Dozens of Rohingya including children, were killed in a drone attack this week, while fleeing Myanmar.
Eye-witness Accounts
Eye-witnesses said that they saw survivors wandering between piles of bodies to identify dead and injured relatives.
Four witnesses, activists and a diplomat described drone attacks on Monday that struck down families waiting to cross the border into neighbouring Bangladesh.
A pregnant woman and her two-year-old daughter were among the victims in the attack.
Deadliest Assault In Recent Weeks
This is the single deadliest known assault on civilians in Rakhine state during recent weeks of fighting between junta troops and rebels.
Three of the witnesses told Reuters on Friday that the Arakan Army was responsible, allegations the group denied.
Blame Game
The militia and Myanmar’s military blamed each another.
Reuters could not verify how many people had died in the attack or independently determine responsibility.
Videos On Social Media
Videos on social media showed piles of bodies strewn across muddy ground with suitcases and backpacks scattered around them.
Three survivors said more than 200 had died while a witness to the aftermath said he had seen at least 70 bodies.
Reuters verified the location of the videos as just outside the coastal Myanmar town of Maungdaw.
A Survivor Describes His Trauma
Mohammed Eleyas, a middle-aged man said his pregnant wife and two-year-old daughter were wounded in the attack and later died.
Elyas told Reuters that he was standing with them on the shoreline when drones began attacking the crowds.
“I heard the deafening sound of shelling multiple times,” he said.
He lay on the ground to protect himself but on getting up, he saw his wife and daughter critically injured and many of his other relatives dead.
Eleyas also described his desperate efforts to find a boat that would take them to Bangladesh.
Another Survivor’s Account
A second witness, Shamsuddin, 28, said he survived with his wife and newborn son.
Also speaking from a refugee camp in Bangladesh, he said that after the attack many lay dead.
Boats carrying fleeing Rohingya, members of a mostly Muslim minority who face extreme persecution in Myanmar, also sank in the Naf River on Monday.
It killed dozens more, according to two witnesses and Bangladesh media.
What MSF Said?
Medecins Sans Frontieres said that the aid organisation had treated 39 people who had crossed from Myanmar into Bangladesh since Saturday for violence-related injuries.
These included mortar shell injuries and gunshot wounds.
What Did UNHCR Say?
A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees said the agency was “aware of the deaths of refugees from the capsize of two boats in the Bay of Bengal”.
It said that while it had heard reports of civilian deaths in Maungdaw, it could not confirm the numbers or circumstances.
Fighting In The Region
The Rohingya have been long persecuted in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. More than 730,000 of them fled the country in 2017 after a military-led crackdown that the U.N. said was carried out with genocidal intent.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from a democratically elected government in 2021.
Then, the mass protests evolved into widespread armed struggle.
Rohingya have been leaving Rakhine for weeks as the Arakan Army, has made sweeping gains in the north, home to a large population of Muslims.
Reuters has previously reported that the militia burned down the largest Rohingya town in May, leaving Maungdaw, which is under siege by the rebels.
Denial
The group denied the allegations.
Activist groups condemned this week’s attacks. A senior Western diplomat said he had confirmed the reports.
A Diplomat Confirms The Reports
Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations and a previous special envoy to Myanmar, confirmed on a post on X that the reports were correct.
Myanmar’s junta blamed the Arakan Army in a post on its Telegram channel.
The militia denied responsibility.
Version Of Arakan Army
“Family members of terrorists tried to go to Bangladesh from Maungdaw and the junta dropped the bomb because they left without permission,” Arakan Army spokesman said.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
Delhi based journalist pickled in journalism. Have reported from nine world capitals and almost all parts of India. Over the last three decades, I have worked for India’s mainstream English dailies and contributed to All India Radio, Doordarshan and Women’s Feature Service. Also worked for international media including Japan’s leading newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun and done assignments for The Sunday Times, London, The Telegraph, The Guardian and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Worked in the Embassy of France in New Delhi and can speak French to save my life. Write on Diplomacy, Politics and the social sector. Love Nature, heritage, Nature, animals and vintage cars. Enjoy cycling and playing badminton.
