A spokesperson for Myanmar’s military government has denied accusations that army troops and their local allies killed 76 people in a village in Rakhine state, according to state-controlled media reports. The village, Byine Phyu, is located in a strategic location on the outskirts of the capital Sittwe, making it a key target for control in the ongoing civil war between pro-democracy guerrillas, ethnic minority armed forces, and the military rulers who took power in 2021.
The Arakan Army, an ethnic armed organization, has been on the offensive against army outposts in Rakhine, gaining control of several townships in the region. Accusations of a massacre in Byine Phyu village have been made by the Arakan Army, claiming that army raiders, aided by a pro-army Rakhine group and local Muslims recruited by the army, arrested everyone in the village and killed 76 people.
The military spokesperson denied the mass killing, stating that security forces were forced to shoot three male suspects who were not village residents when they tried to seize a gun from an army officer. The conflicting claims have not been independently verified due to tight travel restrictions in the region.
The fighting in Rakhine has raised fears of a revival of violence against the Muslim Rohingya minority, similar to the persecution they faced in 2017, which led to hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh. The Rohingya, long denied citizenship and basic rights in Myanmar, continue to face prejudice and discrimination. The United Nations has warned of reports of new attacks on Rohingya civilians in Rakhine, further exacerbating the already dire situation.
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