Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), formerly known as Harakah al-Yaqin (Arabic: حركة اليقين, lit. 'faith movement'), is a Rohingya insurgent group active in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. According to a December 2016 report by the International Crisis Group, it is led by Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi, a Rohingya man who was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and grew up in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Other members of its leadership include a committee of Rohingya émigrés in Saudi Arabia.
| Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi |
| Dates of operation | 2013 – present 9 October 2016 – present (militarily) |
| Active regions | Northern Rakhine State Bangladesh–Myanmar border |
| Ideology |
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| Size | ~200 (January 2018) 500–600 (2016–17 estimates) |
| Opponents | State opponents: Myanmar
Non-state opponents: Arakan Army Rohingya Solidarity Organisation |
| Battles and wars | Rohingya conflict |
| Designated as a terrorist group by |
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| Flag | |
Myanmar's Anti-Terrorism Central Committee declared ARSA a terrorist group on 25 August 2017 in accordance with the country's counter-terrorism law. ARSA is also considered a terrorist group by Malaysia.
ARSA has been accused by Myanmar's government of being involved with and subsidised by foreign Islamists, despite there being no firm evidence proving such allegations. ARSA subsequently released a statement on 28 August 2017, calling government allegations against it as "baseless" and claiming that its main purpose is to defend the rights of Rohingyas. Despite this claim, ARSA members have been arrested for murders and acts of arson against other Rohingyas, particularly community leaders, residing in Bangladesh.