Arakan Army

The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Their homeland is mainly controlled by the Arakan Army, a rebel force in the country.

As victims of ethnic cleansing and human trafficking, they have faced decades of discrimination and persecution.

Then, in 2017, the Myanmar military launched a brutal campaign against Rohingya communities.

Since the military seized power in 2021, Myanmar has descended into a brutal civil war.

More than 150,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since the conflict escalated.

And Rakhayan State is helped by the Arakan Army, a rebel armed group fighting the Myanmar military.

Rohingya people are still caught between competing armed forces.

But Malaysia and Bangladesh, who need finances, who have their own issues They may suggest to the Mecca Alliance that instead of it being a defensive pact, we can offer something to the Saudis or to the Turks that will make this Mecca Alliance PR-wise look like it is actually something great in the eyes of those who are talking about it.

For example, you have the Rohingya crisis taking place where the Arakan Army in Rakhine has almost taken over all of Rakhine.

They are fighting the Myanmar army.

The Myanmar government can't seem to take control of the Rakhine.

Negotiations are going to take place very soon, and in those negotiations, Rohingya will be excluded because both the Arakan, they don't want the Rohingya to come back because the Rohingya are 35% of Arakan, and if the Arakan Army allows the Rohingya to come back, 35% is larger than the Kurdish proportion in Turkey.

That's how m- So the Arakan Army will not be able to achieve the state of their dreams if they allow the Rohingya to go home, while the Myanmar doesn't wanna give citizenship to the Rohingya.

They want the Rohingya to stay in Bangladesh.

It is possible-

And in Rakhine State is where we have seen some of the most extreme fighting.

The main armed resistance group, uh, fighting the military there is the AA, the Arakan Army, which is an ethnic Rakhine, uh, armed group that have been incredibly effective, and they are seen as one of the, the most powerful and effective, um, armed groups fighting back against the military.

But that has also led to, probably the most brutal response from the military.

It means that that area, that part of Myanmar, is seeing a really extreme, uh, response from the military forces, which obviously have weaponry and finances that resistance forces don't, that can't quite match.

So, um, the, it's an area that's been blockaded by the military.

They're also experiencing a, a, a comms, a communication blackout, and also incredibly brutal and relentless aerial attacks from the, uh, military air force.

They're targeting hospitals, they're targeting schools, they're targeting villages because they see the entire Rakhine population as complicit because of the fact that the Arakan Army is very popular and has, has a lot of support of, of, of the people.

So, so the military really target them.

So our first perpetrator is the Myanmar military.

Now we are dealing with another perpetrator called Arakan Army.

Arakan Army is predominantly Buddhist and ethnically Rakhine armed group.

They're taking control of majority of the cities in Rakhine State, where we are from.

And now they, in a short period of time, they have committed no less human right violation than the Myanmar military against the Rohingya population.

So, and then also the, the previous, uh, government, uh, appointed Bob Rae as a, as a special envoy to Myanmar, and the, the government have already implemented some recommendation, but there are also some recommendation remain.

But, uh, the ...

I am very sad to know that the role of a special envoy to Myanmar is no longer, and I am requesting the government of Canada, the current government of Canada, to reappoint a special envoy and to document the ongoing crime of the Myanmar military, also the recent human right violation of the Arakan Army, and refer these two perpetrators to International Court of Justice.

They are facing unbearable situation, I should say.

Can you describe a little bit more the role? What is the Arakan Army and what role? do they play in Rakhine? How does that relate to this larger, you know, the status of the Rohingya as well?

So one thing is we must know that our Khan, our Khan state, this is what we call.

Our Khan state belongs to Rakhine, Rohingya, Mu, Tad, Kami, Daini, Chakma, and Kaman and others, many minorities.

So the people always try to take the risky boat journey to Malaysia or Indonesia or Thailand.

So now the Arkan Army, the rebel group, predominantly they are the Rakhine Buddhists, they are now controlling the territory.

Since before they control the territory of the, I mean the large place of the Rohingya, they have been controlling a small township called the Ratiran, where they have been doing this trafficking business for many years now.

So when...

So all these people, whoever they want to flee, they, you know, they're, Human traffickers, they assess the camp also in the Rakhine State, all the places.

And then, you know, they gather those who want to flee from the camp or from Rakhine State.

And then, you know, they brought them to the dissertation of Tang Shifu, this Tang Shifu under administration of the Arkan Army.

From there, you know, this Arkan Army, they managed to, you know, like...

UN Secretary General António Guterres said Rohingya face deepening insecurity worsened by international aid cuts.

He also criticized the military as well as the Arakan Army for atrocities committed against the Rohingya.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister called for pressure on the regime for a dignified return of the refugees to Myanmar.

1.2 million Rohingya currently live in refugee camps across Cox's Bazar.