In Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State, Junta troops and Junta-trained Muslim militiamen perpetrated a spate of arson attacks on residential houses and on April 15th they also destroyed Medecins Sans Frontières -the MSF‘s Buthidaung-based office and pharmacy.
The deliberate destruction, which began on April 11, has now resulted in hundreds of houses being destroyed, according to locals.
“They are moving from ward to ward, setting houses ablaze. Buildings that withstand the flames are bulldozed. Many houses have been destroyed. We do not know how the Junta troops convinced the Muslims to participate”, a Buthidaung resident said.
The humanitarian medical agency MSF stated, “The burning down of MSF’s office and pharmacy is just the latest blow to what is a decimation of available healthcare options for people in Rakhine state, and their continued denial from access to humanitarian assistance”, MSF stated.
MSF is an organization that offers free medical care to impoverished and displaced individuals affected by conflict in Rakhine State and elsewhere in Myanmar. The World Food Program (WFP) food warehouse in Buthidaung also fell victim to looting and vandalism.
Buthidaung residents alleged that Junta troops and their army- trained Muslims committed the arson attacks, resulting in the destruction of MSF's office and pharmacy, as well as around 200 houses.
"Our house has turned to ashes. The homes of our friends in wards from No. 1 to No. 5 were gone too. It was Junta soldiers and Muslims who did this”, a woman from Butihdaung said.
As the fighting between the Junta and the Arakha Army (AA) rages on, many downtown Buthidaung residents have sought refuge for safety.
DMG tried to reach the Junta's spokesperson, Major General Zaw Min Tun, regarding these incidents, but was unable to make contact.
AA Spokesperson U Khaing Thu Kha also accused the Junta of instigating instability and unrest in Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State, through various fraudulent tactics, inciting religious and ethnic conflicts, and by arming and training certain Muslim militants.
