Arakan Humanitarian Association Warns Rohingya Are on “Brink of Extinction”
Arakan Humanitarian Association Warns Rohingya Are on “Brink of Extinction”
——————————————
The Arakan Humanitarian Association has warned that the Rohingya crisis has reached a critical stage that threatens their “historical existence,” amid a sharp escalation of armed conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
Salim al-Arkani, head of the association, made the remarks during a forum held in Istanbul titled “Arakan on the Brink of Extinction.” He said that international silence was effectively giving a “green light to genocide” against the Rohingya, as no decisive measures have been taken to halt ongoing abuses.
The Rohingya have lived in Rakhine State for centuries, but Myanmar’s authorities refuse to recognize them as an indigenous community, labeling them illegal migrants. As a result, international reports have repeatedly described them as one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.
Al-Arkani said the widening clashes between Myanmar’s military junta and the Buddhist Arakan Army have triggered waves of forced displacement and widespread destruction of villages and residential areas. He argued that developments on the ground point to a systematic effort to clear the region of Muslims and alter its demographic makeup.
He added that Rohingya civilians are facing unprecedented pressure, including forced recruitment, killings, and serious abuses, while severe shortages of food and medicine have created what he described as a catastrophic humanitarian situation.
International human rights organizations have documented alleged war crimes in Rakhine, even as Bangladesh hosts more than one million Rohingya refugees in camps in Cox’s Bazar. Al-Arkani urged the international community to establish accountability mechanisms and ensure unrestricted humanitarian access, warning that continued inaction would keep the risk of extinction alive.
