Two Myanmar army deserters crossed the border from Myanmar into Bangladesh and made statements to Bangladesh authorities concerning genocide in Myanmar. They told the authorities that "they were ordered by superior officers to kill Rohingya civilians during security operations in 2017." The Rohingya are a Muslim minority group in Myanmar, which is mostly Buddhist. Back in 2017, 720,000 Rohingya fled into Bangladesh, sparking the investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Myanmar officers confirmed the stories of mass killings, gang rape (and other extreme sexual violence), and destruction of whole villages, and they said that their commanding officers gave them orders to kill all the Rohingya. This proves to the court that the military was acting with genocidal intent, where they previously claimed to be carrying out a counterterrorism operation. The investigation is now proceeding with their testimonies.
By Claire Mikulcik
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