17-6-2024 (RAKHINE) Tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, members of a persecuted minority group in Myanmar, find themselves in a precarious position as a powerful armed ethnic group intensifies its offensive against junta positions in the coastal town of Maungdaw, located along the country’s border with Bangladesh.
The Arakan Army (AA), a rebel group fighting for autonomy in Myanmar’s Rakhine region, issued a stern warning late on Sunday, June 16th. The rebels urged residents of Maungdaw, a town predominantly inhabited by the Rohingya community, to evacuate the area by 9 pm (10.30 pm Singapore time) ahead of a planned assault on the settlement.
This latest offensive by the AA is part of a months-long rebel onslaught against the Myanmar junta, which seized power in a February 2021 coup and now finds itself in an increasingly weakened position across vast swaths of the country.
“We are going to attack the remaining posts of the junta,” the AA declared in a statement, imploring residents to steer clear of military positions in Maungdaw for their own safety.
A spokesperson for the junta did not respond to requests for comment on the unfolding situation.
Aung Kyaw Moe, the deputy human rights minister in Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, raised grave concerns about the plight of the Rohingya trapped in Maungdaw. “Around 70,000 Rohingya who are currently in Maungdaw are trapped as the fighting draws closer,” he told Reuters. “They have nowhere to run to.”
The escalating conflict has already prompted thousands of Rohingya to flee towards neighbouring Bangladesh last month, seeking refuge from the intensifying violence. However, Bangladesh remains reluctant to accept more refugees, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
The exodus was triggered by battles in and around the town of Buthidaung, approximately 25 km (15 miles) away from Maungdaw, which the AA captured after intense fighting. During the clashes, the rebel group was accused of targeting the Rohingya community, allegations they vehemently deny.
The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim minority, have faced persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for decades. Nearly a million of them currently reside in refugee camps in Bangladesh’s border district of Cox’s Bazar, having fled a military-led crackdown in Rakhine in 2017.
