Rohingya conflict

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Rohingya conflict
Part of the internal conflict in Myanmar
Map of Rakhine State with Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships highlighted in red
Date Communal violence: 1942–present Insurgency: 1947–present Location Northern Rakhine State;[2] Bangladesh–Myanmar border Status Ongoing Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar Ongoing humanitarian crisis with notable spikes in violence in 1978, 1991, 2015, 2016 and 2017
Belligerents
British Burma (1947–1948) Union of Burma (1948–1962)	Mujahideen (1947–1954) Supported by:  Pakistan[a] (until 1950)
Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (1962–1988) Union of Myanmar (1988–2011)	RLA (1972–1974) RPF (1974–1986) RSO (1982–1998) ARIF (1986–1998)[1] ARNO (1998–2001)[1]
Republic of the Union of Myanmar (since 2011)	ARSA (since 2016) ARA (since 2020) Rohingya Islami Mahaz (since 2020) RSO (since 2021)	Arakan Army (since 2016)
Commanders and leaders
Min Aung Hlaing Aung Myat Moe[3] Former: Aung Gyi (1947–1963) Tin Oo (1947–1976) Ne Win (1962–1988) Than Shwe (1992–2011) Thein Sein (2011–2016) Maung Maung Soe (until 2017)[4] Sein Lwin (until 2017)[3] Sein Win (2015–2021)	Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi[5][6] Former: Mir Kassem (POW) (1947–1952) Abdul Latif (1947–1961) Annul Jauli (1947–1961) Moulvi Jafar Kawal (1947–1974) Muhammad Jafar Habib (1972–1982) Muhammad Yunus (1974–2001) Muhammad Zakaria (1982–2001)[7] Nurul Islam (1974–2001)	Twan Mrat Naing Nyo Twan Awng
Units involved
Tatmadaw Army 33rd Light Infantry Division[8] 99th Light Infantry Division[8] Air Force[9] Police Force Border Guard Police	Rohingya National Army (1998–2001)[1][10]	Arakan Army
Strength
15,000–20,000 soldiers[11] ~1,000 policemen[12] Previous totals: 1,100 (1947–1950)[13]	Unknown Previous totals: 2,000–5,000 (1947–1950) 2,000 (1952) 170 (2002) 500–600 (2016–2017) 200 (2018)	38,000+ (self-claimed February 2024) 15,000+ (estimated February 2024)
Casualties and losses
2016–2019: 109 killed[b]	2016–2017: 475 killed[c]	Unknown
2016–2019: 24,000+ civilians killed[24][25][26] 128,000 internally displaced[27][28] 950,000+ fled abroad[d]

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The Rohingya conflict is an ongoing conflict in the northern part of Myanmar's Rakhine State (formerly known as Arakan),^[37] characterised by sectarian violence between the Rohingya Muslim and Rakhine Buddhist communities, a military crackdown on Rohingya civilians by Myanmar's security forces,^[38][39][40] and militant attacks by Rohingya insurgents in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and Rathedaung Townships, which border Bangladesh.^[41][42][22]

The conflict arises chiefly from the religious and social differentiation between the Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. During World War II in Burma (present-day Myanmar), Rohingya Muslims, who were allied with the British and promised a Muslim state in return, fought against local Rakhine Buddhists, who were allied with the Japanese. Following independence in 1948, the newly formed union government of the predominantly Buddhist country denied citizenship to the Rohingyas, subjecting them to extensive systematic discrimination in the country. This has widely been compared to apartheid^{[43][44][45][46]} by many international academics, analysts, and political figures, including Desmond Tutu, a famous South African anti-apartheid activist.^[47]

Following the independence of Myanmar, Rohingya mujahideen fought government forces in an attempt to have the mostly Rohingya populated region around the Mayu peninsula in northern Arakan (present-day Rahkine State) gain autonomy or secede, so it could be annexed by Pakistan's East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh).^[48] By the end of the 1950s, the mujahideen had lost most of its momentum and support, and by 1961 most of their fighters had surrendered to government forces.^[49]

In the 1970s, Rohingya separatist movements emerged from remnants of the mujahideen, and the fighting culminated with the Burmese government launching a massive military operation named Operation Dragon King in 1978 to expel so-called "foreigners".^[50] In the 1990s, the well-armed Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) was the main perpetrator of attacks on Burmese authorities near the Bangladesh–Myanmar border.^[51] The Burmese government responded militarily with Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation, but failed to disarm the RSO.^[52][53]

In October 2016, Burmese border posts along the Bangladesh–Myanmar border were attacked by a new insurgent group, Harakah al-Yaqin, resulting in the deaths of at least 40 combatants.^[41][42][54] It was the first major resurgence of the conflict since 2001.^[1] Violence erupted again in November 2016, bringing the 2016 death toll to 134,^[21] and again on 25 August 2017, when the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (formerly Harakah al-Yaqin) launched coordinated attacks on 24 police posts and an army base that left 71 dead.^[22][55][56]

A subsequent military crackdown by Myanmar prompted the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to investigate the matter and release a report on 11 October 2017 detailing the Burmese military's "systematic process" of driving hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas from Myanmar "through repeated acts of humiliation and violence".^{[57][58][59][60]}

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