Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace & Human Rights ARAKAN ROHINGYA SOCIETY FOR PEACE & HUMAN RIGHTS (ARSPH)
Press Release
Date: August 9, 2024
The situation in Maungdaw has reached a critical turning point due to a significant escalation in the conflict between the State Administration Council (SAC) and the Arakan Army (AA) over the past two months. ARSPH is profoundly alarmed by the increasing attacks on Rohingya civilians from both factions. AA’s use of heavy weaponry-including shock missiles, machine guns, and drone bombs-has had devastating consequences for the civilian population. Indiscriminate assaults have led to hundreds of fatalities and thousands of injuries of the Rohingya civilians. Many Rohingya have attempted to flee across the Naf River into Bangladesh, fearing for their lives. Tragically, AA’s drone operations aimed at pursuing fleeing individuals have resulted in the drowning of four boats, each carrying over 30 Rohingya. We categorically condemn AA’s attacks on innocent civilians, which violate international laws governing armed conflict. Armed groups are obligated under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants at all times. We have observed the deliberate targeting of Rohingya civilians in Arakan, threatening the lives of the remaining 600,000 Rohingya, while neighboring countries closed its borders. To be clear, there is an urgent need to create a safe zone for Rohingya civilians within their own land. Civilians- including children, women, men, and the elderly-must never be targets of armed hostilities. We call upon the UN Secretary-General, the UN Security Council, the UN Human Rights Council, and all members of the global community to take urgent action to safeguard the Rohingya population in accordance with Pillar 3 of the Responsibility to Protect and to avert genocide ensuring a safe zone for Rohingya civilians. We also strongly denounce the SAC’s coercive recruitment, arming, and training of Rohingya, as well as their intentional efforts to incite distrust, fear, and animosity between Rakhine and Rohingya communities. The SAC’s manipulation of various armed factions has severely compromised the safety of the Rohingya community, directly contributing to ongoing assaults against them. The armed groups collaborating with the SAC do not represent the voices of the Rohingya people. We demand an immediate halt to all attacks on civilians and call for their protection, emphasizing the need to apply the principle of proportionality to minimize civilian harm. At the same time, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, judicial killings, destruction of property, imposition of arbitrarily fines, physical and mental assaults carried out by AA within Rohingya communities perpetuate a cycle of fear and despair. The systematic targeting of the Rohingya people by both AA and military junta constitutes a genocidal campaign that poses a grave threat to their very existence
This crisis requires immediate global action to prevent the potential extermination of the Rohingya people. The conflict has reached a breaking point, with civilian lives being lost every day as Rohingya families struggle to secure food and shelter amid the chaos. Reports indicate that in June, 70 Rohingya were killed, with hundreds injured; in July, 29 were killed and 64 injured; and on August 5 and 6, over 200 Rohingya were reportedly killed near the Bangladesh- Myanmar border. Young Rohingya are being coerced into combat, further escalating the violence and fracturing their community. The military and AA are using these youths as shields on the frontlines, exacerbating an already dire situation. The Rohingya are recognized as a protected ethnic minority. In 2020, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) mandated Myanmar to protect the Rohingya from genocidal attacks and to preserve evidence of such acts. The ICJ ruled that Myanmar must take all necessary measures to prevent further harm to the Rohingya. Consequently, all parties involved in the armed conflict in Myanmar must refrain from further destruction of members of this community. Women and children are suffering in countless ways, violating the protections outlined in International Human Rights Law. They are the most vulnerable and urgently need support and humanitarian aid. The international community’s neglect has exacerbated the suffering of the Rohingya, leaving them isolated and vulnerable. With no internet access in their regions, communication is nearly impossible, deepening their sense of abandonment. While international intervention and advocacy could provide essential aid and protection, these efforts will also face significant challenges of coordination, given the ongoing conflict. The small number of Rohingya who have managed to reach Bangladesh now join nearly one million Rohingya refugees in a country facing an uncertain future. Most of the newly escaping Rohingya are being arrested by the border guard police of Bangladesh. This reality continues to force Rohingya in Rakhine State to flee through dangerous land and sea crossings. This is neither effective nor sustainable. It exposes them to further risks, including human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence, child and forced marriage, forced labor, Islamophobic hate speech, abductions, torture, and mob attacks. It also delays their safe, voluntary, and dignified return to their homes in Myanmar, Continued inaction on Myanmar has enabled AA’s lethal drone attacks on Rohingya civilians, as seen on August 6, and has exacerbated the broader crisis in Rakhine State. Nearly seven years after the Burmese military’s genocidal attacks, decades of mass atrocities against ethnic and religious minorities, and over three years since its attempted coup, the failures of the past must no longer dictate the country’s future. This is a plea for help. The situation of the Rohingya in Rakhine State must be put back on the international community’s agenda, and immediate steps must be taken.
ARSPH Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace & Human Rights ARAKAN ROHINGYA SOCIETY FOR PEACE & HUMAN RIGHTS (ARSPH)
Email: info@arsph.org, arsphofficial@gmail.com
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KUTUPALONG ROHINGYA REFUGEE CAMP, UKHIYA, COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH
