Experts sound alarm on new Rohingya crackdown

NAYPYIDAW

The persecuted and stateless Rohingya minority is caught in a new violent crackdown in Myanmar, with children among those killed, two reports from influential expert groups warned on Tuesday.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled Myanmar for neighboring Bangladesh in 2017 during a crackdown by the military that is now the subject of a United Nations genocide court case.

But around 600,000 remain in the country's western state of Rakhine, where they have found themselves in the middle of an escalating conflict between junta-run Myanmar's armed forces and the rebel Arakan Army.

The situation has been inflamed further by the Myanmar military's forced recruitment of Rohingya to battle the rebel group, including reportedly more than 2,000 from Bangladeshi refugee camps.

Watchdog Fortify Rights said its interviews with eyewitnesses established that the Arakan Army had this month launched a drone and mortar attack on Rohingya civilians.

The bombardment killed more than 100 Rohingya men, women and children on the border with Bangladesh, Fortify Rights said.

"The fact that the AA first sent a surveillance drone before launching the massive attack shows clearly that the group intentionally attacked a civilian crowd," the group said.

The Arakan Army denied responsibility for the assault in an Aug. 7 statement and again through its political wing 10 days later.

The International Crisis Group think tank said that many Rohingya on the ground blamed the rebel group for the attack, along with other acts of violence and persecution.

"The combination of words and alleged deeds have fueled polarization and driven greater numbers of Rohingya to volunteer for the military or armed groups," it said.