Cashing-in on the ongoing Rohingya crisis, several extremist and militant groups have taken to social media in order to urge their followers to actively participate in violence in the Rakhine state of Myanmar in support of Rohingya refugees.
In contrast to the messages of humanitarian support for Rohingya refugees proffered by other organisations and nations, posts by these local and foreign militant groups place distinct emphasis on actively fighting the Myanmar military to stem the persecution of Rohingya Muslims.
After monitoring social media for only a few days, the Dhaka Tribune found 33 Facebook pages by such militant groups, as well as channels on Youtube and Telegram, that continually posted statuses and videos seeking to incite violence against the Myanmar military.
Regarding the matter, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit Deputy Commissioner (Cyber Crime) Mohammad Alimuzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are monitoring the situation and trying to trace the IDs of the people who run the pages on social media.”
“Some of the IDs are operated from abroad and some are being operated from in the country. Such local operators are members of different militant and extremist outfits.”
One such Facebook group, Jihadi Group Media, recently posted a video of a song written by Omar Fauk Sahil and composed by Mahfuz Mamun titled Jolche Arakan (Arakan is burning). The song describes grievances of Rohingya refugees and urges Muslims to step forward and intervene on their behalf.
Similarly, Telegram channel Al Media recently posted several poems urging Muslims to go to Myanmar and fight the army.
All of the pages also posted a recent two page statement by the General Leadership of Al-Qaeda regarding the formation of a fund to aid Rohingya refugees, which further called for militant groups to train and set out for the Rakhine state. The project was titled “Burma Calling,” using the name for Myanmar during British colonial rule.
The statement used various quotes from the Quran and Hadeeth as it urged “jihadists” in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Phillipines to heed the call.
Security specialists in Bangladesh expressed that security risks at the border could escalate significantly should militants actively begin to mobilise in accordance with the statement.
However, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal recently said in a conference at his ministry that Bangladeshi security agencies had proved their capacity for dealing with any kind of militant aggression and law enforcement agencies were prepared to ruin any plans of militants.
Meanwhile, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) - who allegedly attacked Myanmar security personnel on August 25 to spark the latest violence - issued a statement denying that they had connections with any militant organisations on Thursday.
Furthermore, ARSA also declared a ceasefire on offensive military operations for one month from September 10, claiming that their intentions had no militant agenda.
The country’s intelligence agencies and detectives are in high alert everywhere in the country especially in border areas, he also said; adding that the Rohingya refugees have to stay in the areas that are fixed for them.
