Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army

Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army
Leaders	Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi, Ustad Khaled
Dates of operation	2013 – present
Headquarters	Rohingya refugee camps, Cox's Bazar
Active regions	Northern Rakhine State; Bangladesh–Myanmar border; Chittagong Division
Ideology	Rohingya Nationalism; Islamism; Separatism; Jihadism (accused, denied)
Size	~5,000 troops
Part of	Four Brothers Alliance
Allies	Rohingya Solidarity Organisation; Rohingya Islami Mahaz;
Opponents	State opponents: Myanmar Tatmadaw Myanmar Army Western Command; ; ; Myanmar Police Force Border Guard Police; ; ; ; Non-state opponents: Arakan Army; Arakan Rohingya Army (until 2025); ;
Battles and wars	Internal conflict in Myanmar Rohingya conflict Conflict in Rakhine State (2016–present); Battle of Konarpara Refugee Camp; ; Myanmar civil war (2021–present) Rakhine offensive (2023–present) Battle of Maungdaw; ; ; ; Internal conflict in Bangladesh;
Designated as a terrorist group by	Myanmar; Malaysia;
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The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA; Rohingya: 𐴀𐴝𐴌𐴏𐴝), formerly known as Harakah al-Yaqin (Arabic: حركة اليقين, lit. 'faith movement'), is a Rohingya insurgent group active in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. According to a December 2016 report by the International Crisis Group, it is led by Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi, a Rohingya man who was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and grew up in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Other members of its leadership include a committee of Rohingya émigrés in Saudi Arabia.

Myanmar's Anti-Terrorism Central Committee declared ARSA a terrorist group on 25 August 2017 in accordance with the country's counter-terrorism law. ARSA is also considered a terrorist group by Malaysia.

ARSA has been accused by Myanmar's government of being involved with and subsidised by foreign Islamists, despite there being no firm evidence proving such allegations. ARSA subsequently released a statement on 28 August 2017, calling government allegations against it as "baseless" and claiming that its main purpose is to defend the rights of Rohingyas. Despite this claim, ARSA members have been arrested for murders and acts of arson against other Rohingyas, particularly community leaders, residing in Bangladesh.