NEW DELHI – Dozens of Rohingya organizations worldwide have called for “justice, equality, peaceful coexistence, and inclusive governance” in Rakhine state on Myanmar’s western coast as the conflict between military junta forces and the rebel Arakan Army escalates.
Some 28 Rohingya organizations issued a joint statement on Monday calling on the rebel Arakan Army, which has taken control of Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships in northern Rakhine, to “uphold and respect the rights of the Rohingya and all ethnic and religious minorities” in the troubled state that borders Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s southeastern Cox’s Bazar district is home to over 1.2 million Rohingya. A military crackdown in August 2017 drove the majority of Rohingya Muslims to flee Myanmar.
However, the majority of the remaining 500,000 Rohingya continue to live in territory controlled by the Arakan Army, which has complete control of the border with Bangladesh.
“During decades of military rule, the people of Arakan State, including the Rohingya, have yearned for freedom. With the Arakan Army now in control of the territory, it bears the responsibility to fulfill that aspiration.
“This moment offers an opportunity to transform the future of Arakan State—one rooted in respect for human rights, justice, and equality for all. It is a chance to move beyond the divisions sown by the military junta and rebuild a prosperous Arakan (Rakhine) state where peace and coexistence are the foundations of governance,” the statement said.
Undoubtedly, the statement went on to say the Myanmar military is “our common enemy,” whose “ultimate aim has always been to destroy both the Rakhine and Rohingya communities and to keep Arakan state in a perpetual state of poverty and division, exploiting our land and resources.”
According to the statement, an impending famine in Arakan State could result in the starvation of two million people because famine does not discriminate by race or religious affiliation.
It maintained that all communities must work together to prevent ongoing tragedies and to help build a better future in which no one dies of hunger or lives without shelter, health care, and employment.
The Arakan Army, the statement said, has “actively” committed human rights violations, including widespread arson attacks, forceful displacement and expulsion, looting, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, forced labor, forced conscriptions, mass detention, sexual violence, and extortions.
“We urge the Arakan Army to view us not as adversaries, but as partners in shaping a shared and prosperous future for the Arakan state,” it added. -AA
