Myanmar: Curfew extended in Rakhine state December 25

Event

On Wednesday, December 27, Burmese authorities announced a two-month extension of an existing curfew order in Maungtaw district (Rakhine state) from Monday, December 25. The extended curfew order - reportedly enacted to augment regional stability, security, and the rule of law - prohibits outdoor activity from 06:00 to 18:00 (local time) daily, and bars assembly of five or more persons. The first such curfew order was implemented after the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) executed attacks on police posts in Maungtaw district on August 25. Continued unrest is expected in Rakhine state in the coming weeks.

Context

Over 646,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh from Myanmar's Rakhine state amid an army crackdown on the Rohingya community that began following an attack on Burmese security forces in August, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The UN has established a fact-finding mission to investigate crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the military during the counteroffensive. The persecution of the Rohingya people in Myanmar has drawn international criticism for alleged human rights violations; the UN has called the military operations a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

Advice

Individuals present in Myanmar are advised to monitor developments to the situation and to avoid the Bangladeshi border. Due to poor security conditions, some Western governments and Myanmar authorities advise their citizens against nonessential travel to Rakhine state - with the exception of the southern townships of Kyaukpyu, Ramree, Munaung, Toungup, Thandwe (including the tourist resort of Ngapali), and Gwa - and the Bangladeshi border.