The Arakha Army (AA) destroyed all the Rohingya homes in Buthidaung town on Friday night as their forces swept through the city.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya residents of Buthidaung are now homeless, without food and shelter as the AA celebrated the capture of the town.
“The Rakhine armed forces blocked and burned Rohingya homes in Buthidaung town. They didn’t even allow people to go near the houses to put out the fire. Even when some householders tried to put out the fire, the AA fired shot in their direction,” said a witness.
Buthidaung township is currently home to the largest Rohingya population following the crackdown of 2017 by Tatmadaw led forces that killed approximately 25,000 people and drove almost a million across the border to Bangladesh where most of the Rohingya population now live in squalid refugee camps.
Maungdaw township, which had a higher Rohingya population before 2017 lies just across the Bangladesh border and following the bloody crackdown, the inhabitants fled faster than Rohingyas in other two townships though even before that the Tatmadaw managed to inflict huge casualties on the population.
The crackdown in Buthidaung was no less severe but the escape was much more difficult. As the army blocked the main road, many of the people escaped through the jungles and hills, without food and water, with many families forced to abandon their elderly and even some of the children to save the lives of others.
A substantial population still resides in the township but more than six years later, they face a new force which according to many Rohingya activists are as determined as the Junta to finish them.
While the AA promised to represent and protect all the communities of Arakan and even gave photos of helping Rohingya people escape aerial bombardment of the Junta’s powerful air force, in recent days the situation has completely changed.
By now it is confirmed that AA has intentionally struck the high school in Buthidaung with drones knowing very well that Rohingyas from 20 villages including children were huddled together in the establishment, mistakenly hoping it would a safe haven.
The AA has given Rohingyas an ultimatum to evacuate Buthidaung main town by Saturday. However the fires were set on Friday amid mob frenzy. Activist Nay Sann Linn alleged a Rohingya man who tried to douse the fire was shot by AA forces.
The death toll remains unknown.
The UN along with the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights have warned the AA poses another genocidal risk for the Rohingyas.
Recent activities by the AA have led activists to question whether the powerful armed group has the same intention as the Junta i.e. it wants to evict the Rohingyas from their homeland and drive them across the border to Bangladesh.
