Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
Insurgent group in Rakhine State, Myanmar / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA),[13][14][15] formerly known as Harakah al-Yaqin (Arabic: حركة اليقين, lit. 'faith movement'),[16][17][18] is a Rohingya insurgent group active in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. According to a December 2016 report by the International Crisis Group, it is led by Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi, a Rohingya man who was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and grew up in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.[1][2] Other members of its leadership include a committee of Rohingya émigrés in Saudi Arabia.[19][20]
Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army | |
---|---|
Leaders | Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi[1][2] |
Dates of operation | 2013 (2013)[3] – present 9 October 2016 (2016-10-09) – present (militarily) |
Active regions | Northern Rakhine State Bangladesh–Myanmar border |
Ideology |
|
Size | ~200 (January 2018)[5][6] 500[7][8]–600[9] (2016–17 estimates) |
Opponents | State opponents: Myanmar Bangladesh Non-state opponents: Arakan Army[10] Rohingya Solidarity Organisation |
Battles and wars | Rohingya conflict |
Designated as a terrorist group by | |
Flag |
Myanmar's Anti-Terrorism Central Committee declared ARSA a terrorist group on 25 August 2017 in accordance with the country's counter-terrorism law.[21][22] ARSA is also considered a terrorist group by Malaysia.[12]
ARSA has been accused by Myanmar's government of being involved with and subsidised by foreign Islamists, despite there being no firm evidence proving such allegations.[23] ARSA subsequently released a statement on 28 August 2017, calling government allegations against it as "baseless" and claiming that its main purpose is to defend the rights of Rohingyas.[24] Despite this claim, ARSA members have been arrested for murders and acts of arson against other Rohingyas, particularly community leaders, residing in Bangladesh.[25]