2016–17 Northern Rakhine State clashes

Part of the Rohingya insurgency in Western Myanmar

Date	9 October 2016 – present (5 months, 1 week and 2 days)
Location	Northern Rakhine State, Myanmar-Bangladesh border
Status	Ongoing

Belligerents

Myanmar

Harakah al-Yaqin

Commanders and leaders

Htin Kyaw
(President of Myanmar)
Aung San Suu Kyi
(State Counsellor of Myanmar)

Maung Maung Soe
(Commander of the WRMC)

Ata Ullah

Units involved

Tatmadaw

No specific units

Strength

33 infantry battalions

~500 fighters

Casualties and losses

13 soldiers and 19 policemen killed

102 killed and 423 arrested

134 killed in total
23,000 internally displaced
65,000–69,000 fled to Bangladesh

92,000 displaced in total

Htin Kyaw
(President of Myanmar)
Aung San Suu Kyi
(State Counsellor of Myanmar)

Tatmadaw

134 killed in total
23,000 internally displaced
65,000–69,000 fled to Bangladesh

The 2016–17 Northern Rakhine State clashes refers to a series of ongoing clashes between fighters of the insurgent group Harakah al-Yaqin and Myanmar's security forces.

Following the attacks, reports emerged of several human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by Burmese security forces on civilians in their crackdown on suspected Rohingya insurgents.

The Rohingya people are an ethnic minority that mainly live in the northern region of Rakhine State, Myanmar, and have been described as one of the world's most persecuted minorities. They describe themselves as descendants of Arab traders who settled in the region many generations ago. Scholars have stated that they have been present in the region since the 15th century. However, they have been denied citizenship by the government of Myanmar, which describes them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. In modern times, persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar dates back to the 1970s. Since then, Rohingya people have regularly been made the target of persecution by the government and nationalist Buddhists.

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Wikipedia