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Over 1,000 Civilians Flee to Ayeyarwady as Fighting Nears Gwa Town in Southern Rakhine

August 20, 2024/in News

Over 1,300 civilians from southern Rakhine State’s Gwa Township have fled to neighboring Ayeyarwady Region as fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and Myanmar military junta troops nears Gwa town, according to local residents and a lawmaker familiar with the situation on the ground. In southern Rakhine State, the AA and joint resistance forces gained […]

Arakan Army Must Facilitate Access for International Aid, Monitors and Investigators to Northern Rakhine State

August 19, 2024/in News

19 August 2024: The Arakan Army (AA) must ensure the protection of civilians in northern Rakhine state and uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law, says the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M). An attack on Rohingya men, women and children on 5 August 2024 may have resulted in the deaths of up to 200 […]

Over 1,000 Civilians Flee to Ayeyarwady as Fighting Nears Gwa Town in Southern Rakhine

August 20, 2024/in News

Arakan Army Must Facilitate Access for International Aid, Monitors and Investigators to Northern Rakhine State

August 19, 2024/in News

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Over 1,000 Civilians Flee to Ayeyarwady as Fighting Nears Gwa Town in Southern Rakhine

August 20, 2024/in News

In southern Rakhine State, the AA and joint resistance forces gained control of Thandwe in June and seized Kyeintali in Gwa Township on Aug. 14. Since then the fighting has neared Gwa town, which is near the border with Ayeyarwady Region.

“Since the clashes started in Kyeintali, many civilians from Gwa Township have arrived in our town. Now, it is estimated that there are over 100 people in our town and nearby villages,” a resident of Ingabu Township in Ayeyarwady Region told The Irrawaddy.

In Ayeyarwady Region, after the displaced Gwa Township residents passed through the Arakan Mountains they reached the Yaynanthar military checkpoint, a crucial gateway on the Gwa-Ngathaingchaung Road, which connects Rakhine State and Ayeyarwady Region. There, they were required to give their personal information and the addresses of their destination to military officials stationed there.

The regime officials sent the information to the administrators of the towns and villages listed as destinations, and warned the Rakhine residents they would be punished if they did not appear there, said Daw Cho Cho Win, a National League for Democracy lawmaker who is the representative in exile for Ayeyarwady Region’s Lemyethna Township, and who still has access to information on the situation in her constituency.

“According to our data, it is estimated that over 1,300 people have already passed through the Yaynanthar Gate since early this month. It could be much higher than that, in fact. Some people are traveling to Ayeyarwady Region via forest routes. We are still enquiring about them,” she said.

While the AA’s offensive is focused on areas near Gwa town, residents of Ayeyarwady Region’s Hinthada district, especially areas close to the Arakan Mountains including Kwin Kauk, Ingapu, Mazalikone and Tugyi, are also bracing for clashes, with many packing up valuables and other belongings and shipping some of them to safer places.

Meanwhile, in Ngathaingchaung, Yegyi and Kyonpyaw, which are deeper inside Ayeyarwady along the route leading from the Yaynanthar Gate checkpoint, military troops have been deployed in public places including schools, football fields and pagoda compounds to defend against possible attacks by the AA and resistance forces.

“News is spreading that military junta troops will be deployed at the school next week and they will check guestlists looking for people from Rakhine State. In our town and suburban villages, there are almost 200 people from Rakhine State,” said a resident of Kwin Kauk, a town lying next to the Arakan Mountains in Ayeyarwady Region.

If the AA, People’s Defense Force groups (PDFs) and other resistance forces gain control of Gwa town, the clashes will very likely spread across Ayeyarwady Region, as the region is home to resistance groups trained by the AA, a political analyst said.

“As soon as Gwa comes under the control of the AA, the battles will begin in Ayeyarwady. I think it will be in the cool season,” he said. In Myanmar, the cool season starts around November.

Since launching its offensive against regime forces in November last year, the AA has captured almost all of northern Rakhine State, as well as Thandwe and Kyeintali town in the south.

Irrawaddy News

Arakan Army Must Facilitate Access for International Aid, Monitors and Investigators to Northern Rakhine State

August 19, 2024/in News

19 August 2024: The Arakan Army (AA) must ensure the protection of civilians in northern Rakhine state and uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law, says the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M).

An attack on Rohingya men, women and children on 5 August 2024 may have resulted in the deaths of up to 200 people, according to credible reports. The victims were attempting to escape violent conflict between the AA and Myanmar military in Maungdaw, northern Rakhine state, and cross the Naf River into Bangladesh.

Survivors and witnesses report bombs being dropped from drones, artillery fire, and soldiers shooting people with small arms. The AA has been accused of being responsible. The recent events follow the reported large-scale, coordinated killing, arson and shelling attacks on Rohingya in Buthidaung on 17 May, which AA troops are also alleged to have committed.

The humanitarian situation in northern Rakhine state, in particular for Rohingya communities, is dire. Rohingya in northern Rakhine are at risk of genocide, according to a 2020 ruling issued by the International Court of Justice, and the region is subject to an internet shutdown and tight movement restrictions imposed by the Myanmar military.

SAC-M has not yet been able to determine who is responsible for the recent atrocities against the Rohingya and other civilians in northern Rakhine state. However, it is satisfied that the AA and its political wing the United League of Arakan (ULA) are now the primary military and governance authorities in the region, having almost entirely defeated and displaced the Myanmar military.

As such, SAC-M calls on the ULA/AA, as the de facto authority in northern Rakhine state and a party to the conflict, to act immediately to protect all civilians at all times as its principal obligation under international law. In particular, the ULA/AA must:

Work with the Government of Bangladesh to establish a humanitarian corridor from Bangladesh and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to all communities in Rakhine state.
Assure, ensure and facilitate safe passage for Rohingya and other civilians to take shelter in designated areas of protection.
Request, enable and cooperate fully with an independent international investigative team to enter Rakhine state to investigate the treatment of Rohingya and other civilians in Rakhine state.
Invite independent international monitors to be stationed in Rakhine state to monitor and report on the protection of civilians and the observance of other obligations under international law.

The ULA/AA has said that it is committed to upholding the human rights of all ethnic and religious communities living in Rakhine. Now it must prove it.

SAC-M calls on the United Nations and its agencies and other States to uphold their own obligations and expedite efforts to prevent further grave violations of international law in Myanmar and hold perpetrators of those violations to account.

This Sunday 25 August marks seven years since the start of the massive 2017 atrocities during which thousands of Rohingya men, women, boys and girls were killed in the ensuing mass murder, rape and gang rape, torture, burning and arson carried out by the Myanmar military. Three quarters of a million Rohingya were forced to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Seven years on, victims are still waiting for justice and accountability. And now new atrocities are being added to the old ones. The total impunity for perpetrators of grave violations of international law in Myanmar ensures the conditions for continuing atrocities against civilians, as this most recent massacre attests. The international community must do more to deliver justice and finally bring impunity in Myanmar to end.

Special Advisory Council

Spring Revolution

Civil Society Position Paper on ASEAN’s Goal of a Myanmar-Owned and -Led SolutionDecember 18, 2024 - 12:11 pm
Recommendations to ASEAN and Its Member States (1) Move beyond the 5PC to achieve a Myanmar people-led and people-centered solution to the crisis in Myanmar. ASEAN’s “Myanmar-owned and -led” approach must be backed by genuine political will that aligns with and supports the collective aspirations of the people of Myanmar. (2) Cease all pressure on […]
The Airstrikes after the journey to the China of the Junta Military LeaderDecember 10, 2024 - 1:28 pm
Operation 1027 was a coordinated military attack against the junta on October 27th, 2023. It was carried out by the Northern Brotherhood, which includes the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Several months later, the Three Brotherhood Alliance held three meetings to negotiate with China on January 11 […]
Human Rights Situation weekly update (September 15 to 21, 2024)September 27, 2024 - 8:26 am
Human Rights Violations took place in States and Regions from Sep 15 to 21, 2024 Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Shan State, Chin State, Rakhine State, and Kachin State from September 15th to 21st. The Military Junta committed arresting, occupying the properties, threatening by using power, and […]

Multimedia

Reparation (Cartoon Animation)December 21, 2024 - 8:08 am
Human Rights Basic 4 signs Cartoon AnimationDecember 8, 2024 - 9:07 am
Human Rights Cartoon AnimationDecember 8, 2024 - 9:03 am
JusticeOctober 7, 2024 - 10:28 am

ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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