A HUMAN rights group has expressed grave concern over increasing deadly attacks against Rohingya people in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, saying the situation bears a terrifying resemblance to the atrocities of 2017.

Amnesty International said this ahead of the seventh anniversary of the crisis on Aug 25 where 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.

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 northern Rakhine State to neighbouring Bangladesh.

“As the seven-year anniversary of the Rohingya crisis nears, the horrific situation in Rakhine State looks disturbingly familiar,” said Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher Joe Freeman.

“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.”

Arakan Army advances on the northern Rakhine town of Buthidaung had reportedly resulted in large-scale arson on May 17 this year, displacing thousands of Rohingya residents.

On Aug 5, 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, however, denied attacking Rohingya.

The military has responded to battlefield losses with devastating aerial attacks that have killed Rohingya as well as ethnic Rakhine civilians, targeting civilian areas, destroying homes, marketplaces and other civilian infrastructure.

“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,” Freeman said.

As they advance through Rakhine State and capture more territory, the Arakan Army has also faced mounting allegations of atrocities.

“In addition, the international community must apply more pressure on the Arakan Army to abide by international humanitarian law,” Freeman remarked.

“All allegations of war crimes perpetrated by the Myanmar military or by any armed groups in the country should be effectively investigated.”

According to Freeman, the rapidly escalating conflict in Myanmar is all the more reason for the United Nations Security Council to refer the situation in the country to the International Criminal Court.

“There can be no progress without accountability. The future of Myanmar hinges on protecting, promoting and upholding the human rights of all people in the country,” he stressed.

“This includes scrapping discriminatory laws or policies that are used to cement the apartheid system against hundreds of thousands of Rohingya men, women and children in Rakhine and restoring their rights to health, education and freedom of movement.” - Aug 22, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/new-attacks-against-rohingya-a-disturbing-echo-of-2017-mass-violence-says-human-rights-group/