How the Myanmar Junta-backed Muslim Militants are Betraying the Peoples’ Revolutions in Arakan

By Moe Satt, GAN

Shortread: Opinions April 19, 2024

Anti-AA protestors in Buthidaung (Photo/BNI)

As the oppressed peoples of Myanmar strive to free the country from the grip of a brutal military dictatorship, a troubling reality emerges a significant faction of the Muslim community, is unfortunately collaborating with the illegitimate military regime in Arakan. Seven years ago in August 2017, the international community bore witness to the horrific crimes inflicted upon the Muslim community in Arakan by the Myanmar military. In that incident, it was mentioned that the ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) was the key instigator of the armed clashes resulting in the exodus of several hundred thousand into Bangladesh. However, today presents a starkly different scenario, with thousands of Muslim men engaging in the junta’s desperate conscription program. Indeed, they also participate in demonstrations against the Arakan Army, notably in Buthidaung, where junta-backed protestors have vocally expressed anti-war and anti-AA sentiments, even resorting to violence by targeting Rakhine houses during these incidents. As a part of extremist activities, the ARSA and ARA in collaboration with the junta also set fire to over 200 Rakhine houses in urban Buthidaung in addition to the office of Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or 'Doctors Without Borders'.

The burnt remains inside the MSF office in Buthidaung (Photo/MSF)

Providing context, the junta commenced the recruitment of Muslim youths upon the inauguration of the military conscription program in mid-February 2024. Reports suggest that several hundred Muslims have been enlisted into military training programs, focusing particularly on Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Saittway, and Kyaukphru townships in central and northern Arakan. The objective is evident: to deploy them in operations against the Arakan Army (AA).

Muslim men training by the junta officers (Photo/VOA)

Despite assertions by diaspora leaders and community activists that all participants in the military conscription program are forcibly recruited by the junta, evidence also suggests otherwise. Thousands of Muslim men have actively and voluntarily joined the junta’s plan, thus betraying the People’s Revolutions in Myanmar.

Incentives and coercion from the junta towards the Muslim community vary widely, ranging from cash, political power, business opportunities, and citizenship rights to threats against lives and property. Notably, thousands have actively cooperated in the junta conscription program, driven by motives such as religious extremism, militancy, ethnic hatred, and opportunism. The primary proponents of this extremist activism are two notorious self-identified Rohingya armed groups: the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA). ARSA gained infamy for its terrorist activities in 2016 and 2017 against civilians in northern Arakan, while ARA reportedly has ties to Abdullah Kane, a well-known drug dealer with deep connections in the drug trade with the local Border Guard Police Force (BGPFs).

ARSA terrorist leader, Ataullah Abu Amar Jununi (Photo/Aljazeera)

A notable comparison arises when analysing responses from designated Muslim youths in Kyaukphyu township in central Arakan and Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships in northern Arakan. The Muslims in Kyaukphyu, identified as ‘Kaman Muslims,’ possess strong cultural ties and political beliefs with the Arakanese people. Media reports suggest that Muslim youths from this community attempted to flee from the junta conscription program into the ULA-controlled areas.

However, despite the ULA/AA’s spokesperson officially inviting Muslim men to seek refuge in the ULA-controlled areas in the event of forced recruitment, almost none of the self-identified Rohingya chose to do so. This starkly illustrates that militant Muslims in northern Arakan are more actively collaborating with the junta to combat the AA, thereby betraying the people’s revolutions in Myanmar.

Militants Turned into Islamic Terrorists

The involvement of local Muslims in the junta’s conscription program varies significantly, with three distinct roles emerging. Firstly, they are utilised as ‘human shields’ on the frontline, a narrative reinforced by community leaders and activists. Despite efforts by diaspora community leaders to align with nationwide anti-military forces, their influence on ground-level community members remains uncertain. Indeed, armed Muslim militants collaborate with junta soldiers in two other capacities. Many voluntarily participate in the junta's conscription activities, forming what is termed ‘village defence forces’ (VDFs) to engage the AA in armed clashes. Moreover, thousands are deployed as ‘proxy guards’ in conflict areas when the AA attacks junta positions, particularly near towns like Muangdaw and Buthdiaung. These militants, mobilised and organised by the ARSA and ARA terrorists, have deep connections with the junta military.

It is imperative not to underestimate the challenges posed by these extremist groups to the local population, especially non-Muslims in the area. Security situations for non-Muslim residents in urban Buthidaung are deteriorating rapidly. Recently, two Arakanese Buddhists were killed with their necks slit, allegedly by Muslim militants turned Islamic terrorists. According to local sources, the lives of approximately 1800 Hindus, 400 Khamei, and 140 Rakhines trapped in urban Buthidaung are under grave threat. Echoing the tragedy of August 2017, when Islamic terrorists from ARSA killed 99 innocent Hindu civilians in Kha Maung Seik village in northern Maungdaw, current ARSA and ARA militants, along with newly formed groups supported by the junta military, are targeting and killing other non-Muslim residents in northern Arakan.

Hindu villagers in northern Rakhine State gather at a mass grave to identify the corpses of family members who were massacred by suspected Rohingya Muslim militants on 25 August 2017. (Photo/VOA)

In Buthidaung, armed Muslim militants collaborate with junta soldiers, barricading the town and looting Rakhine and Hindu homes, while also planting landmines at the town's entrances. For instance, as reported by local sources, a Hindu community leader trapped inside the town was detained by armed Muslim militants on April 3, accused of having ties with the AA. He was later released with critical head injuries. Many Hindu residences were set ablaze, and residents faced life-threatening situations. It's evident that Muslim militants, including ARSA and ARA, backed by the junta, are transitioning into Islamic terrorists.

In summary, thousands of Muslim militants, primarily led by ARSA and ARA, are aiding the Myanmar junta by terrorizing the local non-Muslim populace and serving as proxy forces in defence of junta battalions. This highlights the critical need for all national and international actors striving for peace and stability in the region to acknowledge that while innocent civilians merit protection, opportunistic Islamic terrorists and their collaborators must be defeated and eliminated.