Ro Yassin Abdumonab
Photo-journalist, Videographer, Stringer, Rohingya Correspondent, Mentor and Social Activist
Ro Yassin Abdumonab began his career as a schoolteacher in Myanmar, teaching English, physics, and chemistry. However, in August 2017, escalating violence forced him to abandon his university studies and flee to Bangladesh. "My journey to Bangladesh was horrible," he says, closely echoing his original words. "Escaping from burning and killing, we found refuge in paddy fields and forests, eating wild weeds to survive. The river crossing felt like an ocean, and I almost drowned. The days it took for me and my family to walk barefoot to the river at the Bangladesh border were an unforgettable nightmare."
Yassin has since transitioned into a freelance role, contributing as a photographer, videographer, translator, fixer, and writer for various international and local media outlets. These include The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Dei Zeit, BBC, The Washington Post, Refugees International, Haaretz, ABC, and Arakan Express, among others. A comprehensive list of his photography and videography work can be found below:
2023
Aljazeera. What is life like inside the world’s biggest refugee camp?
The New Humanitarian. Flipping the Narrative: What food ration cuts mean for deKanttekening. Rohingya refugees Islamic Rohingyas are nowhere safe
The Observers. Refugee photographers fight to raise awareness about plight of Rohingya in Bangladesh
Aljazeera. Will the UN's plea to help Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh be answered?
BBC. Fire rips through Rohingya camp in Bangladesh
Aljazeera: Myanmar military's visit to Cox's Bazar refugee camp raises doubt
BBC. What future for Anwar - the Rohingya refugee lucky to survive?
Aljazeera. Thousands of Rohingya refugees displaced in Bangladesh floods, landslides
The Observers. Thousands of Rohingya left homeless after yet another fire breaks out in Bangladesh refugee camp
The Daily Star. Ukhiya Rohingya camp fire: Official death toll 11
Reuters. Devastating’ fire at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh kills 15, leaves 400 missing – UN
Vientiane Times. Ukhiya Rohingya Camp: Massive fire razes homes
Today Online. Fire destroys homes Cox's Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh
US News. Fire Destroys Homes Cox's Bazar Refugee Camp in Bangladesh
Art for Peace. Insecurity, Risk and Resilience: The Contributions and Challenges of Refugee-led Initiatives in Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh
Media Practice and Education, Taylor & Francis. Digital Arts – Refugee Engagement (DA-RE)
2022
The Guardian. ‘This is our documentary of the crisis we face’: the Rohingya smartphone photographers
Canada Today. Canada’s Rohingya fear world has forgotten the refugee crisis 5 years after the Myanmar genocide
BBC. Rohingya refugees: ‘Kill us, but don’t deport us to Myanmar’
2021
Aljazeera. Bangladesh probes deadly fire at Rohingya camp, 400 missing
Reuters. Aid workers struggle to reunite Rohingya children separated by deadly fire
Go Humanity. Fire devastates enormous Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh
ABC. Rohingya camp fire death toll rises to 15, with 400 still missing in Bangladesh
Literary Hub. On Genocide in Myanmar and the Loss of Rohingya Foodways
The Observers. ‘In every camp there’s a disaster’: Monsoon rains in Bangladesh worsen conditions for the Rohingya
The Business Standard. Aid workers struggle to reunite Rohingya children separated by deadly fire
NRC. NGO's urge global community to support Rohingya refugees
The Fiji Times. Devastating fire at Rohingya camp in Bangladesh kills 15, leaves 400 missing – U.N.
Hindustan Times. 15 dead, 400 missing after fire in Cox's Bazar Rohingya refugee camp
The Daily Star. Ukhiya Rohingya camp fire: Official death toll 11
The New Humanitarian. Rohingya camp fire: Barbed-wire fences blocked escape, witnesses say
Vice. Rohingya Refugees Describe Tearing Through Fences to Escape Massive Fire
Amnesty International. We wish to overcome the decades of marginalization that brought us here
Jowhar. Monsoon Rains In Bangladesh Worsen Conditions For Rohingya People
Oxford Brookes University. The Next Generation - Young Rohingya Refugees exhibition
US Campaign for Burma. Voice of a Rohingya
2020
Aljazeera. Inside the Rohingya Refugee Crisis
The New York Times. Cyclone Amphan Slams India and Bangladesh
The Diplomat. The Rohingyas and the Elephants: How Humans and Nature Collide in Refugee Camps
Australian Institute of International Affairs. Three Years Too Long: The Refugee Crisis in Bangladesh
PBS. Amid pandemic, cyclone forces millions in India and Bangladesh to flee
The Asia Foundation. Navigating at the margins: Family, Mobility and Livelihoods amongst Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
Voices Without Borders. Ro Yassin Abdumonab's Story
UNHCR Asia Pacific. Amid coronavirus, a Rohingya refugee reflects on camp life under lockdown
Green Left. Bangladesh: Rohingyas locked down at world's largest refugee camp
2019
The Washington Post. Rohingya refugees, cut off from the world, got to briefly watch Myanmar’s rulers go to trial
The Globe & Mail. Forced to flee again: Labelled ‘illegal migrants’ in India, Rohingya seek refuge in Bangladesh camps
2017
Asia University for Women. Without Internet, We Have No Existence: Rohingya Refugee Representation on Social Media.
