Islamist militants behind ‘attacks’ – ‘New kind of conflict’

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SITTWE, Myanmar, Oct 15, (RTRS): Myanmar’s government said on Friday a group inspired by Islamist militants was behind attacks on police border posts in its ethnically riven northwest, as officials said they feared a new insurgency by members of the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The sudden escalation of violence in Rakhine state poses a serious challenge to the six-monthold government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who was swept to power in an election last year but has faced criticism abroad for failing to tackle rights abuses against the Rohingya and other Muslims.

A statement from the office of Myanmar’s President Htin Kyaw blamed the little-known “Aqa Mul Mujahidin” for recent attacks around Maungdaw Township, a mainly Muslim area near the frontier with Bangladesh. “They persuade the young people using religious extremism, and they have financial support from outside,” said the Burmese language statement.

“They are broadcasting their videos on the Internet like ISIS, Taleban and al-Qaeda. They now have 400 insurgents fighting in Maungdaw region.” Several videos showing armed men speaking the language of the mostly stateless Rohingya have circulated online this week. Reuters has not been able to verify the authenticity of the videos, but government officials say they believe they show the perpetrators of the attacks that began on Oct 9.

Restrictions The 1.1 million Rohingya living in Rakhine state face discrimination, severe restrictions on their movements and access to services, especially since inter-communal violence in 2012 that displaced 125,000 people. The Rohingya are not among the 135 ethnic groups officially recognised in Myanmar, where many in the Buddhist majority regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Suu Kyi, who is barred from the presidency by the constitution but leads Myanmar’s first democratically elected government in decades as “State Counsellor”, has appointed former United Nations chief KofiAnnan to head a panel to propose solutions to Rakhine state’s problems. Information Minister Pe Myint, who visited Maungdaw Township this week, said the dramatic escalation in violence “may affect the work we’ve been doing for Rakhine State”. “Previousaly there has been riots and confl ict between the communities. Now there is armed confl ict,” he told reporters in the state capital, Sittwe, on Friday.

“The nature of the confl ict has changed.” Officials have said hundreds of men – some armed with automatic weapons and others with sticks and swords – launched coordinated assaults against three border posts in the early hours of Oct 9, killing nine police officers and wounding five.

In response, the military has poured troops into northern Rakhine State to search for attackers, who made off with dozens of weapons and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Suu Kyi has told security forces to use caution and follow the law in their response. Her civilian administration does not have oversight over the powerful military, which has designated the area an “operation zone”. At least 26 people have been killed by security forces in what state media described as skirmishes with armed attackers and in which four soldiers were also killed. Human rights groups say they have evidence that extrajudicial killings may have taken place.

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