One civilian killed, several others injured in ARSA ambush on bus in Maungdaw Twsp

By Admin 27 Dec 2024

DMG Newsroom
27 December 2024, Maungdaw

The Arakkha Army (AA) said on December 26 that one person was killed and several others were injured when a passenger bus carrying 16 people was fired upon by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State.

The group of locals were ambushed by about 25 ARSA members at a location between Kyeinchaung and Taungphyo villages at around 4 p.m. on December 24 as they were returning from Taungpyo Town in northern Maungdaw Township after purchasing commodities.

The AA said the wounded were receiving medical care and that AA fighters were searching for the ARSA members that attacked the civilians.

"Local people in Maungdaw Township live in fear. Both men and women are concerned about their safety. Locals are worried about their safety due to fleeing junta soldiers and ARSA members," said a local woman.

Muslim armed groups such as ARSA, the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) and the Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA) are active in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships and along the Mayu mountain range, where they are known to arrest, kill, abduct, shoot and extort local residents.

U Kyaw Tha Aung, a man from Aungzeya Village, Maungdaw Township, was shot dead by ARSA members on December 4.

Locals in Maungdaw District are living in fear, facing challenges in their socio-economic lives and day-to-day mobility due to the threat posed by Muslim armed groups.

"The jungles are dense and scary. ARSA is active in the jungles. I have heard and seen ARSA members shooting civilians. If there were no armed Muslim men, it would be OK for us," U Maung Saw Hla, a local merchant from Taungpyo Letwe, a border town, told DMG.

ARSA, RSO and ARA groups in the Maungdaw region have also been ambushing AA security forces, resulting in frequent clashes.

The ethnic armed group has made clear that it will not allow any other armed organisation to establish itself in Arakan State.