Insurgents claim responsibility for attack in northern Rakhine state, saying they are fighting ‘Burmese state-sponsored terrorism’

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Rohingya Muslim have said they have “no other option” but to fight what they called Myanmar’s state-sponsored terrorism in order to defend their community.



On Sunday the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) claimed responsibility for an ambush on Myanmar security forces that left several wounded in northern Rakhine state, the first attack in weeks in a region gutted by violence.

Rakhine was plunged into turmoil last August when a series of insurgent raids prompted a military backlash so brutal the United Nations says it likely amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingya minority.

Q&A Who are the Rohingya? Show Hide The Rohingya are Muslims who live in majority-Buddhist Myanmar. They are often described as "the world's most persecuted minority". Nearly all of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya lived in the western coastal state of Rakhine. The government does not recognise them as citizens, effectively rendering them stateless. Extremist nationalist movements insist the group are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, although the Rohingya say they are native to Rakhine state.



In 2017 soldiers, police and local militias burned hundreds of Rohingya villages to the ground, and were also accused of gang-raping women and children, as well as slaughtering civilians indiscriminately. By December 2017, an estimated 625,000 refugees from Rakhine, had crossed the border into Bangladesh. Recent attempts to repatriate them to Myanmar have floundered after authorities failed to convince significant numbers that it would be safe to return. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/AAP

The army campaign sent some 650,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh, where refugees have given harrowing accounts of rape, murder and arson at the hands of security forces and vigilantes.

Since the August raids, which left at least a dozen dead, the shadowy, poorly armed Arsa has launched few if any attacks – until Friday morning, when the army reported that “about 10” Rohingya militants ambushed a car with handmade mines and gunfire, wounding two officers and their driver.



The militants claimed responsibility for the ambush in a rare post from an official Twitter account on Sunday. The statement did not provide any more details about the attack in the northern Maungdaw township.

In the name of humanity, don’t look away from the plight of the Rohingya people | Ian Woolverton Read more

“Arsa has … no other option but to combat ‘Burmese state-sponsored terrorism’ against the Rohingya population for the purpose of defending, salvaging and protecting the Rohingya community,” the group said in the statement signed by its leader, Ata Ullah.

A Myanmar government spokesman declined to comment, saying he had yet to read the statement. A military spokesman would not comment about the security situation in the north of Rakhine state.

The area is largely off limits to reporters. Authorities have previously said attacks by the insurgents would be met with force and they ruled out any negotiations with “terrorists”.

The Guardian view on Myanmar: telling the truth about the Rohingya | Editorial Read more

Arsa dismisses any links to Islamist militant groups and says it is fighting to end the oppression of the Rohingya people.

Rohingya have been denied citizenship, freedom of movement and access to services such as healthcare. The Myanmar government regards them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Serious communal violence between Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists erupted in 2012 and sporadic unrest followed.

Arsa did not say where Ullah was but the government suspects the insurgents flee into Bangladesh then slip back into Myanmar to launch attacks.

World's awkward silence over Rohingya genocide warnings Read more

Any increase in violence in Rakhine will deepen concerns about plans to begin repatriating refugees later this month. Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement in November allowing for repatriations from 23 January.

But many aid groups and diplomats have expressed doubt that fearful Rohingya will agree to return to country where they face severe discrimination from other communities and the state.

The refugees complain that they have not been consulted about their repatriation.</s>Image copyright EPA Image caption Last year, officials accused Arsa militants of burning the Hindu village of Yebawkyaw and killing many of its inhabitants

A militant group from Myanmar's mostly Muslim Rohingya minority says it will keep fighting the government.

Attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) last year sparked military reprisals that drove about 650,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.

It now says it was behind an ambush on a military truck in Rakhine state on Friday that injured three people.

The group, seen as terrorists by Myanmar's government, say they are fighting for Rohingya political rights.

Who are Arsa?

Image copyright Youtube Image caption Arsa has released videos featuring its leader Ata Ullah (centre)

Arsa operates in Rakhine state in northern Myanmar, where the Rohingya people have faced persecution. The Myanmar government has denied them citizenship and sees them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Clashes erupt periodically between ethnic groups, but in the past year, an armed Rohingya insurgency has grown.

Arsa has carried out only sporadic attacks, but early on 25 August last year, it launched assaults on about 30 police and army posts, triggering a fierce military response.

At the same time, the authorities accused Arsa fighters of killing 28 Hindu villagers whose bodies were allegedly found in a mass grave.

Jonathan Head, the BBC's South East Asia correspondent, says that not all Rohingya support the group, and their strategy is poorly formed.

What happened to the Rohingya?

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Watch: Who are the Rohingya?

At least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in the month after last August's violence, Médecins Sans Frontières says.

After an internal investigation, in November the army exonerated itself of any blame regarding the crisis. It put the death toll at about 400.

The military denied killing any civilians, burning their villages, raping women and girls, and stealing possessions.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rohingya Muslims displaced from Tula Toli village in Rakhine State gave disturbing accounts

The government's assertions contradicted evidence seen by BBC correspondents. The United Nations human rights chief has said it seems like "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing".

Bangladesh and Myanmar have been working on a plan to repatriate some of the 650,000 refugees, but it is unclear on what terms they could be allowed to return, and whether they would be resettled into camps.

What happened on Friday?

Myanmar's government said a military vehicle taking someone to hospital was targeted by about 20 "extremist Bengali terrorists" with home-made mines and arms.

On Sunday, Arsa posted a statement by its leader Ata Ullah on Twitter, confirming its involvement and saying it has "no other option but to combat 'Burmese state-sponsored terrorism' against the Rohingya population for the purpose of defending, salvaging and protecting the Rohingya community".

It also called on Rohingya people to be consulted over their "humanitarian needs and political future".

What may happen next?

Jonathan Head, BBC News South East Asia correspondent, Bangkok

The military views Arsa as an Islamic terrorist movement, justifying its exceptionally harsh response to the August attacks.

Arsa announced a ceasefire right after those attacks, and was assumed to have been seriously weakened by the exodus of most of the Rohingya population to Bangladesh. However, the bombing on Friday shows that some Rohingya militants have remained behind.

The subsequent statement by Arsa, promising to continue what it calls its legitimate struggle against the Burmese state, suggests more attacks may follow.

This is likely to harden the military's determination to keep international aid agencies and the media out of Rakhine state, making the already distant prospect of repatriating the refugees even more remote.</s>YANGON (Reuters) - Rohingya Muslim insurgents ambushed a military vehicle in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, wounding five members of the security forces, state media and officials said, and the rebels claimed responsibility for the rare attack.

A wave of raids by the insurgents on security force posts on Aug. 25 sparked sweeping army counter-insurgency operations in the Muslim-majority north of the state that led to widespread violence and arson and an exodus of some 650,000 Rohingya villagers to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The United Nations condemned the Myanmar military campaign as ethnic cleansing. Buddhist-majority Myanmar rejected that.

But since Aug. 25, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) insurgents, who claimed responsibility for the coordinated raids on 30 security posts, have mounted only a few sporadic attacks.

The military said “extremist Bengali terrorists ARSA” carried out the Friday attack on a truck taking someone to hospital.

“A vehicle ... was attacked by 20 insurgents from the mountain using homemade mines and small arms,” the government said. The military said there were about 10 attackers.

An ARSA spokesman said his group had carried out the attack.

“Yes, ARSA takes responsibility for the latest military movement,” the spokesman told Reuters through a messaging service.

He said further details may be revealed later.

The ARSA dismisses any links to Islamist militant groups and says it is fighting to end the oppression of the Rohingya people.

The Yangon-based Frontier Myanmar magazine quoted a resident of a nearby village as saying sporadic gunfire had been heard at the time of the ambush. A state-run newspaper reported on Saturday that fighting continued after the ambush.

The area is largely off-limits to reporters.

Myanmar and Bangladesh have been discussing a plan to repatriate the Rohingya refugees but more insecurity in Myanmar is likely to raise doubts about how quickly that might take place.</s>YANGON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Rohingya Muslim insurgents ambushed a vehicle in western Myanmar's Rakhine State on Friday, wounding three people, including two members of the security forces, the military said.

A wave of attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents on the security posts on Aug. 25 sparked sweeping army counter-insurgency operations in the Muslim-majority north of the state that led to widespread violence and arson and an exodus of some 650,000 Rohingya villagers to Bangladesh.

The United Nations condemned the Myanmar military campaign as ethnic cleansing. Buddhist-majority Myanmar rejected that.

But since Aug. 25, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) insurgents, who claimed responsibility for the coordinated raids on 30 security posts, have mounted only a few sporadic attacks.

The government did not identify the insurgents involved in the Friday attack on a vehicle taking someone to hospital but the military said in a statement they were "extremist Bengali terrorists ARSA".

"A vehicle ... was attacked by 20 insurgents from the mountain using homemade mines and small arms," the government said. The military said there were about 10 attackers.

An ARSA spokesman was not available for comment. There was no mention of any incident on a Twitter account that routinely carries statements from the group.

The Yangon-based Frontier Myanmar magazine quoted a resident of a nearby village as saying sporadic gunfire had been heard at the time of the ambush.

The area is largely off-limits to reporters.

Myanmar and Bangladesh have been discussing a plan to repatriate the Rohingya refugees but more insecurity in Myanmar is likely to raise doubts about how quickly that might take place. (Reporting by Shoon Naing; Editing by Robert Birsel)</s>Rohingya rebels attacked an army truck in Myanmar’s restive Rakhine state and wounded five soldiers, state media said.

A spokesman for the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed responsibility for the ambush on Friday.

“A vehicle … was attacked by 20 insurgents from the mountain using homemade mines and small arms,” the government said, adding about 10 rebels were involved.

The military added “extremist Bengali terrorists ARSA” carried out the ambush.

A series of attacks on security installations last August ignited an exodus of more than 620,000 Rohingya villagers from Rakhine into neighbouring Bangladesh, after Myanmar soldiers launched a brutal crackdown.

Fleeing Rohingya have reported many stories of mass killings, gang-rape, and arson attacks by security forces.

The United Nations has called violence against civilians “ethnic cleansing”, but Myanmar’s government has rejected the description.

A rebel spokesman confirmed his group had carried out the attack. “Yes, ARSA takes responsibility for the latest military movement,” the unidentified fighter told Reuters news agency.

Yangon-based Frontier Myanmar magazine reported six soldiers were hospitalised, one with critical wounds.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a deal last month for the return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees, but little is known of its details.
ARSA insurgents, using small arms and homemade land mines, ambush a Burmese military convoy in the village of Turaing. Three members of Myanmar's security forces are reportedly wounded.