Rohingya insurgents vow to continue fight against 'genocidal' Myanmar

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a poorly armed insurgent group operating around the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, released a 69-page report on Monday reiterating its commitment to fighting Myanmar's "genocidal government and terrorist military."

ARSA, which has in turn been branded a terrorist group by the Myanmar government, launched a series of deadly attacks on Myanmar police outposts in October 2016 and August 2017, prompting waves of retaliatory operations that drove more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh.

When UN investigators called on Myanmar military leaders to be prosecuted for genocide and crimes against humanity in September 2018, they also accused ARSA of serious human rights abuses. ARSA, however, maintains that its use of violence has been justified.

"ARSA will not stop its resistance movement in various forms, both armed and unarmed, so long as the genocide against the Rohingya is not stopped and perpetrators of genocide are not brought to justice," said the report, titled "Reviving the Courageous Hearts," which the group released on its Twitter page after more than five months of silence.

In addition to committing to armed resistance, ARSA also characterised itself as a vanguard against human trafficking, the drug trade, child abuse and the oppression of women.

According to independent analyst Richard Horsey, "the report is an attempt to present ARSA as a moderate, progressive group ... It seems mostly aimed at a Western audience and as an attempt to distance itself from conservative Islam or transnational jihadism."    (dpa)