The Myanmar junta has been forcibly conscripting abducted Rohingya refugees, according to a new investigation by Fortify Rights, which released this new video on the report on August 2, 2024.
The report reveals that Rohingya armed groups have been abducting refugees from camps in Bangladesh and transporting them to Myanmar, where they are forced to join the military.
The investigation, conducted between February and July 2024, involved interviews with 23 Rohingya individuals, including six who were conscripted by the Myanmar military and four who were abducted from refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Fortify Rights also spoke with family members of forcibly conscripted individuals, eyewitnesses, senior leaders of the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) armed group, and a Bangladesh-based humanitarian worker.
The report highlights the harrowing experiences of the abducted Rohingya. One 21-year-old man from Ward-5 in Rakhine State’s Buthidaung Township recounted his ordeal: “As soon as I left the house, [the Myanmar junta soldiers] pointed guns at me. The [Myanmar] military was patrolling at every junction. Eight military soldiers came to my house and arrested me. They all had guns. They were wearing green uniforms.” According to the report, he was taken to the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 535 military base in Nga Kyi Dauk village, approximately six miles from his home, where he underwent military training for ten days before escaping.
Fortify Rights analyzed videos and photographs that appear to show Rohingya engaging in military exercises within a military compound in Myanmar. The organization also reviewed five documents issued by the Myanmar junta to implement the illegal conscriptions, including directives to township administration officials, registration forms, notice letters, and identity cards.
“These acts may violate the laws of war and amount to human trafficking,” said Ejaz Min Khant, Human Rights Associate at Fortify Rights. “Rohingya survivors of the ongoing genocide committed by the Myanmar military are now being forced to join the ranks of the very actors responsible for committing atrocities against them. The abduction and forced conscription of Rohingya must be urgently addressed.”
The report calls for an immediate end to the abduction and forced conscription of Rohingya refugees. It urges the Myanmar junta to cease its illegal conscription campaign and calls on Rohingya armed groups operating in Bangladesh to prevent the abduction of refugees.
Fortify Rights also emphasizes the need for international intervention to protect the Rohingya. The organization calls on the United Nations and other international bodies to take action against the Myanmar junta and to provide protection and support to the Rohingya refugees.
The situation in Myanmar has been dire since the military coup in February 2021, which ousted the democratically elected government. The junta has been accused of numerous human rights violations, including the persecution of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group. The Rohingya have faced decades of discrimination and violence in Myanmar, leading to a mass exodus to neighboring Bangladesh.
