Myanmar: tensions are growing in Rakhine State, refugees and rights violations are increasing, the Rohingya targeted once again

ROMA – The intensification of fighting in Rakhine State between the military and the Arakan army – one of the armed ethnic groups that represents the country’s so-called resistance – together with tensions between the Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine communities, represent a serious threat to the whole the civilian population, warns Volker Türk, head ofOHCHR, the Agency for United Nations human rights. From last November to today, when the informal ceasefire was ended, 15 of the 17 towns in Rakhine state have been hit by fighting, which has already left hundreds dead and injured and displaced over 300 thousand people.

The words of Volker Türk. Rakhine State, on the coastal strip of Myanmar, has once again become a battlefield where civilians are paying a very high price, underlines the UN High Commissioner. The Rohingya, one of the largest stateless communities in the world and therefore also one of the most discriminated against, are once again particularly at risk. Once again because already in 2017 the Rohingya were victims of the murderous fury of the military junta, which killed several hundred and forced over 900 thousand to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. The most disturbing aspect of the resurgence of this conflict is that while in 2017 the Rohingya were targeted almost exclusively by the military junta, today they are trapped between two factions that are bitterly fighting each other: the Arakan army and the junta, for the note. The latter rapidly lost ground to the former across northern and central Rakhine, and this gradual loss of control of the territory led to an intensification of fighting in the towns of Buthidaung and Maungdaw. The final phase of this conflict – says Türk – could be the capture of Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state. Both Buthidaung and Maungdaw are home to a significant portion of the Rohingya population.

Violations against the Rohingya. Currently, the army has begun to forcibly recruit the Rohingya, invoking a law that imposes compulsory conscription for citizens. However, this rule should not apply to the Rohingya who are systematically denied citizenship. The army, however, obliges them by promising economic benefits and citizenship, even if from the information collected by the organizations it appears that for the moment all the promises have been disregarded. Some dossiers cited by the High Commissioner report that the army is forcing Rohingya recruits to burn ethnic Rakhine homes, buildings and villages. Ethnic Rakhine villagers are reportedly responding in kind by setting fire to fields where the Rohingya live. The United Nations Office for Human Rights is trying to verify all the reports received, also to avoid the spread of news that tells of the intervention of Islamic terrorism and which for the moment have not been verified. The task of verifying sources, among other things, is complicated due to the statewide communications blackout.

The news. Since the beginning of the year, the Arakan Army has invaded and surrounded Rohingya villages, effectively carrying out attacks against them. On April 15th the office and pharmacy of Doctors Without Borders were set on fire in Buthidaung along with around 200 houses. Hundreds of Rohingya people have fled and are taking refuge in a high school, former hospital grounds and along city streets, the United Nations said. With the military closing hospitals in Maungdaw and Buthidaung in March and the conflict intensifying, there is virtually no medical care available in northern Rakhine. The junta also prevents the distribution of humanitarian aid such as food and water. The crisis in Myanmar is becoming increasingly serious, therefore, but the alarm bell has already sounded – underlines Türk – and the international community should not allow a return to the horrors of 2017.