AA to probe Muslim deaths amid allegations of atrocities

By Admin 08 Aug 2024

DMG Newsroom
8 August 2024, Maungdaw

The Arakkha Army (AA) said it is probing into the deaths of Muslims in Arakan State’s Maungdaw Township in response to allegations that those Muslims were killed by AA troops.

Video that went viral on social media purported to show the bodies of dozens of dead Muslims in Maungdaw, where junta troops and the AA are engaged in ongoing and often fierce fighting.

It has been alleged that Muslims fleeing from Maungdaw Town were attempting to cross the Naf River to Bangladesh when the AA fired on them with guns and drones, killing potentially hundreds of Muslims.

The AA released a statement on Wednesday denying responsibility for the killings. “Those deaths did not happen in territory controlled by us, and we have nothing to do with it,” reads the statement.

The AA said it believes the slain were killed either by junta airstrikes or shelling, or drowning. The AA statement said its troops are well-versed in the code of conduct, rules of engagement, human rights and humanitarian laws.

Its statement said the ethnic armed group lamented the deaths, and is investigating the details. It will make the truth known to the public once it finds out, the AA statement said.

One Maungdaw resident: “We don’t know exactly how many were killed and how many were injured. We can’t say which side is responsible as the fighting is fierce. That day, the regime carried out around seven airstrikes near the border.”

Some Maungdaw residents have claimed that junta artillery strikes were responsible for the Muslim deaths. DMG was unable to reach regime spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun for comment.

Fighting has intensified in Maungdaw as the AA is attacking Border Guard Police Battalion No. 5, the last junta battalion defending Maungdaw Town. Hundreds of Maungdaw residents including ethnic Arakanese, Muslims and Hindu people are trapped in the town amid the ongoing hostilities.

One Muslim trapped in the town said: “I didn’t realise the fighting would be this intense. People fled to Bangladesh after fighting broke out in the town.”

In its statement, the AA accused Muslim armed groups such as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), Arakan Rohingya Army and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), and other junta-allied Muslims, of committing crimes including abduction, murder and robbery in Maungdaw with the junta’s blessing.

One political analyst said: “ARSA and RSO are active in some parts of the border town Maungdaw. So, the situation is complex there. Every group is accusing the other.”

Fighting has been raging in Maungdaw for nearly two months, inflicting civilian casualties on a near daily basis. Junta troops remain deployed in Maungdaw Town.