Rohingya in the Post-Coup Rakhine State

On 17 October 2024, the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness at Melbourne Law School hosted a webinar presented by Sophia Htwe, PhD Candidate with the Initiative for Peacebuilding at the University of Melbourne's School of Social and Political Science, and chaired by Dr Adil Hasan Khan, Senior Post-doctoral Fellow at Melbourne Law School. This webinar was part of the Refugees, Citizenship & Statelessness: Asia in Focus Seminar Series.
The post-coup of the Rohingya in Rakhine State is highly complex, with efforts to resolve citizenship and statelessness obstructed by deep divisions between the Rohingya, Rakhine communities, and the State Administration Council (SAC).
Conflicting political visions and the rise of ethnonationalism have fueled widespread denial of the Rohingya identity by Rakhine stakeholders, despite internal disputes over political power. Similarly, within the Rohingya community, diverse political views further complicate their identity struggles.
The SAC has exploited these tensions, using both Rakhine and Rohingya communities to serve its own interests. Despite these challenges, opportunities for progress exist through inclusive dialogue and mutual recognition, which could help address the ongoing statelessness crisis and promote peace.