Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
The Arakan Army has prevented Rohingya and Rakhine civilians in Buthidaung town, northern Arakan state in western Myanmar, from leaving their homes near its military bases, despite their fears of potential airstrikes. Observers considered this as using them as human shields and a blatant violation of human rights.
Local residents told “Arakan News Agency” that soldiers stopped the residents’ attempts to move to safer locations, assuring them that “nothing will happen” and that they should stay in their homes, at a time when fears have increased since the Myanmar Army’s declaration of martial law on July 31.
Sources reported that Arakan Army leaders held a meeting on Thursday morning in the “Nyaung Chaung” area with residents from the Rohingya and Rakhine communities, urging them not to believe the rumors about an imminent attack, pledging to fend off any advancing attempt by the Myanmar Army forces.
Analysts believe that the Arakan Army’s bases in Buthidaung have become almost certain targets for airstrikes and that the civilians’ proximity to them poses a danger to their lives, especially with them being prevented from moving to safe areas.
The Rohingya suffer under the rule of the Arakan Army from widespread violations, including the closure of their homes following malicious complaints, their seizure, the confiscation of their valuable properties, the displacement of many families, and the imposition of strict restrictions preventing their movement between villages, by restricting it through a network of security checkpoints at the entrances and exits of each Rohingya village.
In November 2023, the Arakan Army launched a military campaign against the Myanmar Army to take control of the state and managed to control 14 out of 17 cities. The conflict has also affected the Rohingya, who have faced violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides, having also been subjected to a “genocide” campaign by the Myanmar Army in 2017, which forced about a million of them to flee to Bangladesh.
