The Rohingya are yet again bearing the brunt of renewed fighting and military air strikes in Myanmar, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned this week.
The latest wave of fighting by armed groups who want to overturn the country’s 2021 military coup flared up at the end of October last year. The military extended the country’s state of emergency in January and announced a new, mandatory conscription programme in February, which many fear may also disproportionately affect the Rohingya people.
Not only are the Muslim-majority Rohingya being bombed “indiscriminately” but they are also being forcefully drafted into the army even though they are not recognised as citizens and have long been subject to persecution by the the Myanmar authorities, particularly the military.
What is exactly happening there ?
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was under military rule for five decades until the 2015 election, when Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory. However, the military led a coup against her on February 1, 2021, prompting mass protests that evolved into an armed uprising after the generals responded with force.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which has been tracking the crackdown, says 4,680 people have been killed by the Myanmar military since the coup.
Most recently, the Three Brotherhood Alliance, a coalition of ethnic armed groups – the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) – launched a major offensive in October 2023.
Codenamed Operation 1027, the offensive that began on October 27 last year led to the fall of more than 100 military posts as soldiers retreated and left heavy weapons and significant ammunition behind. Anti-coup resistance forces, including the People’s Defence Forces, have also joined the fight adding to the pressure on the generals.
In November 2023, the military announced that it had lost control of Chinshwehaw, which borders China’s Yunnan province and is central to the flow of trade from Myanmar to China, after days of fighting with armed groups.
In January, the Arakan Army, which has long fought for autonomy in western Rakhine state, said it had taken full control of a key western town, Paletwa, in neighbouring Chin state, having overrun several military outposts.
The military has responded with force. Many of the country’s remaining Rohingya live in camps in Rakhine where their movements are severely restricted.
“The Myanmar junta has been indiscriminately bombing Rohingya areas in different townships in Rakhine state,” said Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition, a global network of Rohingya activists.
Quoting local sources, Nay San Lwin said 23 Rohingya, including children and a religious scholar, were killed on Monday during the bombardment of western Minbya township. Additionally, 30 Rohingya were injured. “These attacks on Rohingya are happening everywhere,” said Nay San Lwin.
Other factors, such as a declining economy and [depleting natural gas reserves, which are a crucial revenue source for the military regime, have further undermined its legitimacy.
A recent mandatory conscription order has triggered panic throughout Myanmar, with many residents looking for ways to escape. For the Rohingya, however, avoiding the draft is particularly difficult due to their restricted mobility.
