AA tells Arakan State residents to reject junta’s divide-and-conquer antics

By Admin 26 Mar 2024

DMG Newsroom
26 March 2024, Sittwe

The Arakan Army (AA) has warned Arakan State residents about the political snare of the military regime, alleging that the regime is attempting to foment racial and religious strife after losing ground in Arakan State.

The ethnic Arakanese armed group issued a statement on Monday, accusing the regime of forcing Muslims to stage protests to distract attention from its military defeats.

Nay San Lwin, founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition, said: “Local Rohingya (Muslims) said they are concerned that their Arakanese brethren would misunderstand them, and that it would result in tensions.”

Hundreds of Muslims took to the streets in Buthidaung town on March 19, holding banners that read “We don’t want AA”, “No War” and “Let’s protect Buthidaung”.

A similar protest followed in Sittwe on March 21, with Muslim protesters holding banners reading “We don’t want war”, “We don’t want NUG (National Unity Government) and AA that are undermining peace and stability of the country”, and “We don’t want AA insurgents who are shelling residential areas”.

Muslims in Sittwe’s Bu May Ward were told to send one person per household to the protest. Arakan State authorities threatened punitive action against those who failed to join the protest, according to the Muslim community.

Sectarian conflicts between Arakan State’s Buddhists and Muslims flared in 2012 and 2017, with incitements often cited as the cause, and hundreds of thousands of Muslims fled into Bangladesh following junta “clearance operations” in 2017.

“No matter what the regime does to incite racial conflicts between the two [communities], it won’t be successful. Because people are aware of what is right and what is wrong now,” said an Arakan State resident.

The regime is also conscripting young people in Arakan State, prompting many to go into hiding.

Many Muslims have fled into areas controlled by the AA as the regime has forced them to undergo military training, and then sent them to the front line.