“I May Be Killed Any Moment” Background On October 9, 2016, operating under the name Harakh al Yaqin, meaning “Faith Movement,” Rohingya militants armed mostly with sticks and knives attacked three outposts of the Myanmar Police Force in Myanmar’s Maungdaw Township, reportedly killing nine police.1 The former Myanmar government and military responded with massive military retaliation, attacking Rohingya civilians in approximately 40 villages in Maungdaw Township and displacing more than 94,000 people, many of whom fled to Bangladesh.2 Following the October 2016 attacks, the group—led by Atta Ullah abu Ammar Jununi, also known as Atta Ullah—renamed itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). On August 25, 2017, ARSA carried out a more coordinated attack against Myanmar police and military in all three townships of northern Rakhine State.3 Using mostly knives, aged firearms, farming equipment, and improvised explosive devices, the group reportedly killed a dozen police officers.4 The response to this attack provided the pretext for widespread Myanmar military-led “clearance operations” on Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine State, a military campaign that constituted a genocide against the Rohingya.5 While the dominant narrative at the time suggested the Myanmar authorities spontaneously responded to the deadly militant attacks, evidence collected by Fortify Rights indicated that the Myanmar military prepared for its attack on Rohingya civilians months in advance, activating its forces and civilian assets in a pre-planned military response as soon as ARSA struck.6 1 Fortify Rights, “They Gave Them Long Swords”: Preparations for Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity Against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, Myanmar, July 2018, p. 39, https://www. fortifyrights.org/mly-inv-rep-2018-07-19/. 2 Ibid. 3 Id. at p. 40. See also, Wa Lone and Shoon Naing, “At Least 71 Killed in Myanmar as Rohingya Insurgents Stage Major Attack,” Reuters, August 25, 2017, https://www.reuters.com/article/ us-myanmar-rohingya/at-least-71-killed-in-myanmar-asrohingya-insurgents-stagemajor-attack-idUSKCN1B507K/. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. 6 Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, Report of the Detailed Findings of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, A/HRC/39/CRP.2, September 18, 2018, https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/ FFM-Myanmar/A_HRC_39_CRP.2.pdf; Antony J. Blinken, “Secretary Antony J. Blinken on the Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity in Burma,” remarks, March 21, 2022, https:// www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-the-united-states-holocaust-memorialmuseum/; Fortify Rights, “They Gave Them Long Swords.”