Sunday, September 10, 2017

The Irrawaddy Magazine

The Irrawaddy Magazine

ARSA Declares Temporary Ceasefire Amid Humanitarian Crisis

Posted: 10 Sep 2017 06:22 AM PDT

BANGKOK/COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh—The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army declared a month-long unilateral ceasefire, starting on Sunday, to enable aid groups to help ease a humanitarian crisis in northwest Myanmar.

Nearly 300,000 self-identified Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh and 30,000 non-Muslim civilians have been displaced inside Myanmar after the military launched a counter-offensive following attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) insurgents on 30 police posts and an army base on Aug. 25.

"ARSA strongly encourages all concerned humanitarian actors resume their humanitarian assistance to all victims of the humanitarian crisis, irrespective of ethnic or religious background during the ceasefire period," ARSA said in a statement.

The impact of the move is unclear. The group does not appear to have been able to put up significant resistance against the military force unleashed in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine state. In the last two weeks, thousands of homes have been burned down, dozens of villages uprooted and thousands of people are still on the move towards the border with Bangladesh.

The wave of hungry and traumatized refugees pouring into Bangladesh has strained aid agencies and local communities already helping hundreds of thousands displaced by previous waves of violence in Myanmar.

In its statement, ARSA called on the military to also lay down arms and allow humanitarian aid to all affected people.

Myanmar says its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against ARSA, which the government has declared a terrorist organization.

Help for Bangladesh

On Friday, the United Nations in Bangladesh found tens of thousands of refugees who had not been counted before, raising the count to 270,000 from some 164,000 the day before. On Saturday, that jumped by another 20,000 to 290,000.

On Saturday, thousands of self-identified Rohingya were milling on the road near the camp of Kutapalong, carrying bamboo and tarpaulin to build shacks. Children and women flocked to every stopping vehicle, begging.

Aid workers say a serious humanitarian crisis is also unfolding on the Myanmar side of the border.

Red Cross organizations are scaling up their operations in Rakhine after the United Nations had to suspend activities there following government suggestions that its agency had supported the insurgents. The United Nations evacuated non-critical staff from the area.

Thousands of displaced people in Rakhine have been stranded or left without food for weeks. Many are still trying to cross mountains, dense bush and rice fields to reach Bangladesh.

"The UN and INGOs have not been very welcome in Rakhine and…they are not able to operate and ensure the safety and security of their staff and volunteers," said Joy Singhal of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The government had invited the Red Cross to assist them, he said.

Aid workers worry many displaced persons had been left without food since mid-July, when the World Food Programme (WFP), which had been providing food and cash assistance, was unable to operate.

The government said it would set up camps for internally displaced people in Rakhine but the move could draw opposition from UN humanitarian experts.

The post ARSA Declares Temporary Ceasefire Amid Humanitarian Crisis appeared first on The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar Muslim Organizations Condemn ARSA, Pledge Collaboration

Posted: 10 Sep 2017 12:01 AM PDT

YANGON — The All Myanmar Islamic Religious Organization on Saturday strongly condemned the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) for its terrorist acts in northern Rakhine State, and pledged collaboration with the government, interfaith groups and the public to prevent such acts.

Northern Rakhine State is reeling from the Muslim militant group's attacks on 30 police outposts on Aug. 25 and subsequent violence against civilians. The Myanmar government declared the group a terrorist organization shortly after the attacks began and has since begun clearance operations in the area, causing ethnic Rakhine, self-identified Rohingya and other Rakhine sub-ethnicities to flee their homes. The UN said that as of Friday, some 270,000 Muslim refugees had fled to Bangladesh.

The announcement from the national Islamic organization made up of five local Muslim organizations — including Jamiat Ulama-al Islam (H.Q), The Islamic Religious Affairs Council, All Myanmar Muslim Youth (Religious Affairs) and Myanmar Muslim Nation Affairs Organization — came a few days after anonymous warnings against possible Muslim and Buddhist attacks on Monday circulated via Facebook messenger and SMS to both Buddhist and Muslim communities across the country. Both the Myanmar government and the military issued a public alert that the ARSA was preparing for terrorist acts in the country's major cities, including Yangon and Naypyitaw.

The statement released by the Islamic umbrella organization said they "have never accepted terrorism and are totally against it."

"We are very much concerned about the attacks given the government's alert. The government needs to strictly prevent the online instigations calling for racial and religious conflict at the moment," it read.

It also added that the organization felt sorry along with the bereaved families of innocent civilians killed by terrorists in Rakhine State as well as for displaced people.

U Nyunt Maung Shein, the chairman of The Islamic Religious Affairs Council, one of the signatories, told The Irrawaddy on Sunday that the statement was the result of a meeting between members from all of the organizations on Saturday.

He added that the statement had been delayed after the attacks as some members were on religious trips and they were waiting for their return.

In a separate statement released on the same day, the Islamic organization urged all Muslims in Myanmar to condemn terrorism and collaborate with others for stability.

"Please don't share, believe nor react emotionally to those online instigations. If you find out any suspicious activity in your neighborhood, please report it to the authorities," it said.

On Saturday, the government also requested the public not spread the "online and SMS attack warnings," and announced that it would take legal action against those instigating public panic.

The post Myanmar Muslim Organizations Condemn ARSA, Pledge Collaboration appeared first on The Irrawaddy.
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