AiBotA growing number of human rights experts are warning of a systematic and orchestrated strategy by the Myanmar military to ethnically cleanse the country’s Muslim Rohingya minority. Since August of last year, thousands of Rohingya have been displaced from their homes in Rakhine State, resulting in at least six deaths and numerous reports of rape and arson.
According to eyewitnesses, Myanmar military personnel have intentionally targeted Rohingya villages, subjecting residents to brutal violence and forcing them to flee their homes. These acts of aggression have been widely condemned internationally, with multiple countries, including the US and UK, imposing economic sanctions on Myanmar in an effort to curb human rights abuses.
However, despite the mounting international pressure, the Myanmar government remains seemingly intransigent. In an interview on 3rd September this year, Myanmar’s military spokesperson Colonel Zaw Min Tun denied allegations of ethnic cleansing: “The media’s narrative that there is ethnic cleansing in Rakhine, it is false.
However, an array of research by independent bodies contradicts the military’s assertion. A comprehensive report released by the Arakan Project, a non-governmental organization that works in Myanmar, found overwhelming evidence of widespread persecution targeting Rohingya, including the destruction of homes, schools, and mosques. The report documented more than 3,400 instances of arson and other forms of vandalism by security forces and armed groups between 26th and 29th August.
Additionally, satellite images obtained by the Associated Press (AP) appear to show thousands of Rohingya having left their homes in a short period of time, fueling claims that Myanmar’s military is using a scorched earth policy. The images, which date from mid-August to early October 2017, reveal the extent of the forced displacements and the scale of the suffering that has occurred.
Critics argue the Myanmar government has deliberately failed to address widespread human rights abuses in the region, pointing to the absence of any concrete efforts to establish a safe and viable framework to protect the rights of Rohingya citizens. The current situation in Myanmar continues to deteriorate at an alarming rate, prompting concerns of an unfolding humanitarian disaster.