Myanmar ceasefire ending as Rohingya activists call for peace

Muslim Rohingya insurgents continue say they are open to peace moves by the Myanmar government, as the one-month ceasefire by the latter comes to a close.

The ceasefire was called after the Rakhine state required the delivery of aid to the violence-racked area.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) did not comment on the action it would take after the ceasefire ends Monday, but continued to affirm that it was “determined to stop the tyranny and oppression” facing the Rohingya people.

“If at any stage, the Burmese government is inclined to peace, then ARSA will welcome that inclination and reciprocate,” the group said in a statement.

The ceasefire, which was presented by ARSA, was not received well by the State. Asked for comments, a government spokesperson said: “We have no policy to negotiate with terrorists.

30 security posts and an army camp were attacked August 25- a coup launched by rebels killing approximately 12 people. The rebels were seen wielding sticks or machetes as they rallied alongside Rohingya villagers.

In response, the military drove over half a million Rohingya villagers into Bangladesh, attacking the north of the Rakhine State in what the United Nations has branded “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”

The Myanmar government answered that the more than 500 people killed in the fighting are “terrorists” who have been attacking civilians and torching villages.

The ARSA accused the government of using murder, arson and rape as “tools of depopulation”.