Rohingya refugee brothers reunited in western Washington after 10 years apart

Mohamad Imran advocated for years to get his brother Ikram out of a detention camp. Now Ikram has been reunited with Mohamad here in Western Washington.

Author: Conner Board

Published: 6:37 PM PST March 9, 2023

KENT, Wash. — Two brothers are now calling western Washington home after being separated for 10 years and enduring hardships most people could never imagine.

Mohamad Imran, 21, and 15-year-old Ikram Imran were pushed out of their home country of Myanmar as part of the Rohingya genocide. The Rohingya people are a Muslim minority in Myanmar. 

For the past six years, the Rohingya people have been targeted by the Burmese military. According to the United Nations, thousands of Rohingya people have been killed and more than 700,000 have been forced to flee the country since 2017.

Although Mohamad and Ikram were able to leave Myanmar, they faced difficult and life-threatening challenges when they left.

“I was in Malaysia detention almost three years,” said Ikram, who is still learning English after moving in with his foster family in Kent.