Myanmar: New attacks against Rohingya a disturbing echo of 2017 mass violence
Rohingya men, women and children are being killed and vestiges of Rohingya history and identity are being eroded
Bangladesh’s new interim government should prioritise protection of Rohingya refugees
‘The Myanmar military must immediately end their renewed campaign of violence and refrain from unlawful attacks on civilians.’ - Joe Freeman
Increasing deadly attacks against Rohingya people in Myanmar’s Rakhine State bear a terrifying resemblance to the atrocities of August 2017, Amnesty International said ahead of the seventh anniversary of the crisis.
Arakan Army advances on the northern Rakhine town of Buthidaung reportedly resulted in large-scale arson on 17 May this year, displacing thousands of Rohingya residents. On 5 August, an attack that survivors blamed on the Arakan Army killed an unknown number of Rohingya civilians fleeing the town of Maungdaw near the border with Bangladesh. The Arakan Army has denied attacking Rohingya people.
Bangladesh continues to host nearly one million Rohingya refugees in camps in poor conditions for the seventh consecutive year. Last year, at least 12,000 refugees in the camps were rendered homeless due to devastating fires and the impact of cyclone Mocha. Acute funding shortfalls have led to serious food insecurity in the camps, as well as shortcomings in healthcare and education.
Joe Freeman, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher, said:
“As the seven-year anniversary of the Rohingya crisis nears, the horrific situation in Rakhine State looks disturbingly familiar.
“After being subjected to a brutal and systematic campaign of violence in August 2017 following decades of state-backed persecution, Rohingya civilians are now caught in the middle of intensifying conflict in Rakhine State between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military, which has forcefully conscripted Rohingya to fight on its side.”
“Rohingya men, women and children are being killed, towns are emptying out, and vestiges of Rohingya history and identity are being eroded.
“Many are once again seeking shelter in refugee camps across the border in Bangladesh, where economic, security and livelihood conditions have deteriorated.”
“Bangladesh’s new interim government should prioritise the protection of Rohingya refugees’ human rights and their safety in camps.
“The Myanmar military must immediately end their renewed campaign of violence and refrain from unlawful attacks on civilians, who are bearing the brunt of the conflict not only in Rakhine State but across the country, with millions displaced.”
“The rapidly escalating conflict in Myanmar is all the more reason for the United Nations Security Council to finally refer the situation in the country to the International Criminal Court. There can be no progress without accountability.”
Crimes against humanity
On 25 August 2017, Myanmar security forces launched a widespread and systematic assault on Rohingya villages after an armed group calling itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army carried out deadly attacks on police posts. Arakan is another name used for Rakhine State.
The military response included extrajudicial killings, destruction of properties and sexual assault. As a result of the military’s so-called “clearance operations”, more than 740,000 Rohingya women, men and children fled Rakhine State to neighbouring Bangladesh. Taking into account previous waves of violence against them, an estimated one million Rohingya refugees now live in Bangladesh.
Amnesty has said the 2017 attacks against the Rohingya people amounted to crimes against humanity, recommending that at least a dozen senior Myanmar officials be investigated for their roles in the violence, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged crimes committed in 2016 and 2017 against the Rohingya population, but only those committed partly in the territory of Bangladesh or other states because Myanmar has not ratified the statute of the International Criminal Court. Amnesty has called for the UN Security Council to refer the full situation in Myanmar to the court so that an investigation of all crimes committed in Myanmar can be conducted.
Min Aung Hlaing has never been held accountable and on 1 February 2021the military seized power in a coup, with Min Aung Hlaing chairing the newly- created State Administration Council-backed soldiers, police and militias have killed more than 5,000 civilians in Myanmar since the 2021 coup.
Following the coup, Amnesty has documented torture, arbitrary detention and unlawful airstrikes by the Myanmar military. In November 2022, the Amnesty called for the suspension of aviation fuel imports, which the Myanmar military uses to bomb civilians. While many companies have withdrawn from the supply chain after being made aware of the risks, shipments have continued.
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