RAHIMA Khatun said she saw her two daughters killed by the Myanmar military, and that she is hopeful the United States designation of the onslaught against the Rohingya in 2017 as “genocide” will bring some justice.

The girls, thrown into a burning house as their village was razed to the ground, are among thousands of victims of a brutal crackdown against the long-marginalised Muslim minority in Myanmar.

The junta denies the allegations and the case currently being heard at the United Nations’ highest court at The Hague, but the US declaration provides hope for justice among many Rohingya.

“The Myanmar military slaughtered and raped women. One day they came and threw our children alive into the fire. My two daughters were among them,” said Khatun, 52, tears rolling down her cheeks at a refugee camp in Bangladesh.

The crackdown prompted an exodus of about 740,000 people into Bangladesh, joining more than 100,000 others who fled earlier waves of violence.

They live in a vast network of squalid camps made up of bamboo shacks, refusing to return home until Myanmar ensures the rights of the Rohingya.

Washington this week said there is clear evidence of an attempt at the “destruction” of the minority group.

Community leaders in the camps, activists and victims said the US move will bring Myanmar’s military to account and – perhaps – allow them to go back and rebuild their villages and lives across the border.

“We have been waiting for a long time for this day. The US is the world’s most powerful nation. Their decision will reverberate across the world. Maybe we will get justice soon,” said local leader Sayed Ullah.

Ullah, 33, who heads a Rohingya rights group in the camps, also lost several relatives and dozens of fellow villagers during the offensive in 2017.

Sawyeddollah, 23, a young Rohingya activist, said news of the decision spread like wildfire through the settlements, with people sharing video of State Secretary Antony Blinken’s speech on mobile phones.

“I hope the Biden administration will create a quick tribunal to go for action to implement their decision,” he said.

“America did not say anything all these years, but the decision yesterday made all of us very happy,” said Robi Ullah, 45, another refugee.

Siraj Ullah, 65, said he offered prayers to God to express gratitude to the US.

“I hope they can ensure our repatriation as early as possible. If we get all of our rights back, we agree to go back to our homeland instantly,” he said.

‘No genocidal intent’

The junta yesterday said it “categorically rejects” the US declaration.

“Myanmar has never engaged in any genocidal actions and does not have any genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, racial or religious group or any other group.”

Bangladesh, which has borne the brunt of sheltering the refugees, called the US decision overdue but still “good news”, and said it will strengthen the case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice.

“Hopefully, after the statement of the state secretary, the US will also put more pressure on the Myanmar government so it takes back its people as… promised,” said Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen.

However, Myanmar continues to stall repatriation efforts, most recently by issuing a list of 700 Rohingya who can return, which Momen said is “defective” and likely to be rejected by the community.

“The way the list is prepared, it feels like it lacks goodwill and smacks of ulterior motives.”

Mohammad Zafar, another Rohingya community leader in Kutupalong, the biggest of the refugee camps – and the largest in the world – played down the prospect of returning home any time soon.

“I highly doubt whether it will bring any change to our fate. We have been literally stranded in a foreign land for years, barely surviving.

“The damage has been done to us. Nothing can compensate unless there are visible actions.” – AFP, March 23, 2022.