The United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) issued a statement on 1 May 2024 condemning recent allegations that the AA has been ill treating Rohingya people in Rakhine State.
The AA claimed that such allegations are ‘fabricated news’, though rather than refer to the Rohingya as Rohingya the AA has used the term Bengali Muslim in its statement, a derogatory term used by the junta and those who believe that the Rohingya do not belong in Myanmar.
Below is the statement:
“We the ULA/AA strongly condemn the fabricated news and allegations concerning AA and its relationship with Bengali Muslim in Rakhine. It is increasingly disturbing to see Bengali Muslim terrorist organisations such as ARSA, ARA, RSO, and their affiliated groups using false propaganda and the word ‘genocide’ as a weapon to implement their religious extremist policies. This can further complicate matters between different communities and make them challenging to resolve in the future. The emergence of such ‘fake genocides’ is of great concern to those who seek the truth.
“Therefore, both the people of Myanmar and the international community need to protest against and condemn organisations that manipulate information to suit their narrative, often using terms like “genocide” to garner sympathy and support. This manipulation not only exacerbates existing conflicts but also undermines efforts towards peace and coexistence. Misusing the term “genocide” is particularly damaging to the credibility of those who genuinely seek justice and peaceful coexistence.”
The UN Human Rights (OCHR) Chief Volker Türk released a statement on 19 April 2024 warning that intensified fighting in Rakhine State between the junta and the Arakan Army (AA), alongside tensions being fuelled between the Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine communities, poses a grave threat to the civilian population.
In that statement Türk said disinformation and propaganda are also rife, pointing to claims that “Islamic terrorists” have taken Hindus and Buddhists hostage. “This was the same kind of hateful narrative that fuelled communal violence in 2012 and the horrendous attacks against the Rohingya in 2017,” he said.
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