Amnesty International: Rohingya militants massacred Hindus

Over 7 lakh Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar. Pic/AFP

Rohingya militants massacred Hindu villagers during last year's uprising in Myanmar's Rakhine, Amnesty International said yesterday in a report that sheds fresh light on the complex ethnic rivalries in the state. The killings took place on August 25, 2017, the report said, the same day that the Rohingya insurgents staged coordinated deadly raids on police posts that tipped the state into crisis.

Myanmar's military responded with harsh reprisals that forced some 7,00,000 Rohingya Muslims out of the country where they have faced persecution for years. But, the Rohingya militants have also been accused of abuses. Those include the mass killing of Hindus in the far north of Rakhine. The militants, known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, denied responsibility at the time.

Amnesty International said that a new investigation had confirmed the group killed 53 Hindus "execution-style" - mostly children - in the Kha Maung Seik village. "Accountability for these atrocities is every bit as crucial as it is for the crimes against humanity carried out by Myanmar's security forces in Rakhine state," said Tirana Hassan, crisis response director at Amnesty International.

53
No. of Hindus, mostly children, killed by the militants

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