of identity and separation from the homeland continue to threaten the Rohingya’s existence as a people.
Rohingya remaining in Arakan are still unsafe. The Myanmar military continues to commit grave crimes, while the Arakan Army, now controlling most of Arakan, stands accused of serious abuses against defenceless Rohingya civilians.
This painful reality makes remembrance an urgent warning. The international community must not honour yesterday’s victims while abandoning those facing danger today.
ARNO calls upon the United Nations and governments to turn remembrance into meaningful action by:
- Holding the perpetrators of genocide and continuing atrocities accountable.
- Protecting Rohingya civilians remaining in Arakan.
- Preserving evidence and supporting survivors who testify before international courts.
- Maintaining food, healthcare, education and protection for refugees.
- Securing the Rohingya’s right to return to their original homes with full citizenship, restored property and international protection.
ARNO pays tribute to the courage of every survivor who has spoken about what happened. Their testimonies protect the truth from denial and preserve the memory of those who can no longer speak.
We also honour Bangladesh and its people for opening their border to Rohingya families fleeing death in 2017 and for continuing to shelter them.
On this solemn day, we light the flame of memory for the lives that were taken and renew our promise to seek justice for them.
We will remember their names. We will preserve their stories. We will defend the truth. We will continue until justice is achieved and the Rohingya can return home in safety and dignity.
For further information:
Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO)
Email: arno@rohingya.org | info@rohingya.org
Website: www.rohingya.org