This article revisits the first wave of Rohingya genocide unfolded in 2017. It then outlines how a second wave began in late 2023 and continues till today. The focus is on the roles played by SAC’s leader Min Aung Hlaing and Arakan Army’s leader Twan Mrat Naing in this Rohingya crisis, along with an overview of the current situation in Arakan, Burma/ Myanmar.
How Did the First Wave of the Rohingya Genocide Begin?
The Rohingya genocide was started by Min Aung Hlaing (Tatmadaw) in 2017, when a Muslim militant group named Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked around 30 police posts (Amnesty International) in Rakhine State on 25 August 2017. This attack resulted in the deaths of twelve officers.
The Myanmar military responded to this with what many now describe as a GENOCIDE.
The UN described it as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”. This crackdown forced over 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, creating the largest refugee camp in the world filled with Rohingya. MSF surveys estimate that at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed. However, hundreds of deaths remain uncounted as the Myanmar government blocked international investigations.
Human Rights Watch published a report titled “All of My Body Was Pain,” based on interviews with 52 Rohingya women and girls, including twenty-nine survivors of rape. According to the UN Operational Satellite Applications Program (UNOSAT), 20.7 square kilometers of Rohingya buildings were destroyed by fire since 25 August.
This brutal response to innocent Rohingya who had nothing to do with the ARSA attacks led to nearly one million people fleeing to other countries, widespread rape, sexual violence, and the burning of their homes. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken officially declared it genocide.
Who Is ARSA?
ARSA, Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a Muslim militant group, has been condemned by Rohingya civil groups as a criminal group.
How Is the Second Wave of Genocide Likely to Begin?
To come to the main topic, since late October 2023, as the conflict between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar military began across the entire Arakan region, the government cut off internet and blocked transportation. The Arakan Army then started taking positions in Rohingya villages to fight against junta.
Min Aung Hlaing’s Role in the Second Wave of the Rohingya Crisis
On March 19th, the Myanmar junta forced Rohingya in Buthidaung Township to take to the streets and protest against the Arakan Army (AA) with slogans like “We don’t need AA, and we don’t want war.” More than two hundred Rohingya were brought to Buthidaung Township from the countryside and forced to participate and began forcibly conscripting Rohingya civilians. Around 100 forcibly abducted Rohingya were massacred in Angumaw.
Despite openly conscripting Rohingya, the Myanmar junta publicly denied this practice. On February 28th, the military’s daily newspaper, Myanmar Alin (The Light of Myanmar), published a statement from the Rakhine Administration Office, claiming: “The news of conscription of Bengali [Rohingya] youths is completely false, and we have never forced any of them to join our military”.
In February 2024, the Myanmar junta collaborated with Muslim militant groups to fight against the Arakan Army. After all this, the Myanmar junta did not stay to protect the Rohingya civilians. They handed them over to the Arakan Army and withdrew on 18 May 2024.
Is Twan Mrat Naing Continuing What the SAC leader Left Unfinished?
On 18 May 2024, the Arakan Army announced that they had fully captured Buthidaung Township at 12 PM, but they burned the town the night before seizing it.
Arakan Army arrested Rohingya conscripts and jailed after they defeated Myanmar junta. One former detainee said over 700 were jailed with him. In prison, they faced electric shocks, beatings, starvation.
Arakan Army massacred Rohingya civilians in Htan Shauk Kan, where 90% of the 600 Rohingya villagers were killed, including women and children. A child survivor said: “All the villagers were called to the paddy field, made to kneel, and then shot.”
Again, in Maungdaw Township, despite burning dozens of Rohingya villages, Arakan Army drone bombs killed hundreds of Rohingya and injured thousands. Rohingya activist Nay San Lwin told VOA: “In Maungdaw, the AA killed at least four hundred Rohingya, including children and women….”
On August 6, 2024, AA soldiers shot dozens of fleeing Rohingya civilians along the border. Fortify Rights confirmed this with video, photos and interviews. HRW reported 40 Rohingya villages were burned by AA between April and May 2024.
How Are the Rohingya Surviving Day by Day?
Arakan has no internet or electricity. With homes destroyed and no jobs, many Rohingya are dying daily. The Arakan Army collecting taxes from starving villagers, demand military services and labor and clearing villages labelling as “ARSA areas”, and ordering people to move from their villages and abducting educated Rohingya (28) and replacing Rakhine and other minorities in Rohingya villages. Due to this oppression, people have begun fleeing to Bangladesh. The UN reported that more than 113,000 Rohingya refugees have newly arrived in Bangladesh.
Despite Arakan Army’s claim of fighting for justice and ethnic freedom, their actions tell a different story. They have forced Rohingya civilians to flee, replaced them with Rakhine people, killed hundreds, jailed including children under 18, burned villages, blocked aid and taxing starving villagers. This crisis is not just a military conflict; it’s a continuation of genocidal campaign. The Rohingya are once again left with nowhere to run, no one to protect them and no path to justice.
The world must ask: Is Twain Mrat Naing finishing the unfinished business of Min Aung Hlaing?
