US declares violence against Myanmar religious minority “genocide”
In a long-awaited but welcomed move, the Biden Administration has finally declared the attacks by the Myanmar military (the Tatmadaw) in 2017 against the Rohingya ethnic and religious minority, a genocide.
The declaration of genocide comes following years of scrutiny after the Tatmadaw began a violent campaign against the Rohingya people in response to attacks on several military outposts by the region’s ethnic armed group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
While minor altercations between the Myanmar authorities and the ethnic armed group were fairly common, they were regularly resolved by local authorities. However, in 2017, the Burmese military escalated the conflict through a sweeping anti-terrorism campaign, which they termed, a “clearance operation.”
The violence quickly got out of control, as the military began targeting civilians, homes, mosques, and committing brutal attacks against the Rohingya people.
Source: persecution.org
