Hundreds of Rohingya People Targeted, Killed Amid Myanmar's Civil Strife

Hundreds of Rohingya people fleeing oppression and violence in Myanmar were killed Monday in an artillery and drone attack. It occurred as they tried to cross the Naf River. They were fleeing into Bangladesh to seek safety, human rights groups and news outlets said.  

The people fleeing were trying to escape violence in Maungdaw town. It's in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. While fleeing, witnesses said, they were attacked by fire. The attack came from a militia group. It's called the Arakan Army (AA). The Asian nation’s ruling army controls the country. It seized control in a coup in 2021. Since then, it has been engaged in fighting with many rebel groups like AA for over a year.   

The rebel group denied blame for the attack. But activists told Reuters and other news outlets that, for months, the group has attacked the Rohingya people. The group has set fire to villages and encampments. It has also forced young Rohingya men to fight with them against the ruling army.  

Myanmar is also known as Burma. It's largely a Buddhist nation. Human rights groups have called for the United Nations to label Myanmar’s harsh treatment of the Rohyingya, a Muslim minority, as a genocide. In 2017, there was an army crackdown in the Rakhine state. It sent over 1 million Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh. And they've remained there stranded in refugee camps. At least 150,000 more have fled to other Southeast Asian countries. 

Videos and photos posted online showed gruesome footage of Rohingya killed on the banks of the Naf. “The (AA) is trying to finish the business of the Myanmar (army),” Nay San Lwin told The Guardian. He is co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition. He spoke to those who survived the attack.

Reflect: What are some ways you think the international community can help protect people fleeing violence and oppression?