Rakhine State, Myanmar – At least 150 civilians from Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya minority are feared to have been killed this week in an artillery and drone attack in the western state of Rakhine. Survivors of the assault believe it was carried out by a major force involved in resisting Myanmar’s military rule.
The Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group based in Rakhine State, has denied responsibility for the attack, which reportedly targeted Rohingya civilians attempting to flee intense fighting in Maungdaw town by crossing the Naf River into Bangladesh.
According to a statement released on Friday by Doctors Without Borders, an international medical assistance organization, there has been a sharp increase in Rohingya patients with violence-related injuries crossing into Bangladesh over the past week. The organization reported that some survivors described seeing people bombed while trying to escape by boat, with bodies of the dead scattered along the riverbanks.
Two individuals who claimed to have survived the attack, and who spoke to the Associated Press, blamed the Arakan Army for the assault, echoing accusations made by Rohingya activists and Myanmar’s military government. If confirmed, this would be one of the deadliest incidents involving civilians in Myanmar’s ongoing civil conflict.
Gruesome videos have surfaced on social media, purportedly showing dozens of bodies, including those of women and children, lying along a road near the riverside. However, due to severe restrictions on communication and movement in the conflict zone, verifying the authenticity of these videos or the details of the attack has proven difficult.
The ongoing conflict in Rakhine has intensified fears of renewed and organized violence against the Rohingya, a minority group that has faced severe persecution in Myanmar. Ethnic minority guerrillas, including the Arakan Army, have been engaged in a bitter struggle against Myanmar’s military government since the military seized power in a coup in 2021, ousting the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
As violence escalates in Rakhine, the international community is increasingly concerned about the safety and human rights of the Rohingya, who continue to be caught in the crossfire of Myanmar’s civil war.
apnews.com
