October’s attacks on the Border Guard Police bases by the insurgent group Harakah al-Yaqin (HaY) in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and their aftermath have raised concerns over whether the Rohingya crisis in that country, formerly known as Burma, might present an opportunity for expansion of international jihadism.
The persecution of the Rohingya ethnic minority in Rakhine, also known as Arakan, is a major humanitarian crisis that overshadows the core issues of Rohingya citizenship and basic rights. The problem is spurred by half a century of Rohingya persecution by Burma’s military dictatorship. Revocation of citizenship, major human rights violations, terror, and violence against Rohingya people are the key strategic maneuvers by the Myanmar government in pursuit of ethnic cleansing in Arakan, aimed at racial and religious purity in the predominantly Buddhist country.
The October attacks, however, have now generated questions and speculation. The International Crisis Group has described the emergence of HaY as “a game-changer in the Myanmar government’s efforts to address the complex challenges in Rakhine State,” although it is as yet unclear in which direction it is heading. The ICG report provides valuable insights into the issues in Arakan, accurately stating that “a heavy-handed security response that fails to respect fundamental principles of proportionality and distinction is not only in violation of international norms; it is also deeply counterproductive.” The ICG recommendations have merits.
The report, though, also paints an alarming picture with apparent assumption that the HaY is connected to international groups that have provided sophisticated guerilla war tactics.
This unfortunately feeds into the Myanmar government’s narrative linking the Rohingya cause to international jihadism as a justification for the recent obliteration of Rohingya villages, causing more than 100,000 people to take refuge in Bangladesh and Rohingya villages in Maungdaw area, and its armed forces committing crimes against humanity.
From the onset after the October attack, the government rushed to name the Rohingya insurgent group “Aqamul Mujahedin” – a group that does not exist. The name evidently was manufactured by the government. However, the government backtracked quickly as the group identified themselves as HaY. The rush by the government clearly shows that it was poised to link the Rohingya cause to international jihadist movement as a pretext to launch attacks on Rohingya population aiming at another exodus of Rohingya. The assumption of a jihadist link by the ICG has apparently played into the hands of Myanmar’s government.
The perception of HaY’s connection to any international group does not appear to correspond to what is evident on the ground in the conflict zone in northern Arakan.
In its much-publicized video clips and written messages, HaY denies connection to any external group, and it does not appear to be well-equipped or sophisticated, as one would expect. In the video clips, the group appears to have fewer than a dozen firearms, which were reportedly seized from the Myanmar police, and there are an overwhelming number of swords, spears, and machetes in their possession. Further, all the members of the insurgent group appeared in slippers, sarongs, and T-shirts, which are clearly not the characteristics of a well-trained group with international connections.
HaY’s leader is reportedly of Rohingya heritage, born in Pakistan, with siblings in Saudi Arabia. The report that the insurgent group is being led by a committee of Rohingya émigrés in Saudi Arabia and the assumption that it is inspired by local and international fatwas should be substantiated through clear hard evidence. Saudi Arabia is home to a large Rohingya population.
Various sources have indicated that the HaY insurgent group is merely a homegrown group in Myanmar that attracts recruits from refugee camps in South and Southeast Asian countries where their situation is desperate.
In fact, the group's leader, Atah Ullah, told CNN that the group decided to fight back against the government after 70 years of repression. "We, the vulnerable and persecuted people, have asked the international community for protection against the atrocities by the government of Myanmar, but the international community turned its back on us; we finally cannot take it anymore."
Further, in its written English-language press statements on YouTube, the insurgent groups made their demands to Myanmar’s government to immediately stop persecution of Rohingya people and restore their citizenship with all their rights. The group’s message underscores the importance to the group of integration and peaceful co-existence of Rohingya Muslim and Buddhist Rakhine in Arakan. However, the October HaY attack on Myanmar police posts was a serious miscalculation that has evidently played into the hands of the government of Myanmar.
The volatile situation in Arakan does not appear to be about to ease any time soon. The government continues to deny international relief and media groups access to the devastated areas in northern Rakhine state, creating humanitarian crises to sideline the core issues of Rohingya citizenship and basic human rights.
