NAYPYIDAW: Around 30 members of Myanmar’s Rohingya minority have been killed in clashes between junta forces and ethnic minority Buddhist insurgents, residents of Rakhine State said on Saturday, raising new fears that the persecuted Muslim community is being caught in the middle of increasingly bitter fighting.
According to accounts from residents of Rakhine State, the casualties occurred as a result of clashes between junta forces and fighters from the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic minority group seeking self-determination for the Buddhist Arakan community in the region. The violence killed 12 Rohingya civilians in junta airstrikes targeting AA fighters in Buthidaung township on Friday.
The situation further deteriorated when the Arakan Army allegedly launched a drone strike on a school where Rohingya civilians had sought shelter, resulting in the deaths of 18 persons. Reports indicate that approximately 200 people sustained injuries in the attacks, although the exact toll remains difficult to ascertain due to communication challenges in the conflict-affected area.
Rohingyas from several villages had sought refuge in the high school, compounding the tragedy of the attack. The motives behind the Arakan Army’s targeting of the school remain unclear, exacerbating fears among the already traumatized Rohingya population.
The plight of the Rohingya, who have long faced persecution in Myanmar, has been exacerbated by their entanglement in the ongoing conflict between the AA and junta forces. Human rights workers have voiced concerns over the recruitment of Rohingya individuals by both sides, as well as allegations of Rohingya being targeted and subjected to violence by both factions.
Meanwhile, Rohingya residents have endured further hardship, with homes being burned down and thousands compelled to flee their homes amidst the escalating violence. Tens of thousands of Rohingyas have reportedly fled from Buthidaung township alone in the wake of the recent clashes.
