Maungdaw, August 28.

Muslim leaders have urged young people to learn lessons from past tragedies between the Rakhine Buddhist and Muslim communities and to remain vigilant against attempts to create conflict between different ethnic groups.

The chairman of the Maungdaw District Muslim Affairs Council has again warned that the Myanmar military has historically used various political tactics to fuel tensions and create conflict between ethnic communities, stressing the importance of learning from the past.

In 2017, under the pretext of “clearance operations,” the Myanmar military carried out widespread violence against Muslim civilians in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships, killing large numbers of people and forcing many others to flee their homes.

To condemn and commemorate the victims of the 2017 violence, Muslim leaders from Buthidaung Township in Maungdaw District and the United League of Arakan (ULA) jointly held a commemorative ceremony on August 26.

Young Muslim men and women currently serving with the Arakan Army (AA) also attended the ceremony and paid their respects to those who lost their lives during the 2017 violence.