Episode: KPN 30-05-2026

UCR rejects AAC statement on 1942 Rakhine Massacre, accuses group of distorting history

United Council of Rohingya (UCR) has strongly criticized a statement issued by the Arakan Army Confederation (AAC) regarding the “May 13, 1942 Rakhine Civilian Massacre,” accusing the group of presenting what it described as a one-sided historical narrative that ignores atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims during the 1942 communal violence in Rakhine.

In a statement released on May 19, the UCR said the AAC’s account portrayed only Rakhine civilians as victims while failing to acknowledge that tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims were also killed during the period.

The UCR said Rohingya communities and historical justice activists reject the AAC statement, arguing that it selectively presents history and risks deepening ethnic tensions.

Allegations of Historical Erasure

According to the UCR, the AAC statement omits historical accounts documented by British colonial records and independent historians, including Moshe Yegar and Jacques Leider.

The Rohingya organization claimed these sources indicate that armed Rakhine Buddhist groups were involved in large-scale killings of Rohingya Muslims during the 1942 violence.

“The violence was not carried out only by groups associated with Rohingya Muslims, but also by Rakhine extremist groups,” the UCR statement said.

The organization accused the AAC of erasing the suffering of Rohingya victims by focusing exclusively on Rakhine civilian casualties.

Objection to the Term “Bengali Muslim”

The UCR also criticized the AAC’s use of the term “armed Bengali Muslim groups,” arguing that the terminology attempts to deny the historical roots of Rohingya communities in Rakhine State.

According to the statement, many Rohingya families have lived in the region for centuries.

The organization further alleged that the AAC failed to acknowledge the destruction of Rohingya villages, forced displacement, land confiscation, and subsequent discrimination faced by Rohingya communities following the 1942 violence.

Citizenship and Identity Debate

The statement additionally condemned the continued use of distinctions between “ethnic” and “non-ethnic” communities in Myanmar’s political discourse.

The UCR argued that labeling Rohingya as non-indigenous has historically been used by successive Myanmar governments to deny citizenship and basic rights to the Rohingya population.

The organization referenced United Nations findings describing policies targeting Rohingya communities as potentially genocidal.

Criticism of Selective Accountability

The UCR accused the AAC of selectively condemning violence linked to Rohingya armed movements while allegedly remaining silent on attacks against Rohingya civilians during multiple periods of unrest, including in 1942, 1978, 1992, 2016, 2017, and 2024.

The organization argued that meaningful historical accountability requires acknowledgment of abuses committed by all parties, including armed groups and state institutions.

“True historical accountability means recognizing all perpetrators, rather than selectively portraying or distorting history,” the statement said.

Call for Inclusive Reconciliation

While the AAC has publicly expressed support for peaceful coexistence and humanitarian assistance, the UCR argued that its narrative appears to justify longstanding discriminatory policies imposed on Rohingya communities, including citizenship restrictions, movement controls, and displacement.

The statement noted that more than 1.3 million Rohingya displaced by violence in 2016 and 2017 remain in refugee camps in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

The UCR warned that one-sided historical narratives risk intensifying ethnic hostility and undermining prospects for reconciliation in Rakhine State.

The organization emphasized that sustainable peace in Arakan/Rakhine can only be achieved through equal recognition of the suffering of all civilian victims, including Rohingya Muslims.

“Building a just peace requires acknowledgment of all pain, not competition over who suffered more,” the statement concluded.

The AAC has not publicly responded to the UCR’s latest remarks.

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