Human Rights Watch

They've been persecuted by the government for years. Now, some of Myanmar's Rohingya are taking up arms

They've been persecuted by the government for years. Now, some of Myanmar's Rohingya are taking up arms

Myanmar’s  western state of Rakhine, where the majority of the country’s Rohingya Muslims live, has seen a wave of violence in recent months. Armed men attacked three border guard outposts on Oct. 9, killing nine police officers. A crackdown by security forces followed that reportedly included killings, rapes and widespread destruction of Muslim villages.

The country’s estimated 1 million Rohingya are not considered citizens and are referred to pejoratively by the government as “Bengalis.” Human rights organizations say the government has disproportionately used violence and committed human rights abuses...

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