Rakhine State,formerly known as Arakan State,is a state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast,it is bordered by Chin State to the north,Magway Region,Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region to the east,the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between latitudes 17°30' north and 21°30' north and longitudes 92°10' east and 94°50' east. The Arakan Mountains or Rakhine Yoma separated Rakhine State from central Burma from North to South. Off the coast of Rakhine State there are some fairly large islands such as Ramree,Cheduba and Myingun. Rakhine State has an area of 36,762 square kilometres (14,194 sq mi) and its capital is Sittwe.
The Rohingya people are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and reside in Rakhine State,Myanmar. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017,when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh,an estimated 1.4 million Rohingya lived in Myanmar. Described by journalists and news outlets as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world,the Rohingya are denied citizenship under the 1982 Myanmar nationality law. There are also restrictions on their freedom of movement,access to state education and civil service jobs. The legal conditions faced by the Rohingya in Myanmar have been compared to apartheid by some academics,analysts and political figures,including Nobel laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu,a South African anti-apartheid activist. The most recent mass displacement of Rohingya in 2017 led the International Criminal Court to investigate crimes against humanity,and the International Court of Justice to investigate genocide.
The Rohingya conflict is an ongoing conflict in the northern part of Myanmar's Rakhine State,characterised by sectarian violence between the Rohingya Muslim and Rakhine Buddhist communities,a military crackdown on Rohingya civilians by Myanmar's security forces,and militant attacks by Rohingya insurgents in Buthidaung,Maungdaw,and Rathedaung Townships,which border Bangladesh.
The Arakan National Party,is a political party in Myanmar (Burma),representing the interests of the Rakhine people in Rakhine State and Yangon Region. The party was founded on 13 January 2014 and registered with the Union Election Commission on 6 March 2014. The chairman of the ANP is Thar Htun Hla. The party is known for its hardline ethnic nationalist stance,as well as its Islamophobic and anti-Rohingya positions. Some members of the party were involved in instigating violence against Rohingya people during the communal riots in 2012,which left dozens dead and thousands homeless.
The Democracy and Human Rights Party is a political party in Myanmar representing the Rohingya of northern Rakhine State.
The Rohingya Patriotic Front (RPF) was a political organisation headquartered in Cox's Bazar,Bangladesh. The RPF had a small and poorly armed insurgent army of 70 fighters,who were active along the Bangladesh–Burma border and in northern Arakan,Burma. The goal of the RPF was to create an autonomous Muslim zone for the Rohingya people.
The Arakan Rohingya Islamic Front (ARIF) was a Rohingya insurgent group active in northern Rakhine State,Myanmar (Burma). The group was made up of Rohingya fighters led by Nurul Islam,a Yangon-educated lawyer. The group was created after uniting the remnants of the Rohingya Patriotic Front (RPF) and a defecting faction of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) that was under the command of Nurul Islam.
Nurul Islam is a Rohingya political activist and Yangon-educated lawyer from Myanmar (Burma). He is the president of the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) and lives with his family in London,the United Kingdom.
The Rohingya genocide is a series of ongoing persecutions and killings of the Muslim Rohingya people by the military of Myanmar. The genocide has consisted of two phases to date:the first was a military crackdown that occurred from October 2016 to January 2017,and the second has been occurring since August 2017. The crisis forced over a million Rohingya to flee to other countries. Most fled to Bangladesh,resulting in the creation of the world's largest refugee camp,while others escaped to India,Thailand,Malaysia,and other parts of South and Southeast Asia,where they continue to face persecution. Many other countries consider these events ethnic cleansing.
Violent clashes have been ongoing in the northern part of Myanmar's Rakhine State since October 2016. Insurgent attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) have led to sectarian violence perpetrated by Myanmar's military and the local Buddhist population against predominantly Muslim Rohingya civilians. The conflict has sparked international outcry and was described as an ethnic cleansing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In August 2017,the situation worsened and hundreds of thousands of refugees fled Myanmar into Bangladesh,with an estimated 500,000 refugees having arrived by 27 September 2017. In January 2019,Arakan Army insurgents raided border police posts in Buthidaung Township,joining the conflict and beginning their military campaign in northern Rakhine State against the Burmese military.
Sultan Mahmud was a politician from Arakan,Burma. In the British Raj,Mahmud served as cabinet secretary in the Central Legislative Assembly. After Burmese independence,he was elected to the Parliament of Burma through a by election from Buthidaung in 1957. He was re-elected in 1960. He served as Minister of Health of the Union of Burma from 1960 till the 1962 Burmese coup d'état.
Sultan Ahmed was one of the longest serving legislators from Arakan,Burma. Ahmed was the president of the Jamiat-e-Ulema party,which was allied with the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League,the founding political party of Burma. Ahmed served in the Burmese parliament until the 1962 Burmese coup d'état.
Zurah Begum,also known as Aye Nyunt,was one of the first two female legislators of the Union of Burma,along with Khin Kyi. She was a politician from Arakan State of Maungdaw,Burma. She was elected to the Parliament of Burma during the 1951 Burmese general election,as the representative of Maungdaw-2 constituency.
Nur Ahmed,also known as Tin Maung,was a Burmese Rohingya legislator,health worker and activist. He was a CEC member of the National Democratic Party for Human Rights. He was elected to the Parliament of Myanmar in 1990.
Ebrahim,also known as Chit Lwin,is a Rohingya lawyer,accountant and former politician. He was elected as a Parliament of Myanmar MP in 1990 election. He was the chairman of the National Democratic Party for Human Rights. The party was later banned by the Burmese military junta and its members are barred from contesting elections.
Shamsul Anwarul Huq,also known as Kyaw Min,is a Rohingya academic,pro-democracy activist and former politician in Myanmar. He has also been a political prisoner. Huq was a CEC member of the National Democratic Party for Human Rights. Huq was elected to the Parliament of Myanmar in 1990.
Abul Khair was a Rohingya police officer in British Burma who was later elected to the parliament of the Union of Burma.
The Mayu Frontier District was a short-lived administrative zone of Burma which existed between 1961 and 1964. It covered the Maungdaw District of present-day Rakhine State in the historical region of Arakan. The zone was administered directly from the capital Rangoon.
Wai Wai Nu is a Burmese activist who advocates for the rights and equality of all people in Myanmar,including the Rohingya. She was listed one of the BBC 100 Women in 2014. In 2017,she was named one of Time magazine's Next Generation Leaders.
Razia Sultana is a Bangladeshi lawyer who was born in Myanmar and has won the International Women of Courage Award 2019.
