https://arab.news/yvptx
For years, many in the international community, myself included, cautiously entertained the idea that the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group in Myanmar, might one day become part of the solution to the Rohingya crisis. As the Myanmar military regime continued its campaign of brutality against civilians, especially ethnic minorities, some looked to the AA and other rebel factions as alternative governance structures that might offer greater inclusion, stability, and even justice.
That illusion has now been shattered.
A recent report by the legal news service Jurist confirms what many Rohingya activists and civil society groups have been warning for months: the AA is committing serious human rights abuses against Rohingya civilians in Rakhine State. These include arbitrary killings, forced displacement, recruitment of child soldiers, and a deliberate campaign of terror in areas under its control. This is not a group preparing to govern responsibly; it is one repeating the junta’s crimes.
The Arakan Army has spent years cultivating an image of disciplined, strategic leadership. It gained credibility by avoiding major civilian atrocities and publicly committing to establishing local administrative control in liberated areas. But behind this facade is a brutal reality. The AA has neither the intent nor the capacity to uphold the rights of minorities, especially the Rohingya.
