Junta, military-trained Muslim militiamen accused of killing IDPs in Maungdaw Twsp

By Admin 24 Jul 2024

DMG Newsroom
24 July 2024, Maungdaw

Local people have accused the Myanmar junta and military-trained armed Muslim men of killing some residents who were trapped by fighting in downtown Maungdaw, Arakan State.

Ko Dawgulu, a 20-year-old man from the Kanyintan Hindu displacement camp, was killed while he was going to downtown Maungdaw on July 20, according to a local resident.

“He went to downtown Maungdaw from a Hindu displacement camp. I don’t know exactly why he was going to downtown Maungdaw. He was killed in downtown Maungdaw,” the local resident explained.

Junta soldiers and armed Muslim militiamen raided Shwezar Village, on the outskirts of Maungdaw, and shot dead four displaced people on July 16.

“Junta soldiers and armed Muslim militiamen shot four displaced people including two children and raped a woman. I don’t know exactly due to the communication shutdown in the area. Junta soldiers are doing what they want to do,” said a source.

The four slain displaced people have been identified as U Kardu, in his 40s, U Zawdul in his 30s, and a 9-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl.

The Arakkha Army (AA) released a statement on June 16 asking people to leave Maungdaw as soon as possible as the battle for control of the border town was about to begin. However, due to the intense fighting around Maungdaw, there are still some people who are trapped in the area, unable to escape.

The AA is attacking the military’s Border Guard Force (BGF) Battalion No. 5 in Maungdaw’s Myothugyi Ward, the only junta BGF battalion based in Maungdaw Township.

The AA continues to battle for control of Maungdaw, with the regime responding to the ethnic armed group’s offensive by bolstering its defences in downtown Maungdaw.