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GAN/ Arakan (Rakhine State) August 3, 2024
ARSA Terrorist Training on Mayu Mountain Range (Photocredit)
A notorious Muslim extremist group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), was well-known for its terrorist activities against the local civilian population, especially non-Muslim people in northern townships of Arakan such as Buthiduang and Maungdaw. The activities of the ARSA were recorded in 2016 and it came to be noticed in a large degree when August-2017 violence operation by the Myanmar military that drove out several thousand Muslim residents in northern Arakan into Bangladesh took place.
The ARSA, very often, claimed to represent the interests and suffering of the Muslim community but it is the concerned Muslim community that is suffering due to its aggressive actions. Due to its religious extremism, the ARSA’s terrorist actions against the non-Muslim groups were culminated when 99 Bengali Hindus villagers from Kha-Maung-Seik village of northern Maungdaw were massacred in August 2017.
The Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), founded in 1980s and re-emerged after 2021-military coup in Myanmar, is reportedly backed by the Bangladeshi security agencies such as Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Directorate General Force Intelligence (DGFI). Leader of the RSO is Ayoub Khan, and its political director, Ko Ko Lin, has possessed a Bangladeshi passport and showed its presence together with high profiles from Bangladesh government in public events.
Currently, both ARSA and RSO are cooperating with Myanmar military in their fight against the Arakan Army committing mass killings toward the non-Muslim population in the region. Even if the AA has now besieged the town of Maungdaw in northern Arakan, RSO and ARSA reportedly joined the junta in urban areas while the ARSA members continued to kill more local Rakhine and Hindus civilians in rural areas particularly in northern Maungdaw.
Increasing Terror Activities of the ARSA
Here are some pieces of strong evidence proving how Muslim militant groups, particularly ARSA, have been committing terrorist actions against local non-Muslim civilians recently. These actions range from killing innocent civilians to setting fire to Rakhine and other non-Muslim villages.
On April 30, 2024, a Rakhine UNHCR staff member was killed by ARSA. The deceased, U Kyaw Maung, aged 53, served as a security officer at the UNHCR office in Buthidaung. Evidence showed that before he was killed, he experienced torture and injuries. Proof of his service at the UNHCR is shown below:
UNHCR Staff Killed by the ARSA (Photocredit)
On July 11, 2024, local media agencies reported that several houses in Aung Bala, a Rakhine village near Maungdaw, were burned down by ARSA and other SAC-trained and armed Muslim militants. The villagers had to flee to avoid the violence, and houses owned by Rakhine and Hindu civilians were destroyed and burned down, even though the exact numbers cannot be confirmed.
Aung Bala, Rakhine Village Burnt Down (Photocredit)
On July 20, 2024, a report by a local media agency on July 27 stated that about 10 ARSA militants abducted and killed three cattle traders from Min Gyi village and Ta Rein village in Maungdaw Township. The report identified the victims of ARSA’s abductions and killings as 33-year-old Kyan Thein Maung and 30-year-old Naing Soe Win from Min Gyi village, and 35-year-old Maung San Thar from Ta Rein village. Additionally, three other Rakhine civilians were abducted by ARSA and remain out of contact.
Location of Min Gyi Village (Photocredit)
On July 21, 2024, Narinjara, an independent local media outlet, reported that a 28-year-old Hindu IDP named Dar Gulu, who lived in the Kanyintan IDP camp in Maungdaw, was killed by six armed ARSA members. During the incident, ARSA also arrested the victim's brother and other individuals in the area, who remain out of contact as of today.
Photos related to the event, as described by the media, can be seen below.
Hindus Civilians Killed and Injured by the ARSA (Photocredit)
On July 21, 2024, the AAInfoDesk released a report about an incident in which seven Khumei civilians were killed while collecting bamboo shoots. The victims were from the Gandari IDP camp in Ward-4, Buthidaung town. They went out to gather bamboo shoots for their livelihood on July 18 and were found dead on July 19 and 20. Detailed information about them is as follows:
Some photos related to the incident are below.
Khumei IDPs Killed by the ARSA Terrorists (Photocredit)
As of the latest update on July 31, 2024, ARSA militants killed four Rakhine civilians, including a schoolteacher from Buthidaung, while they were on their way to Kyeing Chaung village in Maungdaw Township. During the incident, two other civilians were also injured. The deceased have been identified as Sein Hla Phru (55), Kyaw Min (55), Zaw Zaw Min (also known as Rhee Thet) (35), and Awng Mrat San (25). Photo evidence related to the news is shown below.
Rakhine Civilians Killed by the ARSA Terrorists (Photocredit)
The ARSA’s twitter account has itself admitted the killings on August 3, 2024 by posting a video record but illogically portrayed that the victims are AA members.
Starting in April 2024, the rapid rise of ARSA Muslim terrorist actions was evident, particularly during July, when at least 14 Rakhine and Hindu civilians were killed, and at least three others were injured and five kidnapped. The victims of these horrific crimes came from various socio-cultural backgrounds, including Rakhine, Hindu, women, girls, youths, and children.
However, there are more killings, injuries, disappearances, and kidnappings that have gone unreported. According to local sources, there were at least three reported incidents in which four civilians died and another two disappeared. The report stated:
On July 14, 2024, around 10 ARSA militants killed the village administrator of Mingalargri, Phae-Zi-Salin, also known as Lin-Bar. Six days later, on July 20, two Rakhine villagers named Pan Sein Maung (47) and Zaw Twan Won (38) were kidnapped by ARSA members on their way to fish. These innocent civilians are from Pyar-Thar village in northern Maungdaw. They remain out of contact with their family members.
In short, the following table shows the total number of Rakhine, Hindu, and Muslim innocent civilians killed, injured, and disappeared by ARSA terrorists in July.
RSO is Not an Exception
The RSO, once considered more politically mature and opposed to the Myanmar military, has recently shown troubling similarities to the ARSA in its collaboration with the junta and its involvement in crimes and terrorist activities against both Muslim and non-Muslim civilians. Reports since May 2024 have highlighted the forced recruitment of Muslim refugee youths by the RSO and the Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA), a militant group also implicated in drug trafficking, within Bangladesh. This situation has been widely covered by various media outlets. Below is a photograph provided by a Bangladeshi journalist that supports these claims.
It has been widely reported that Bangladeshi security agencies, including the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), have supported and facilitated the forced recruitment of Muslim youths for the RSO, and indirectly for the Myanmar military. According to a Dhaka Tribune report dated May 17, 2024, these recruits were handed over by the RSO to the Myanmar military in Maungdaw. Surprisingly, this process was also facilitated by the National Security Intelligence (NSI), DGFI, and the Bangladesh Coast Guard before the recruits crossed the Naf River. This indicates a covert collaboration between Bangladeshi and Myanmar security forces through the RSO in forcibly recruiting Muslim refugee youths.
Additionally, a video posted on July 25, 2024, shows RSO militants in downtown Maungdaw posing a significant threat to non-Muslim communities, such as the Rakhine and Hindu civilians in the town. The video’s accompanying translation reveals the nature of the threat being faced by these communities;
"...Muslims are allowed through. Mogh are detained."
RSO Terrorists in Urban Maungdaw (Photo taken from the Video)
Despite the challenges of travel restrictions and a communication blackout that make it difficult to ascertain the exact situation in Maungdaw town, local sources provide tangible evidence of the RSO militants’ terrorist and aggressive behavior toward non-Muslim civilians in the area.
On July 22, around 4 PM, reports indicated that random shootings by the RSO forced approximately 150 Rakhine civilians in downtown Maungdaw to seek refuge in a monastery compound.
The following day, July 23, the RSO militants threatened and shut down a marketplace near the town’s football field, which was frequented by Rakhine and Hindu civilians for purchasing food, vegetables, and other commodities. The RSO militants permitted other marketplaces that cater exclusively to Muslim residents to remain open. Additionally, around ten RSO militants enforced a ban preventing Muslims from selling goods to Rakhine and Hindu locals.
Locals Call for More Effective Security Measures in Maungdaw
Although the Arakan Army (AA) successfully captured the town of Buthidaung in mid-May 2024, the proliferation of junta-trained and armed Muslim militants remains a significant issue. The ARSA terrorists, equipped with deadly weapons and driven by extremist religious ideologies, are posing a serious threat to regional security and stability, particularly for non-Muslim residents.
In response to this escalating threat, the local population is calling for enhanced regional security operations against the ARSA militants and their collaborators. A local civilian conveyed their concerns to the Border News Agency (BNA) on August 1, 2024:
“There are already armed terrorists in Maungdaw district, but the situation has worsened since the junta (Myanmar military) trained and armed them,” a local civilian told the Border News Agency (BNA) on August 1, 2024.
“The Arakan Army (AA) needs to conduct effective security operations. If not, local civilians will face frequent attacks.”
Another local added that even before the AA captured Buthidaung, there were instances of civilian killings.
“They have hidden guns and ammunition in mosques, houses, forests, and mountains. The AA needs to eliminate all weapons and terrorists.”
In summary, the rise of ARSA, RSO, and ARA terrorism against civilians in Maungdaw in northern Arakan is driven by religious extremism, aggressive militancy, transborder crimes, and animosity toward non-Muslim groups such as the Rakhine, Hindus, Mro, Khumei, and Daingnet. Even some innocent Muslims opposed to these extremist acts are targeted. The Arakan Army, as a key security provider in the region, should urgently implement effective measures in collaboration with the local population, in accordance with international humanitarian principles.
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