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Now living in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, Dawood originally came from a village in Buthidaung township in Rakhine State, western Myanmar. In February last year, the Myanmar military conscripted him, along with other Rohingya men and boys. They were given little to no training and sent out to fight the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, in Rakhine State.
Dozens were killed or injured in the fighting. Dawood spent a month in the hospital. Then, he was sent back to the front lines.
In May, with his unit besieged, he deserted. He returned to his home village, but that proved no escape from the fighting. Soon, Dawood was on the move again, along with other people from his village, fleeing shelling and gunfire.
Neither the military nor the Arakan Army cared much about protecting Rohingya civilians. Local observers estimate that hundreds are dead or missing from the fighting around that village alone.
Dawood survived but was caught and detained by the Arakan Army. He was one of some 80 men they accused of being former Myanmar soldiers.
Somehow, Dawood was able to escape. He hid in the forest for a time and then made the perilous journey across the border to Bangladesh. He now lives there in a crowded Rohingya refugee settlement.
Dawood is only 19 years old. He says his short life is now shattered.
His story is an incredible epic of survival, but it’s far from unique. Tens of thousands of other Rohingya have been arriving in Bangladesh, fleeing recent fighting in Myanmar. They join a million other Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh who had escaped Myanmar military atrocities in earlier years.
The Bangladesh government says it’s overwhelmed and unable to support these new arrivals. US government funding cuts have also depleted humanitarian assistance.
The head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, has talked about trying to repatriate people. However, clearly, Rohingya cannot safely return to Myanmar.
First, the conflict back home is ongoing. Second, there’s the danger of ethnic persecution by the Myanmar military. They’re already responsible for crimes against humanity and acts of genocide against the Rohingya. Third, there’s the risk from the abusive Arakan Army, which now controls most of Rakhine State.
In September, the UN will convene to discuss the future of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar. Later this month, countries at the UN Human Rights Council will also highlight the dire situation. These are important diplomatic opportunities.
For now, however, more than a million Rohingya seem stuck, having survived but left, as Dawood says, shattered.
