Rohingya Migrant Crisis
France

The Rohingya Muslim minority has been living for generations in western Myanmar, bordering Bangladesh. Since they are not recognised by the Burmese authorities, they live in a regime of discrimination in Rakhine state, where their civil rights are severely limited, not only for their families and citizenship issues, but also in terms of access to education, health and work. In 2012, after the political opening of Burma when power was returned to civilian rule, violent riots broke out between Buddhist Rakhine and Rohingya Muslims, killing dozens of people. Numerous Rohingya villages were razed, and their inhabitants moved to camps for displaced people. This already existed before 2012, but has increased even more since as thousands chose to live in exile in hopes for a better future in other countries such as Malaysia and Thailand. Many undertook the journey by sea through the Bay of Bengal in the worst exodus that Southeast Asia has seen since the end of the Vietnam War. They are now in the hands of human traffickers who control the sea routes. No long-term decision has been taken by the countries of the region to support the exiles, and the international community is not reacting. The UN considers the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.