Myanmar's internal conflict and the Myanmar Army's clash with the Arakan Army (AA) in Rakhine continue to intensify. Across the border in some townships of Rakhine, massive clashes are going on with the Myanmar army. Several Rohingya villages have been burnt there. Unable to withstand the intensity of the conflict, the Rohingyas are fleeing towards the Bangladesh border in fear of their lives. Many people think that they are forcing Rohingyas living in these areas to leave their homes by burning their villages. On the other hand, it is known that Myanmar army on one side and Rohingyas on the other side are using the Rohingyas as human shields in a well-planned way to kill the Rohingyas. Myanmar's army has lost control of many areas to AA in Rakhine State in the ongoing conflict. The Myanmar army forcibly captured the Rohingyas and orders them to fight with them during clashes with the Rohingyas in areas inhabited by Rohingyas. They are inciting inter-communal violence by forcing the Rohingyas to engage in conflict with each other in the name of protecting themselves from attacks by each other in their areas. According to Human Rights Watch, around 1,000 Rohingya have been forced to join Myanmar's army since February. Both the Myanmar army and the AA are pushing to fight for them and the Rohingya are being used as human shields on the battlefield.
About 600,000 Rohingya are still living in Rakhine state. A number of Rohingya rights activists from abroad have alleged that the AA is forcing Rohingya refugees into Buthidung town in Rakhine. Their homes have been looted and set on fire and there have been human rights violations. Many Rohingyas have been killed. 10,000 civilians have been displaced by clashes between the AA and the Myanmar army in Buthidong and Maungdu. No steps are being taken to ensure their safety and security. Regarding the conflict situation in Myanmar, the European Union (EU), the United States and some countries have called on all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety of civilians in a joint statement. It said it had helped the Rohingyas move to safer areas, but the Myanmar junta has been waging havoc there. The United States has called on Myanmar's junta and the UN to provide humanitarian access and protect civilians in the ongoing situation, expressing concern over allegations of Rohingya displacement and increased violence in Rakhine.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Falker Turk expressed deep concern over the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from Buthidung town in Rakhine State and urged Myanmar's military and AA to immediately end the conflict there. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have been displaced by renewed violence and destruction of property in the town of Buthidong in northern Myanmar's Rakhine State. The United Nations calls on the Myanmar government to protect civilians allow immediate and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance and unconditionally comply with international law. Falkar Turk urged Bangladesh and other countries to come forward to help the Rohingyas who are facing persecution.
James Rodehaver, head of the UN Rights Office's Myanmar team, described the ongoing situation as dire. The United Nations has warned that intercommunal tensions could escalate if Rohingya and Rakhine clash against each other. The United Nations also fears that retaliatory violence may occur in such a situation. Human rights monitors also confirmed the forced relocation of Rohingyas from at least eight villages under army control.
UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Thomas Andus, has called on Bangladesh to move away from its 'closed border' policy to shelter displaced Rohingya in the wake of the ongoing crisis in Rakhine. Although the United Nations, donor countries and organizations have worked to solve the Rohingya crisis, Bangladesh's generosity has expressed its opinion that the only hope for the Rohingyas. The UN Special Rapporteur has also called on all countries in the world to come forward with emergency funds to improve the situation in the Rohingya camps inside Bangladesh. Thomas Andus called for an end to the AA's "forced displacement and human rights violations" against the Rohingya.
Elizabeth Throssell, a spokeswoman for the UN rights office, said tens of thousands of civilians had been displaced in Buthidang and Maungdoo towns in Arakan amid escalating violence in conflict-torn Myanmar's Rakhine state. About 45,000 Rohingya who recently fled for their lives from Rakhine State are waiting for safe shelter on the banks of the Naf River. Elizabeth Throssell called on the Myanmar government and the AA to protect civilians in accordance with international law. Bangladesh does not have the capacity to deal with this crisis without the urgent intervention and support of the international community. Ration cuts, inadequate infrastructure, violence and the activities of Rohingya militant groups have threatened the lives of Rohingya in Bangladesh as a result of reduced aid.
Myanmar's border posts along the Bangladesh border are currently occupied by AA. This is the state of Myanmar through full self-determination under the framework, Arakan State wants to be built in the future. Its main strength is its commitment to Rakhine people's communal harmony, religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Their foresight in this critical situation will help them to increase their acceptance in the international arena in the days to come.
Across the border in Cox's Bazar area, UN and other aid agencies have been working in Rohingya camps with their professional skills and sincerity for the past seven years. They are aware of the Rakhine situation. In the current context, the United Nations, UNHCR, IOM and other international aid agencies can establish a safe zone and a humanitarian corridor for displaced people in Rakhine to ensure the safety of Myanmar citizens fleeing persecution. They can manage this activity very easily from the peaceful location of Cox's Bazar. It will also support them in this work because they need acceptance in the international arena.
By participating in these aid programs together with the United Nations and international aid agencies, they can only prove themselves as the proper representatives of Rakhine beyond their identity as Rakhine ethnic armed groups. In addition to this, if the Rohingya's acceptance towards AA is revealed in the international arena, it will be useful to get international support in the coming days to implement their objectives.
Donor organizations are under pressure to provide assistance to the Rohingyas who have taken refuge in Bangladesh, so there is no opportunity for Myanmar citizens to seek refuge inside Bangladesh. Bangladesh government has taken precautionary measures at the border. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has strengthened security at Bandarban border due to the fear of new Rohingya infiltration through the border. The number of BGB personnel has been increased in the border posts and establishments in the border areas of Bandarban and Cox's Bazar and patrolling and surveillance has been increased in the border areas. The CCTV cameras installed in the border area are being monitored round the clock and the surveillance of BGB as well as intelligence agencies has also been increased.
The international community has been quick to express its concern over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar's Rakhine state. The brutal events of 2017 have taught them to be cautious before the situation deteriorates. The international community has realized how generous Bangladesh was despite its limitations and humanitarian aspects. They feel the absence of such generosity in the present context. Establishing safe zones and a humanitarian corridor for displaced people in Myanmar's Rakhine state has become imperative to deal with the ongoing situation. The UN and international organizations can deal with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Rakhine by taking quick decisions. This experience of working inside Rakhine will help to play a stronger role in future Rohingya repatriation. It is expected that the United Nations and international aid agencies will come forward to solve this crisis by taking effective measures in the areas under the control of Rakhine State.
Br J (Rtd) Hasan Md Shamsuddin, NDC, AFWC, PSC, M.Phil Researcher on Myanmar and Rohingya.