Mizzima
The Arakan Army (AA) issued a statement accusing the Myanmar Army of attacking civilians and inciting inter-ethnic violence whilst denying reports saying that the AA is doing the same.
In the statement, the AA denied that it was responsible for bombing a school in Buthidaung Township and killing 18 Rohingya sheltering there on 17 May, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA), which also reported that the AA had burned down homes in Buthidaung.
Recently aid organisations such as the UN have issued statements of concern for the situation of the Rohingya who have been caught in the middle of fighting between the Myanmar junta and the AA in Rakhine State. Since the AA takeover of Buthidaung at the weekend there have been further statements of concern about the situation of the Rohingya, especially in Buthidaung.
Though the AA statement says that it will help people caught in the conflict it mentions nothing about helping the Rohingya. The only time Rohingya are mentioned in the statement they are referred to by the derogatory term Bengali Muslims. A term used by the Myanmar Army and others who believe the Rohingya do not belong in Myanmar and are foreigners, despite them having been in Myanmar for many generations.
Though the AA statement denounced the junta for stirring racial hatred, it never mentions the Rohingya by name. Instead it calls them “Bengali Muslims” and accuses “Bengali militants” of burning down “all the houses of Rakhine, Hindu and other non-Muslim people in Buthidaung, preventing them from returning home.”
The statement lays the blame for the burning of Buthidaung on the Rohingya when reports other than the RFA report indicate that the AA and the junta were responsible for setting fire to large parts of Buthidaung Town.
A statement by the Women’s Peace Network (WPN) claimed that: “On 17 May 2024, starting at approximately 10:00 pm Myanmar time, the Arakan Army set downtown Buthidaung and its surrounding villages on fire.”
The WPN statement also claimed: “Alarmingly, the AA’s attack on Buthidaung is taking place against the backdrop of a pattern of escalating atrocities against Rohingya civilians. Over the past two weeks, WPN has been informed of cases including the AA’s torching of dozens of Rohingya villages; as well as its shelling of
the No. (1) Basic Education High School and the Buthidaung Township’s only hospital, where internally displaced Rohingya were seeking refuge.“
Definitive, reports of what happened during the AA’s capture of Buthidaung Township are still scarce, so currently Mizzima is unable to establish and confirm exactly what happened.
Below is the 20 May statement from the AA in full:
“The fascist terrorist group known as the military council, or SAC, has been facing defeats across Myanmar, including in Arakan [Rakhine State]. They have lost control of many major military bases, including headquarters and border guard outposts, and stand to lose many more. Being desperate due to failures on all fronts, military, administrative, and diplomatic – SAC has resorted to tactics that violate international humanitarian and human rights laws, as well as laws on crimes against humanity. They have continually targeted civilian areas, markets, hospitals, schools, and religious structures with ground and naval artillery shelling and aerial bombardments. Additionally, they have been burning homes and destroying bridges.
“Civilians are once again warned to dig bomb shelters to protect themselves from aerial, artillery, and naval bombardments, and to swiftly evacuate to safer areas to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Due to ongoing intense fighting in the Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Thandwe regions, international organizations based there are advised to relocate to safer areas. If they become trapped in the warzone, they should contact ULA/AA for assistance anytime.
“In addition to the aforementioned crimes, SAC has been inciting racial and religious violence by recruiting, training, and equipping militant Bengali Muslims from Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Kyaukphyu townships, in collaboration with RSO, ARSA, and ARA. The Arakan Army strictly adheres to its principle of fighting under the military code of conduct and never targets non-military objects. Accordingly, it has been helping people evacuate to safer areas in a timely manner. Conversely, the defeated military council, with malicious intentions, has been intent on inciting racial and religious conflicts.
“Moreover, in April this year, SAC, together with the Bengali militants they trained and equipped, burned down almost all the houses of Rakhine, Hindu and other non-Muslim people in Buthidaung, preventing them from returning home. It should be noted that on May 17, SAC launched a prolonged aerial attack on Buthidaung township until midnight as their last desperate attacks. In reality, SAC and its allies have destroyed the town, and they are now spreading false narratives and accusations relentlessly as if it was done by the Arakan Army.
“The Arakan Army had issued warnings before the offensives began, advising people in major cities like Sittwe and Kyaukphyu to evacuate to areas under its control, and practically helped with their evacuation. Similarly, in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships, advance warnings were given, and the Arakan Army has been assisting people in moving to safer areas. Meanwhile, extremist organizations such as RSO, ARSA, and ARA, along with their cohorts, have been echoing SAC’s lines for their own agendas.
“Spreading such disinformation is clearly aimed at destroying the unity, social harmony, and cooperation among the ULA/AA, Arakanese, Muslim communities and other minority ethnic groups in the region. These claims are in favor of SAC’s propaganda and false, and we hereby denounce and condemn them. We also strongly and categorically reject the news broadcast by RFA Burmese on May 17, 2024 that portrayed that the Arakan Army had dropped bombs by drone on some civilians in Buthidaung which had killed some civilians and injured hundreds as groundless and having nothing to do with our organization.
“For transparency and truth seeking, both domestic and international media are welcomed to come and gather unbiased and objective information in accordance with media ethics. We are striving for truth and justice and we denounce all forms of terror and atrocities. And we are also ready to cooperate with the international ant-terrorism groups to participate in combating against all forms of terrorism. Regarding Buthidaung and Maungdaw situations, our organization can be contacted anytime to have clearance and ground truth about the many false accusation and fake news propagated by the groups who have negative stance on ULA/AA. We would like to firmly reiterate that we are ready to work with any unbiased organization for the above-mentioned subjects.”
