The Rohingya are an ethnic Muslim minority who once lived in the historical region of Rakhine in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. During British colonial rule in the 19th and 20th centuries, workers migrated from Bangladesh to Burma, dramatically increasing the population of Rohingya in Rakhine. When Burma became an independent nation in 1948, like most countries released from colonial oppression, the nation experienced a period of political instability and ethnic tension. Burma is a Buddhist country, and due to the Rohingya’s Muslim beliefs, the government saw the Rohingya’s presence as problematic and projected their governmental failures onto the Rohingya, making the ethnic minority a scapegoat in the ensuing political collapse. They were further caught in the crosshairs of conflicts between Bengalis and ethnic, Buddhist Burmese. The Burmese government then began instituting laws and policies that discriminated against Rohingya people. In 1982, the Burmese government passed the Nationality Act, which stripped the Rohingya of their citizenship based on ethnic criteria, leaving them effectively without a home.

Over the next decade, through various military-led campaigns, the Rohingya suffered violence and eventual displacement, as many fled the country after having lost their jobs and homes. The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw the worst violence against the Rohingya as the military forcefully and violently removed families from their homes.