How Myanmar’s war drives the Rohingya crisis

Al Jazeera exposes atrocities committed against the Rohingya ethnic minority group during Myanmar's civil war.

Key points

• Since Myanmar's civil war escalated after a coup in 2021 more than 150, 000 Rohingya have been purged from their homes and forced to seek asylum throughout Asia.
• These atrocities are occurring in their homeland, Rakhine State, a secretive, inaccessible corner of the country largely controlled by a local armed group called the Arakan Army.
• Both the military and Arakan Army deny the allegations and blame each other.
• The Arakan Army declined to address the allegations raised in this film.
• With growing violence and a transnational crisis on their doorstep, Bangladesh wants to send all the refugees back to the war-torn country through a repatriation scheme.

After a brutal military crackdown in 2017, most flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, where a million other members of this persecuted minority barely survive in some of the largest resettlement camps on Earth.

Caught in the crossfire between the ruling military administration and rebel fighters in Myanmar, some Rohingya refugees claim members of their families have been forcibly conscripted, subjected to targeted attacks and even massacred.

Rohingya witnesses allege that the violence and oppression they face now from the Arakan Army, Myanmar's most powerful rebel group, is just as brutal as ethnic cleansing by the military in 2017 that first drew global attention to their plight.

Working with human rights investigators from Myanmar Witness and Rohingya citizen journalists, Al Jazeera examines what has happened to this Muslim minority during the Arakan Army's takeover of Rakhine.

This documentary additionally exposes how the rebel group is connected to the human trafficking of Rohingya refugees out of Myanmar, including young children and women who are subjected to sexual violence and brutality.

Notably, the Arakan Army declined to address the allegations raised in this film. Nevertheless, its leaders have previously denied accusations of targeted attacks on civilians, including two mass killings of Rohingya villagers in Rakhine. In a written statement to Al Jazeera, Myanmar's military alleges that the Arakan Army is inciting hatred against Rohingya Muslims and has "reportedly committed acts of genocide" against them since taking control of much of the state.

But rose activity by Rohingya armed groups aligned with the military administration is making that harder. Rohingya rebels active in the conflict reject those allegations. When questioned regarding their conduct by Al Jazeera, one armed group called Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) denied burning civilian homes, participating in activities that cause harm to Rohingya villagers and encouraging refugees to fight against the Arakan Army.

Using leaked documents, covertly filmed footage and exclusive interviews, Al Jazeera investigates the driving forces behind this largely forgotten humanitarian emergency.

This story is part of Myanmar Exposed, a series of reports by Al Jazeera Investigates which uncover the hidden truths of an ongoing crisis caused by the 2021 coup and civil conflict.

In short, how Myanmar's war drives the Rohingya crisis is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.