Unmasking the Arakan Army's Disinformation Campaign
A Look into Their Propaganda Machine
If you look at the recent activities of the Arakan Army (AA), it becomes clear that their strategy isn't just about territorial control; it's also about controlling the narrative. Vanquishing the junta is a good thing. Only the narrative they want to control isn’t about the junta. It is about the Rohingya and it is hugely problematic.
My OpEd for DVB, "Arakan Army - It ain’t freaking genocide," looks at the AA's tactics and how they reveal a campaign to delegitimise the Rohingya struggle for justice and human rights.
For instance, Yeshi Seli of The New Indian Express published an article laden with unverified claims about "Islamic terror groups" holding over 1,600 Hindus and 120 Buddhists hostage in Buthidaung - a story quickly debunked by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The AA’s reaction to this episode exposed their strident and determined efforts to continue propagating their narrative.
The focus of this narrative is simple: it is to paint the AA as protectors and defenders of Arakan while portraying Rohingya armed groups as the primary aggressors and threats in the region! It is crucial to address the misconception in equating the Rohingya armed groups with the broader Rohingya community. These groups do not represent the Rohingya people, and suggesting so overlooks the real dynamics at play. It is also a calculated attempt to redirect scrutiny away from their own actions.
Bangladesh policymakers must be scratching their heads. They are doing their best to engage the AA through various informal channels, including drawing in Rohingya organisations to this end, yet the AA keeps shooting themselves in the foot OR they have different ideas about how it should all play out. The international community and regional stakeholders need to look beyond the surface narratives to understand the full scope of the crisis. This is a genuine atrocity alert, and the stakes could not be higher.