Residents from Ba Gone Nah and Ali Yaung in Buthidaung have fled their villages as war between the Arakan Army and the SAC intensifies in the area.
Eyewitnesses from several surrounding settlements said huge fire scan be seen from the two village tracts since Friday morning.
The immediate cause of the fire remains unknown but local sources say Tatmadaw jets have been flying in the skies and are very likely to have dropped bombs on the two village tracts. A source from Ali Yong reported intense fighting had started in the area from the middle of the week as the AA tries to advance into Buthidaung. Since then, communications in Ali Yaung have been cut off.
There is also a chance that the villages have been targeted by long range artillery fire which has been the Tatmadaw’s ground based weapon of choice as their infantry has been suffering numerous defeats since AA resumed their ground offensive in November effectively taking over much of Northern Arakan.
The villagers of Ba Gone Nah and Ali Yaung are walking in long files to neighbouring villages in search of shelter. However the entire area remains unsafe due to the Junta’s indiscriminate use of air strikes and heavy artillery.
In recent weeks, Junta has stepped up airstrikes and shelling leading to casualties of innocent civilians from both the Rakhine and Rohingya community.
Their shared sufferings have however not let to solidarity but increased ethnic tensions as the SAC’s clever manipulation has managed to raise old ethnic tensions between the two local communities of Arakan.
While Junta airstrikes have displaced numerous Rohingya communities and led to the deaths of many civilians, there is increasing evidence the AA has also targeted innocent Rohingya Muslims.
The AA refutes the allegations and say they only target Rohingyas with ties to terror groups collaborating with the Junta. As Rohingyas continue to be displaced, AA has said they will shelter the displaced people in the areas they continue. However, Rohingya Muslims fear that areas controlled by AA are also not safe as the powerful insurgent group stands accused of targeting Rohingya civilians.
The Rohingya Muslims have been victims of a state sanctioned genocide since the military takeover six decades ago. The last killing spree by Junta troops in 2017 effectively cleared out the vast majority of Rohingyas from their habitat west of the Mayu river which has traditionally been considered a Muslim majority area. As a result, the majority of the population numbering more than a million people live in squalid refugee camps in South western Bangladesh.
However, this time the situation has become more complicated as the AA, while fighting the Junta has taken part in the killings and disappearances of Rohingya civilians. There has also been allegations of rape.
As a result, the Rohingyas are at risk not only from government forces, but the powerful Rakhine insurgent group as well.
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