MYANMAR’S government said that the October 9 raids were conducted by the Aqamul Mujahidin organisation, which it described as being affiliated with an extremist group. On the other hand, a previously unknown group — Faith Movement — released a press statement on October 15 in which it claimed itself as the sons of Arakan soil who were compelled by the dire situation that they faced to make their own destiny through uprising, self-determination in self-defence. ‘We stand as an independent body which is free from all elements of terror in any nature’, the press release stated ‘that seeks fundamental but legitimate rights and justice for all ARAKANESE including our innocent Rohingyas and OTHER civilians dying from the continuous military assaults.’
An outcome like this was only waiting to happen given that history has repeatedly shown that such prolonged encampment in IDP concentration camps creates a sense of ultimate abandonment by the state, pushing even the most moderates to take violent means to redress their plight. The initial attacks, in which three border police outposts were overrun by hundreds of people, most only lightly armed, showed a degree of sophistication not seen before in violence involving the Rohingya, but did not suggest the group was especially well-funded or armed, diplomats said. (Courtesy of newagebd.net)
