Thousands of Rohingya Feared Stuck in Exchange of Fire in Western Myanmar

Tens of thousands of Rohingya, a Muslim minority group, are feared to be caught in the escalating conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar junta in the western Rakhine region, Arab News reported yesterday.

The AA, which is fighting for autonomy, has asked residents of the predominantly Rohingya town of Maungdaw to evacuate ahead of a planned offensive against the military, the news agency reported.

Around 70,000 Rohingya in Maungdaw are now trapped with nowhere to go, according to the shadow government.

This comes after thousands of Rohingya fled towards Bangladesh last month due to battles in the nearby town of Buthidaung. The Rohingya community has faced decades of persecution in Myanmar, leading to a mass exodus to Bangladeshi refugee camps in 2017.