The Rohingya are, “trapped between two armed factions who have a track record of killing them”.
Since February hundreds of Rohingya have been killed, over 200 000 have been displaced and more than 2000 Rohingya men have been forcibly conscripted by the Myanmar military, when it announced the implementation of its military service law.
The military junta has subjected the Rohingya to airstrikes, forced displacement, the burning of villages and the destruction of critical humanitarian infrastructure, especially medical facilities. Rohingya men have been arrested and disappeared, or used as human shields. Mosques and schools have been destroyed or occupied and used to launch strikes. The army continues to block, telecommunication services, roads, waterways and urgently needed humanitarian aid to civilians in conflict areas. Non-military supplies are being destroyed and severe restrictions are being imposed on aid workers. The junta is abducting Rohingya during nighttime raids, threatening them with arrest and torture or giving them false promises of citizenship before deploying them to the frontlines with only two weeks of training.
Most of northern Rakhine State is under the control of the Arakan Army (AA). Which is an ethno-nationalist, supremacist Rakhine armed group, that is also forcefully conscripting the Rohingya. The leader of the AA has openly made racist, anti-Rohingya remarks, and there are allegations of artillery fire, torching of homes, arson attacks, the razing of over 35 villages, drone attacks, extortion, targeted killings and beheadings of Rohingya by AA forces.
If Rohingya are seen working with the military, the AA will kill them and if they support the AA, the military will kill them, this is why it is imperative that:
-The delivery and distribution of all humanitarian aid must occur without any hindrance or threats.
-All armed groups — including the Myanmar military, the Arakan Army (AA), and those using the name "Rohingya" — must cease forced conscription. No one should be compelled into service and the coercion of underage individuals into conscription constitutes a war crime.
-Rohingya villages must not serve as battlefields and groups must refrain from arson attacks on ethnic villages.
-All armed groups must stop perpetrating crimes against the Rohingya.
-The international community MUST do everything in its power to stop the genocide.
Now more than ever it is imperative that you join the movement, on the 11th annual #Black4Rohingya by wearing black and sharing your photos and messages of solidarity on Thursday 13 June 2024, across social media platforms.