It involves a complex array of armed groups - with Rohingya fighters now entering the fray. The news agency is reporting for the first time the scale of recruitment by Rohingya armed groups in the camps, which totals between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters. Thousands of Rohingya from refugee camps in Bangladesh have been recruited to fight in Myanmar, many of them for groups aligned with their former junta persecutors. Rohingya have long been denied citizenship despite generations in Myanmar and are now confined to refugee camps where Bangladesh bans them from seeking formal employment. The Arakan Army has denied targeting Rohingya settlements and said it helps civilians without discriminating on the basis of religion.

Source: Daily Nation November 25, 2024 14:54 UTC