Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army

Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
LeadersAtaullah abu Ammar Jununi[1][2]
Dates of operation2013 (2013)[3] – present
9 October 2016 (2016-10-09) – present (militarily)
Active regionsNorthern Rakhine State
Bangladesh–Myanmar border
Chittagong Division
Ideology
Size~200 (January 2018)[5][6]
500[7][8]–600[9] (2016–17 estimates)
OpponentsState opponents:

Non-state opponents:

Battles and wars
Designated as a terrorist group by
Flag

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA),[13][14][15] formerly known as Harakah al-Yaqin (Arabic: حركة اليقين, lit. 'faith movement'),[16][17][18] is a Rohingya insurgent group active in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. According to a December 2016 report by the International Crisis Group, it is led by Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi, a Rohingya man who was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and grew up in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.[1][2] Other members of its leadership include a committee of Rohingya émigrés in Saudi Arabia.[19][20]

Myanmar's Anti-Terrorism Central Committee declared ARSA a terrorist group on 25 August 2017 in accordance with the country's counter-terrorism law.[21][22] ARSA is also considered a terrorist group by Malaysia.[12]

ARSA has been accused by Myanmar's government of being involved with and subsidised by foreign Islamists, despite there being no firm evidence proving such allegations.[23] ARSA subsequently released a statement on 28 August 2017, calling government allegations against it as "baseless" and claiming that its main purpose is to defend the rights of Rohingyas.[24] Despite this claim, ARSA members have been arrested for murders and acts of arson against other Rohingyas, particularly community leaders, residing in Bangladesh.[25]

  1. ^ a b J, Jacob (15 December 2016). "Rohingya militants in Rakhine have Saudi, Pakistan links, think tank says". Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b Millar, Paul (16 February 2017). "Sizing up the shadowy leader of the Rakhine State insurgency". Southeast Asia Globe Magazine. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  3. ^ Winchester, Mike. "Birth of an ethnic insurgency in Myanmar". Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tarabay was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Olarn, Kocha; Griffiths, James (11 January 2018). "Myanmar military admits role in killing Rohingya found in mass grave". CNN. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  6. ^ "'Beyond comprehension': Myanmar admits killing Rohingya". www.aljazeera.com. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 15 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  7. ^ Katie Hunt. "Myanmar Air Force helicopters fire on armed villagers in Rakhine state". CNN. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lintner2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Bhaumik, Subir (1 September 2017). "Myanmar has a new insurgency to worry about". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  10. ^ Mathieson, David Scott (11 June 2017). "Shadowy rebels extend Myanmar's wars". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  11. ^ Kyaw Thu, Mratt; Slow, Oliver (28 August 2017). "With ARSA attacks, northern Rakhine plunges into new, darker chapter". Frontier Myanmar. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  12. ^ a b "List of Individuals, Entities and Other Groups and Undertakings Declared by the Minister of Home Affairs As Specified Entity Under Section 66B(1)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  13. ^ Freeman, Joe. "Myanmar's Rohingya Insurgency Strikes Pragmatic Note". VOA. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  14. ^ "Rohingya 'Army' stresses right to self-defence in first statement". Frontier Myanmar. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  15. ^ "Myanmar's armed Rohingya militants deny terrorist links". Fox News. 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 30 March 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  16. ^ Florian Weigand (2020). "International crisis & instant coffee: the Bangladesh–Myanmar border region". Conflict and Transnational Crime: Borders, Bullets & Business in Southeast Asia. Edward Elgar. pp. 75–101. doi:10.4337/9781789905205. ISBN 9781789905205. S2CID 226440207.
  17. ^ "Myanmar: A New Muslim Insurgency in Rakhine State". Crisis Group. 15 December 2016. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  18. ^ Lewis, Simon (14 December 2016). "Myanmar's Rohingya insurgency has links to Saudi, Pakistan: report". Reuters. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  19. ^ "ARSA: The birth of an insurgency", Dhaka Tribune, 19 October 2017 Archived March 2, 2024, at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ "An army crackdown sends thousands fleeing in Myanmar". The Economist. 31 August 2017. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  21. ^ "The Republic of the Union of Myanmar Anti-terrorism Central Committee Statement". National Reconciliation and Peace Centre. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  22. ^ "Exclusive: Is this the final confrontation for the Rohingya?". Dhaka Tribune. 27 August 2017. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  23. ^ Lone, Wa; Lewis, Simon; Das, Krishna N. (9 March 2017). "Myanmar Says Foreign Islamists Instigated Series of Attacks". Reuters. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  24. ^ "Thousands of panic-stricken civilians flee fighting in Myanmar's northwest". Japan Times. Reuters. 28 August 2017. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  25. ^ "Two Rohingya men killed Ukhiya camps". The Daily Star. 14 January 2024. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024.