Rohingya rebels call one-month ceasefire

Rohingya militants in Myanmar yesterday declared a ceasefire to allow aid to reach the increasingly desperate refugees.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or Arsa, called on Myanmar to join the truce but there was no immediate response.

The militants launched attacks last month that sparked an army crackdown, forcing nearly 300,000 Muslim Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.

Arsa urged aid groups to resume delivery to “all victims of humanitarian crisis, irrespective of ethnic or religious background” during the onemonth ceasefire. Rohingya refugees say the army’s response to Arsa’s attacks led to mass killings and hundreds of villages burnt.

India yesterday called for an immediate end to the violence, urging that the crisis “be handled with restraint and maturity”.

“It is imperative that violence is ended and normalcy in the state restored expeditiously,” the foreign ministry said, adding it was concerned about the number of refugees feeling the country.

Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, last week made a state visit to Myanmar during which he condemned the attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar troops. He did not comment on violence against the Rohingya.

The United Nations says 294,000 Rohingya have entered Bangladesh since the militants’ attacks on Myanmar security forces in Rakhine on August 25. Tens of thousands more are believed to be inside Rakhine without shelter, food or water.

Three Rohingya were killed by a landmine near the border, said to have been laid by Myanmar security forces to stop the fugitives returning.

Mainly Buddhist Myanmar does not recognise the Rohingya community as citizens, calling them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

About 27,000 Buddhists and Hindus have also fled violence that has gripped the northern part of Rakhine.

The Red Cross in Bangladesh welcomed the militants’ ceasefire pledge as aid agencies struggle to meet an “overwhelming crisis”, battling monsoon rains to deliver relief to people who have fled with few belongings.

“How can you handle such a big influx of people? They want shelter, they want a safe place,” said Misada Saif, a Red Cross official in Bangladesh.

International aid programmes in Rakhine have been severely curtailed by the fighting in the state, but Myanmar authorities said on Saturday that they would set up three relief camps in Rohingya-majority areas.

The UN has appealed for urgent donations of US$77 million (Dh282m).

Bangladesh already hosts about 400,000 Rohingya from previous crises, including a military crackdown in October that was triggered by militant attacks.