Arakan massacres in 1942
During World War II, Japanese forces invaded Burma (now Myanmar), which was then under British colonial rule. The British forces retreated and, in the power vacuum left behind, considerable violence erupted between pro-Japanese Buddhist Rakhine and pro-British Muslim villagers. As part of the 'stay-behind' strategy to impede the Japanese advance, the Commander-in-Chief of forces in Delhi, Wavell, established "V-Force", which armed Rohingya locals in northern Arakan to create a buffer zone from Japanese invasion when they retreated.
| Arakan massacres in 1942 | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II | |
| Location | Arakan, Burma (present-day Rakhine State, Myanmar) |
| Date | 1942 |
| Target | Arakanese Buddhists, Rohingya Muslims |
| Deaths | 20,000 Arakanese deaths 40,000+ Rohingya deaths |
| Victims | Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims |
| Perpetrators | Armed Arakanese and Rohingya locals, British loyalists, Burmese nationalists |
The period also witnessed violence between groups loyal to the British and Burmese nationalists.
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