Burma: six hostages freed by the Arakanese rebellion
The six hostages were being held by the Arakanese rebellion which demands more autonomy for the Arakanese Buddhist ethnic group in the state of Rakhine (Illustrative image).
© Flickr.com BY-NC-ND 2.0 Christian Junker
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
A hostage-taking has just ended in northwestern Burma, in Rakhine State, formerly Rakhine State.
Three members of President Aung San Suu Kyi's ruling party and three soldiers were released by the Arakanese rebels.
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The three members of the National League for Democracy were kidnapped in October 2020, in the midst of the campaign for
legislative and regional elections
.
Since then, the three candidates of the LND party have been in the hands of the Arakan Army, a guerrilla group that demands more autonomy for the Arakanese Buddhist ethnic group.
This January 1, 2021, the kidnappers handed over to the military their three hostages, two women and a man, as well as three soldiers.
A first step towards elections in Rakhine State?
Arakan fighters accuse Aung San Suu Kyi's party of "
war crimes
" committed by the army and demand the release of members and supporters of the Rakhine Army, held in Burmese prisons.
The local newspaper
Irriwaddy
believes that these releases could be a first step towards the organization of elections.
Elections demanded by the Army of Arakan.
The ballot was canceled in this state of Rakhine in November 2020, because of the insecurity that reigns in this border area of Bangladesh.
►Also listen:
Frequency Asia - The conflict in Arakan
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Burma
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