History
Prior to 2016
According to an ARSA spokesperson, the group was founded as Harakah al-Yaqin () in 2013, following the 2012 Rakhine State riots. A former member of ARSA described how he was recruited by the group's leader, Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi, three years prior to the attacks in October 2016. Ataullah had approached villagers, asking for five to ten recruits to join his group and telling them that the time had come to "stop the mistreatment of the Rohingya people". Prior to the October 2016 attacks, ARSA had merely patrolled villages armed with bamboo sticks, making sure that villagers prayed at mosques. According to Rohingya locals and Burmese security officials, the group had again began approaching Rohingya men from various villages for recruitment six months prior to its first attack in October 2016, this time with the intention of training them across the border in2016
In October 2016, the group claimed responsibility for attacks on military posts along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, which left nine border officers and four soldiers dead. The Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) announced on 15 November 2016 that a total of 69 insurgents had been killed by security forces in the recent fighting. The ICG reported on 14 December 2016 that in interviews with ARSA, its leaders claimed to have links to private donors in2017
Burmese state media reported on 22 June 2017 that three insurgents had been killed by security forces in a raid on an insurgent camp supposedly belonging to ARSA, as part of a two-day "area clearance operation" by the government. Authorities confiscated gunpowder, ski masks and wooden rifles used for training. In July 2017, the Burmese government accused ARSA of murdering 34 to 44 civilians and kidnapping 22 others in reprisal attacks against those ARSA have perceived as government collaborators. ARSA denied the accusations. On 25 August 2017, the group claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on at least two dozen police posts and an attempted raid on an army base. The government gave an official death toll of 77 Rohingya insurgents and 12 security forces in northern Maungdaw following the attacks. The government stated that ARSA insurgents had attacked a police station in the Maungdaw District with a handmade bomb alongside the coordinated attacks on several police posts. ARSA claimed they were taking "defensive actions" in 25 different locations and accused government soldiers of raping and killing civilians. The group also claimed that Rathedaung had been under a blockade for more than two weeks, starving the Rohingya, and that government forces were preparing to do the same in Maungdaw. The Myanmar Army also blamed ARSA for the killings of 99 Bengali Hindus in the Kha Maung Seik massacre, which occurred on the same day as the attacks. Over 4,000 ethnic Rakhines fled their villages on 26 August 2017, as fighting between ARSA and the Tatmadaw escalated. In late August 2017, the Burmese government accused ARSA of killing 12 civilians, including Hindus and Muslims, some of whom were suspected by ARSA of being government informants. On 24 September 2017, Myanmar's military accused ARSA of killing 28 Hindus in Ye Baw Kya village in the previous month after they uncovered their bodies in a mass grave. ARSA released a statement on 28 August 2017, calling government allegations against it as "baseless" and stating that ARSA only seeks to defend Rohingyas and their rights. An ARSA spokesman also denied allegations that it was behind the killings and accused Buddhist nationalists of spreading lies to divide Hindus and Muslims. Bangladesh meanwhile has proposed joint military operations with Myanmar against ARSA. A one-month unilateral ceasefire was declared by ARSA on 9 September 2017, in an attempt to allow aid groups and humanitarian workers safe access into northern Rakhine State. In a statement, the group urged the government to lay down their arms and agree to their ceasefire, which would have been in effect from 10 September until 9 October (the one-year anniversary of the first attacks on Burmese security forces by ARSA). The government rejected the ceasefire, with Zaw Htay, the spokesperson for the State Counsellor's office, stating, "We have no policy to negotiate with terrorists.""Hundreds dead in Myanmar as the Rohingya crisis explodes again."2018
ARSA claimed responsibility for an ambush carried out on 5 January 2018 in the village of Turaing, which reportedly injured six members of Myanmar's security forces and a civilian driver. In late November 2018, Hindu community leaders in Myanmar claimed that ARSA had been warning Hindu refugees in Bangladesh not to return to Rakhine State after Burmese authorities called for their2019
On the 16 January, Myanmar state media reported that six police officers had been injured in an ambush by ten ARSA insurgents in Watkyein village bridge in Maungdaw. In March, ARSA's leadership called for their followers to protect Rohingya community from insurgent group in refugee camps in Bangladesh. This was statement was made in response to reports of killings and abductions in the refugee camps. Bangladeshi media blamed ARSA for the crimes, while ARSA denies any responsibility.2020
Reports circulated in May 2020 that ARSA had reformed in Maungdaw after several months of inactivity. On 2 May, the ''Myawady Daily'' reported that two Burmese police officers had been attacked by 41 ARSA insurgents near the Bangladesh–Myanmar border. Two alleged ARSA insurgents died in a confrontation with Myanmar security forces at the Bangladeshi border on 4 June. According to military spokesman and Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, the clash occurred during routine border security at Mee Dike village and began when around 30 ARSA insurgents opened fire. Three civilians were killed and six others were wounded when their vehicle struck an alleged ARSA mine in Maungdaw Township on 17 November.2021
Rohingya leader Mohammed Mohib Ullah, who had raised the issue of human rights violations of Rohingyas and was an opponent of ARSA, was killed on 29 September 2021. His brother accused the group of being behind the attack, but the group denied it. The Bangladesh Police said in March 2022 that the group was behind it and assassinated him due to his growing popularity. Some Rohingyas told2022
Several images and videos appeared on social media in early-January 2022, purportedly showing more than 50 members of the group along with its leaders taking part in a military drill in Maungdaw. Bangladesh Police on 18 July 2022 announced arrests of Nur Mohammad, chairman of ARSA's fatwa committee, and Abu Bakkar, a commander of the group accused of the killings of Rohingyas in October 2021. The two were stated to have been arrested on 7 and 17 July respectively. Armed Police Battalion unit 14 commander Naimul Haque claimed that they had arrested 834 Rohingyas linked to ARSA in the last six months. Bangladeshi officials accused ARSA of being responsible for the killing of an intelligence officer and a Rohingya woman on 14 November during a counter-narcotics operations near the border with Myanmar. The group denied any responsibility.2023
ARSA and the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) on 18 January 2023 clashed in a refugee camp, located near the Naikhongchhari Upazila in the no man's land of the Bangladesh–Myanmar border. One RSO member was killed and hundreds of refugees fled due to the fighting. The Armed Police Battalion arrested six ARSA members on 5 May, including ARSA commander Hafizur Rahman. ARSA commander Hafiz Jubayer was arrested by the police on 10 May. On 12 June, Sabbir Ahmed, an ARSA leader was accused of being involved in the killings of six Rohingyas in October 2021. ARSA was accused of killing Kutupalong refugee camp deputy leader Mohammad Ebadullah on 6 July. Five ARSA members were killed in clashes with RSO in Cox's Bazar the following day, while the group was accused of murdering an RSO member. ARSA and the Arakan Army (AA) clashed on 19 July in the Mayu mountains near Sein Hnyin Pyar and Gu Dar Pyin villages. The AA claimed that five ARSA members and one AA member were killed, with the AA seizing an ARSA outpost. ARSA commander Hafez Nur Mohammad was captured by the Rapid Action Battalion on 21 July in Cox's Bazar. ARSA commander Rahimullah Prakash Musa was arrested on 26 September, while Ataullah's personal secretary Mohammad Ershad Noman Chowdhury was arrested from the Kutupalong refugee camp on 2 October.2024
ARSA began cooperating with the Tatmadaw in 2024. It was also accused of killing two civilians in Taung Pyo Let Wae town of Maungdaw Township on 7 March. Local residents then urged the Arakan Army to start "clearance operations" against ARSA. On 12 April, clashes broke out between the Arakan Army and the junta-supported fighters of ARSA in Buthidaung Township, resulting in deaths of at least 25 Rohingya civilians and 3,000 Rohingyas fleeing. ARSA was also accused of burning down homes and kidnapping civilians in Buthidaung Township. Four ARSA members were arrested by the 8th Armed Police Battalion in Ukhia on 23 February. Two militants, including a top coordinator and commander of the group, were arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion on 15 May. Four members were arrested by the 14th Armed Police Battalion in a refugee camp in Ukhia on 19 May, and an ARSA commander was arrested by it in a refugee camp in Ukhia on 22 May. According to the Arakan Army and Rohingya refugees, ARSA forcibly press gangs young men and boys to fight with the Myanmar military; most soldiers later flee. On 10 June, five ARSA members including Moulovi Akij, a top ARSA commander wanted for the murder of Mohib Ullah, were arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion in Ukhiya. On 13 June, the Rapid Action Battalion arrested Zakaria, a gun group commander in ARSA, with arms in Ukhiya. ARSA commander named Nurul Islam was arrested in Ukhiya with arms and ammunition by the Armed Police Battalion on 19 September.2025
On 18 March 2025, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) of Bangladesh arrested six individuals linked to ARSA, including the group's leader Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi. The others arrested were Mostak Ahmed (66), Moniruzzaman (24), Salimullah (27), Asmaul Hosna (23), and Md Hasan (15). They were apprehended in Narayanganj, where RAB seized around 21.39 lakh taka (USD $17,608) in cash. 51.39 lakh taka, Malaysian ringgit, and US dollars were also seized at other properties.Ideology and structure
ARSA leader Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi stated in a video posted online, "Our primary objective under ARSA is to liberate our people from dehumanising oppression perpetrated by all successive Burmese regimes". The group claims to be an ethno-nationalist insurgent group and has denied allegations that they are Islamist, claiming they areAccusations of atrocities
The Myanmar government alleged in a statement that ARSA killed four Muslims, including a village head and a government informant, on 25 August 2017. The next day on 26 August, another Muslim village head and a Hindu child were allegedly killed when ARSA insurgents fired at a monastery. In addition, six Hindus were stated to have been killed when the insurgents attacked a Hindu family. The Office of Myanmar's State Counsellor also blamed ARSA for the killings of five Daingnets on 26 August and seven Mro people on 31 August. The mass-graves of 28 Hindus were found by Myanmar's security forces on 24 September 2017 near the village of Ye Baw Kya, with 17 more bodies found on the next day. Three relatives of the deceased said that masked men marched 100 Hindus away from the village before slitting their throats and pushing them into a hole. The relatives recognised some of the attackers as Rohingya Muslims, who told their victims they should not be in possession of official identity cards, which were issued by the government to Hindus but not to Muslims. After the discovery of the bodies, the Myanmar government claimed the victims were killed by ARSA insurgents. An ARSA spokesman denied the allegation that it was behind the killings and accused Buddhist nationalists of spreading lies to divide Hindus and Muslims. On 9 November, Myint Khyine, the secretary of the Immigration and Population Department, blamed the deaths of 18 village leaders in the past three months in Maungdaw and Buthidaung, on ARSA. The village leaders helped the department to issue national verification cards to Rohingya villagers. On 22 May 2018,Press statements
ARSA periodically releases press statements online, in documents and videos posted to itsReferences
External links
* {{Insurgent groups in Myanmar Ethnic armed organisations in Myanmar Islam in Myanmar Organizations based in Asia designated as terrorist Organizations designated as terrorist by Malaysia Organizations designated as terrorist by Myanmar Persecution of Hindus Rakhine State Rohingya conflict Separatism in Myanmar