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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaMyanmar’s army massacred Rohingyas. Now it wants their helpPublished34 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The Myanmar army killed thousands of Rohingyas and drove hundreds of thousands of them into neighbouring BangladeshBy Jonathan Head & BBC Burmese In BangkokNearly seven years after the Myanmar military killed thousands of Muslim Rohingyas, in what the UN called “textbook ethnic cleansing”, it wants their help.From interviews with Rohingyas living in Rakhine State the BBC has learned of at least 100 of them being conscripted in recent weeks to fight for the embattled junta. All their names have been changed to protect them.”I was frightened, but I had to go,” says Mohammed, a 31-year-old Rohingya man with three young children. He lives near the capital of Rakhine, Sittwe, in the Baw Du Pha camp. At least 150,000 internally displaced Rohingyas have been forced to live in IDP camps for the past decade. In the middle of February the camp leader came to him late at night, Mohammed said, and told him he would have to do military training. “These are army orders,” he remembers him saying. “If you refuse they have threatened to harm your family.”The BBC has spoken to several Rohingyas who have confirmed that army officers have been going around the camps and ordering the younger men to report for military training.The terrible irony for men like Mohammed is that Rohingyas in Myanmar are still denied citizenship, and subjected to a range of discriminatory restrictions – like a ban on travel outside their communities.In 2012 tens of thousands of Rohingyas were driven out of mixed communities in Rakhine State, and forced to live in squalid camps. Five years later, in August 2017, 700,000 fled to neighbouring Bangladesh, after the army launched a brutal clearance operation against them, killing and raping thousands and burning their villages. Some 600,000 of them still remain there. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Many Rohingyas have been forced to live in camps for the displaced for the last decadeMyanmar is now facing a genocide trial at the International Court of Justice in the Hague over its treatment of the Rohingyas. That the same army is now forcibly recruiting them is a telling sign of its desperation, after losing huge swathes of territory in Rakhine recently to an ethnic insurgent group called the Arakan Army. Dozens of Rohingyas in Rakhine have been killed by military artillery and aerial bombardments.The military has also suffered significant losses to opposition forces in other parts of the country. Large numbers of soldiers have been killed, wounded, surrendered or defected to the opposition, and finding replacements is difficult. Few want to risk their lives propping up an unpopular regime.What you need to know about the Rohingya crisisAnd the Rohingyas fear that is the reason they are being targeted again – to be cannon fodder in a war the junta seems to be losing.Mohammed said he was driven to the base of the 270th Light Infantry Battalion in Sittwe. Rohingyas have been prohibited from living in the town since they were driven out during the 2012 communal violence.”We were taught how to load bullets and shoot,” he said. “They also showed us how to disassemble and reassemble a gun.”In a video seen by the BBC another group of Rohingya conscripts can be seen being taught how to use BA 63 rifles, an older standard weapon used by the Myanmar armed forces.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Watch: Rohingya conscripts seen at Myanmar military campMohammed was trained for two weeks, then sent home. But after just two days he was called back, and put on a boat with 250 other soldiers and transported five hours up-river to Rathedaung, where a fierce battle with the Arakan Army was under way for control of three hilltop military bases.”I had no idea why I was fighting. When they told me to shoot at a Rakhine village, I would shoot.” He fought there for 11 days. They were desperately short of food, after a shell fell on their supply hut. He saw several Rohingya conscripts killed by artillery and he was injured by shrapnel in both legs, and taken back to Sittwe for treatment.On 20 March the Arakan Army released photos from the battle, after it had taken control of the three bases, showing several corpses, at least three of them identified as Rohingyas.Myanmar’s army is losing – and facing fire from a militant monkA turning point in Myanmar as army suffers big losses”While I was in the middle of the battle I was terrified the whole time. I kept thinking about my family,” Mohammed said. “I never thought I would have to go to war like that. I just wanted to go home. When I got home from the hospital I hugged my mother and cried. It felt like being born again from my mother’s womb.”Another conscript was Hussain, from Ohn Taw Gyi camp, which is also near Sittwe. His brother Mahmoud says he was taken away in February and completed his military training, but he went into hiding before they could send him to the front line.The military denies using Rohingyas to fight its battles with the Arakan Army. General Zaw Min Tun, the junta spokesman, told the BBC that there was no plan to send them to the front line. “We want to ensure their safety, so we have asked them to help with their own defence,” he said.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The devastating civil war between the army and ethnic insurgent groups has raged for three yearsBut in interviews with the BBC, seven Rohingyas in five different IDP camps near Sittwe all said the same thing: that they know of at least 100 Rohingyas who have been recruited this year and sent off to fight. They said teams of soldiers and local government officials came to the camps in February to announce that the younger men would be conscripted, at first telling people they would get food, wages and citizenship if they joined up. These were powerful lures. Food in the IDP camps has become scarce and expensive as the escalating conflict with the Arakan Army has cut off the international aid supplies. And the denial of citizenship is at the heart of the Rohingyas’ long struggle for acceptance in Myanmar, and one reason they suffer systematic discrimination, described by human rights groups as similar to apartheid.However, when the soldiers returned to take the conscripted men away, they retracted the offer of citizenship. When asked by the camp residents why they, as non-citizens, should be subjected to conscription, they were told that they had a duty to defend the place where they lived. They would be militiamen, not soldiers, they were told. When they asked about the offer of citizenship, the answer was “you misunderstood”.Now, according to one camp committee member, the army is demanding new lists of potential recruits. After seeing and hearing from the first group to come back from the front line, he said, no-one else was willing to risk being conscripted. This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Media caption, Rohingya refugees’ perilous journey in search of safetySo the camp leaders are now trying to persuade the poorest men, and those with no jobs, to go, by offering to support their families while they are away, with donations raised from other camp residents.”This conscription campaign is unlawful and more akin to forced labour,” said Matthew Smith, from the human rights group Fortify Rights.”There’s a brutal and perverse utility to what’s happening. The military is conscripting the victims of the Rohingya genocide in an attempt to fend off a nationwide democratic revolution. This regime has no regard for human life. It’s now layering these abuses on top of its long history of atrocities and impunity.” Finding Anwar – born while his mother fled for her lifeBy using Rohingyas in its battles against the advancing Arakan Army, the Myanmar military threatens to reignite communal conflict with the ethnic Rakhine Buddhist population, much of which supports the insurgents. It was friction between the two communities which in 2012 caused the expulsion of tens of thousands of Rohingyas from towns like Sittwe. In 2017, ethnic Rakhine men joined in the army’s attacks on the Rohingyas. Tension between the two communities has eased since then. The Arakan Army is fighting for an autonomous state, part of a wider campaign with other ethnic armies and opposition groups to overthrow the military junta and create a new, federal system in Myanmar. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Rohingyas in Rakhine State now find themselves caught in the middle – between the junta and the insurgentsNow on the brink of victory in Rakhine State, the Arakan Army has talked about giving citizenship to all who have lived there recently, implying that it might accept the return of the Rohingya population from Bangladesh. The mood has now changed. A spokesman for the Arakan Army, Khaing Thukha, told the BBC that they viewed Rohingyas being conscripted to fight for the junta as “the worst betrayal of those who had recently been victims of genocide, and of those fighting for liberation from dictatorship”. Pro-military media have also been giving publicity to what appear to have been Rohingya protests in Buthidaung against the Arakan Army, although local people told the BBC they suspected these were organised by the army in an attempt to divide the two groups.The Rohingyas are now forced to fight for an army that does not recognise their right to live in Myanmar, thereby alienating the ethnic insurgents who may soon control most of Rakhine. Once targeted by both, they are now caught between the two sides. Mohammed has been given a certificate by the army, stating that he has fought in battle on their side. He has no idea what value it has, nor whether it exempts him from further military service. It could well get him into trouble with the Arakan Army if it continues its advance towards Sittwe and his camp. He is still recovering from his injuries, and says he is unable to sleep at night after his experience.”I’m afraid they will call me again. This time I came back because I was lucky, but next time I am not sure what will happen.”Related TopicsMyanmarAsiaRohingyaTop StoriesIsrael reduces troop numbers in southern GazaPublished5 hours agoJeremy Bowen: Obstacles to peace seem larger than everPublished19 hours agoManhunt after mum pushing baby in pram stabbed to deathPublished9 hours agoFeaturesThe Papers: ‘Kyiv aid block’ warning and ‘run of a kind’Where in the UK can you see Monday’s solar eclipse?Path of darkness – scroll every mile of total eclipseMyanmar’s army massacred Rohingyas. Now it wants their help7 lessons from my first series of University ChallengeThe comics legend lurking in a British basementIndigenous deaths in custody haunt AustraliaSix months on, how close is Israel to eliminating Hamas?West faces ‘authoritarian’ alliance, says Nato headElsewhere on the BBCGet a job, pay the bills. 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[ad_1] The BBC learns of at least 100 Rohingyas conscripted in recent weeks to fight for the embattled junta.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaOn board HMS Diamond as it faces Houthi attacksPublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, BBC/Maarten LernoutImage caption, The BBC was on board HMS Diamond during a mission in the Red Sea and Gulf of AdenBy Jonathan BealeDefence correspondent, BBC NewsFrom the first shout of “fireball” the crew of HMS Diamond have just two minutes to react. In that time they have to work out whether the missile, travelling at more than three times the speed of sound, poses a direct threat to their ship and nearby merchant vessels. We were the first media on board HMS Diamond since she joined the US-led operation to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea. We witnessed the threat first-hand as she prepared to run the gauntlet of Houthi drones and missiles being fired from Yemen.The captain of HMS Diamond says the Houthis are now using more advanced and more lethal weapons. Cdr Pete Evans says when the ship first entered the Red Sea in December, one-way attack drones, or UAVs, were the main threat. But he says the Houthis have “moved much more into conventional and ballistic missiles which are harder to defend against and cause much more damage”.Image source, BBC/Maarten LernoutImage caption, Cdr Peter Evans is the ship’s commanding officerWe began our voyage as the crew made the final checks to the ship’s weapons systems. Its main Sea Viper missiles were already primed, hidden in a silo at the front of the ship – with scorch marks still visible from previous launches. Each missile costs more than £1m ($1.3m). They are the ship’s main line of defence. But Diamond also has Phalanx machine guns and 30mm cannons on each side of the ship – close-in weapons. The Phalanx can fire more than 3,000 rounds a minute. For the very first time the crew have also used the 30mm cannon to successfully shoot down a drone.Who are the Houthis attacking Red Sea ships?The US Navy’s relentless battle against Houthi attacksDiamond’s main task in the Red Sea has been to protect merchant ships travelling through this key trade route. But for this mission she’d be escorting a naval task force of UK support ships sailing towards the Indian Ocean – with two US destroyers providing additional protection.Up on the bridge the navigator, Lt Josh Tyrie, showed the route we’d be taking – past Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, through the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait and out into the Gulf of Aden. They call this the High Threat Area – where the Houthis have been focusing their attacks on both merchant shipping and coalition warships. Image source, BBC/Maarten LernoutImage caption, HMS Diamond is armed with Phalanx machine guns”There’s a regular drumbeat of drones and missiles, so there’s a good possibility that will happen,” Lt Tyrie said.By now the entire crew had changed from their blue uniforms to fire-resistant white overalls. We’d all been issued anti-flash hoods and gloves to wear in case the ship was hit. The upper decks were declared out of bounds – with dim red lighting in the ship’s passageways. Photos of Iranian-designed drones, which might be used against the vessel, are displayed along the decks. Image source, BBC/Maarten LernoutImage caption, The crew’s anti-flash hoods would provide some protection from fireWe waited inside the operations room – the ship’s nerve centre – where the crew stare into rows of monitors and screens. With the ship’s powerful radar they can track multiple objects simultaneously for hundreds of miles.At 20:35 came the first blast of a whistle with a shout of “fireball” – the code for a detected missile launch. The ship’s alarm sounded to alert the rest of the crew with the words: “Air threat warning red – missile inbound.” As they tracked the missile’s flight path they issued updates. The air threat was lowered from red to yellow and then white. The tension eased and sailors removed their anti-flash hoods and gloves.It was the first of four anti-ship ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis that night. Lt Cdr Martyn Harris, Diamond’s executive officer, explained they had just two minutes to react to launches, with the missile travelling at more than three times the speed of sound. “Yes it can feel a bit intense if someone is potentially trying to shoot something at you,” he said. Diamond has been targeted by the Houthis in the past – but in this case the missiles did not pose a direct threat.Two days later there’s another “fireball” warning at 03:20. Once again the alarm is sounded, and the crew rush to their positions. This time too the missile flies out of range and splashes into the sea. Image source, BBC/Maarten LernoutImage caption, A tally of drones taken down has been painted on the bridge of HMS DiamondHMS Diamond has not yet shot down any Houthi missiles. But it has destroyed nine Houthi drones – seven of them in just one night in January. Silhouettes of the nine drones are painted on the side of the ship’s bridge. Diamond is the first Royal Navy warship to have shot down a threat from the air since 1991. There’s another tense moment on this escort mission, when they locate a signal from the ground to a number of Houthi drones. The UAVs are flying north of the task group. It’s a deadly version of hide and seek. But the drones do not appear to spot them, and one is later shot down by a US warship further north. Leading hand Erin Graham knows what that’s like. She was the ship’s electronic warfare director on duty on 9 January. She describes it as a “big swarm attack, which escalated very quickly”. There were 18 drones in all. Six of them were taken out by Diamond’s Sea Viper missiles and one was shot down by its 30mm cannon, operated remotely from the operations room. Erin, 22, said “you’ve just got to remain cool, calm and collected and go through the drills”. Image source, BBC/Maarten LernoutImage caption, Leading hand Erin Graham was on duty during a drone attack on the ship in JanuaryDiamond’s Captain, Cdr Pete Evans, calls it a challenging tempo of operations, in hot and sticky conditions. “The levels of concentration [are] exhausting,” he says, with “long periods of nothing much happening, and then a few really short intense spikes of your life being at risk”.The 224 military personnel on board work mostly on shifts of between eight and 12 hours, leaving little time to relax. When they’re not asleep, most unwind in the gym or watch TV. Up in the officers’ wardroom they were playing old episodes of Hornblower, the swashbuckling drama series set in the Napoleonic era. There’s limited wi-fi, but it’s often switched off when the threat level rises. Even in calmer waters, in the Gulf of Aden, the job still isn’t over. Diamond spends several days tracking a suspect fishing vessel, or dhow. It’s declared stateless – giving a legal justification to search it. But it has also been flying an Iranian flag. The ship’s small team of Royal Marines secure the vessel while another team conduct the search. They’re looking for weapons or drugs, but in the end they find nothing illicit.Image source, BBC/Maarten LernoutImage caption, A dhow in the Gulf of Aden that Diamond trackedThe US has directly accused Iran of supplying weapons to the Houthis. But Diamond’s captain is more cautious. Cdr Evans acknowledges it’s likely weapons are being smuggled, but he says he doesn’t want to speculate from where.There are hundreds of similar small boats sailing through the wide expanse of the Gulf of Aden. Stemming the supply of weapons may prove even more challenging than stopping the Houthi attacks.Image source, .Related TopicsRoyal NavyYemenHouthis More on this storyThe US Navy’s relentless battle against Houthi attacksPublished6 days agoWho are the Houthis attacking Red Sea ships?Published15 MarchHard choices for the West in Red Sea stand-offPublished10 JanuaryHouthis defiant after warning over Red Sea attacksPublished4 JanuaryTop StoriesRussia charges four men over Moscow concert attackPublished2 hours agoUK to link voter data hack to ChinaPublished3 hours agoThe Jewish settlers who want to build homes in GazaPublished7 hours agoFeatures’China hack attack’ and ‘UK nuclear defence boost’Rosenberg: As Russia mourns, how will Putin react to concert attack?What we know about attack on a Moscow concert hallI ran ‘toughest race’ to inspire women worldwideUkrainian soldiers film dangerous frontline mission. VideoUkrainian soldiers film dangerous frontline missionTrolling gets worse when my videos go viralThe man in the iron lung: How Paul Alexander lived life to the fullIs now the time Palestinian politics can start afresh?Indians celebrate festival of colours HoliElsewhere on the BBCBorn to survive, built to thrive…Sir David Attenborough follows the journeys of our closest relatives in the animal kingdomAttributioniPlayerCan you spot the AI images from the real ones?Challenge your detection skills with this deceptive quizAttributionBitesizeThe unheard Banksy interview…In this bonus episode, James Peak tracks down the recording from 2003AttributionSoundsFrom Starman to film star…How did the silver screen inspire David Bowie?AttributioniPlayerMost Read1Russia charges four men over Moscow concert attack2Sheridan Smith: Strangers hugged me in the street3’China hack attack’ and ‘UK nuclear defence boost’4The Jewish settlers who want to build homes in Gaza5UK to link voter data hack to China6Scientists to hunt mysterious ‘ghost’ particles7Rare white magpie spotted in ‘special’ moment8Say one thing, do another? The government’s record net migration rise9On board HMS Diamond as it faces Houthi attacks10Trolling gets worse when my videos go viral](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/CA62/production/_133001815_diamond16peterevans.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaHaiti gangs try to take over Port-au-Prince airportPublished30 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, Soldiers have been deployed to guard the international airportBy Vanessa BuschschlüterBBC NewsSoldiers have been deployed to defend the airport of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, from an assault by armed gangs.Witnesses reported hearing shots ringing out in the vicinity of Toussaint Louverture Airport as security forces clashed with armed men.The gangs’ aim is to prevent the return to Haiti of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who is believed to be abroad. Violence has spiralled in his absence with the gangs demanding he resign.Mr Henry left Haiti last week to attend a regional summit in Guyana. From there, he travelled to Kenya to sign a deal on the deployment of a multinational police force to Haiti.His current whereabouts are not known but a spokesman for the US state department said: “It’s our understanding that the prime minister is returning to the country [Haiti]”.While he was in Kenya, a coalition of gangs led by a former police officer, Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, went on the offensive, attacking police stations and storming two of Haiti’s biggest prisons.About a dozen people were killed in the attack on the prisons. Thousands of inmates escaped and remain on the loose. A minister standing in for Mr Henry declared a 72-hour state of emergency.How gangs came to dominate HaitiHaitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste reports that both international and national commercial flights have been suspended for the past days due to the violence. Le Nouvelliste added that no private planes had landed or taken off from the airport either.An attempt by gunmen to breach the airport compound through a hole in a wall was reportedly repelled by security forces.Control of the airport is key to the gangs’ aim of stopping Prime Minister Henry from coming back to the country.The gang leader known as Barbecue has been calling for his ouster since the prime minister was sworn in as the successor to President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021.Already rampant gang violence was further fuelled by the murder of President Moïse by Colombian mercenaries, which left a power vacuum in the country.Armed gangs, wielding weapons smuggled in from the US, have gained control of an estimated 80% of the capital in recent years. Prime Minister Henry has asked the international community to send troops to help fight the gangs. But a plan for Kenya to send 1,000 police officers to help contain the violence stalled after the Kenyan High Court blocked it. Mr Henry was in Nairobi for talks with Kenyan President William Ruto to try to salvage the deployment, when the latest violence flared.In a video posted on social media, Barbecue declared last week that “the first objective of our fight is to ensure that Ariel Henry’s government does not remain in power”.On Saturday, his gang attacked several police stations before freeing thousands of prisoners from the National Penitentiary and from the Croix des Bouquets jail.Only about 100 prisoners remained in their cells at the National Penitentiary, prison officials said. Among those who stayed put were 17 Colombian ex-soldiers suspected of having carried out the assassination of President Moïse.In a video, they pleaded for help, saying that other inmates were trying to get them to leave their cells and were going to use them “as cannon fodder”. The Colombian foreign ministry later announced that the 17 had been transferred to a different prison.Image source, ReutersImage caption, Thousands of Haitians have had to flee their homes in recent weeks and are sheltering in schools and other public buildingsResidents of the capital mainly stayed at home on Monday with only a few people venturing out to get drinking water or food, the AFP news agency reported. Speaking from Haiti, Serge Dalexis from the International Rescue Committee said it had become extremely difficult for people to access basic services such as health care, food and water. “There’s a lack of everything now in Port-au-Prince,” Mr Dalexis said, adding that shooting was being reported in many areas of the city.An estimated 15,000 people have been displaced from their homes over recent weeks due to the violence.Haiti: The basicsPopulation: 11.5 million (estimate)Area: 27,800 sq km (slightly smaller than Belgium, about the same size as the state of Maryland in the US)Location: Caribbean country sharing a border with the Dominican RepublicLanguages: French, Haitian CreoleRelated TopicsHaitiPort-au-PrinceMore on this storyHaiti gangs demand PM resign after mass jailbreakPublished16 hours agoKenyan police to tackle Haiti gang violencePublished3 days agoHaiti leader urges calm as violent protests mountPublished8 FebruaryTop StoriesGirl held and stripped twice by male prison staffPublished3 hours agoChildren starving to death in northern Gaza – WHOPublished9 hours agoUN finds ‘convincing information’ of sexual violence against hostagesPublished2 hours agoFeaturesThe sound that signalled death for IRA ‘informers’In Ukraine, the show must go on – even undergroundWhat is Super Tuesday and why is it important?Inside the Gaza camp for widows and childrenTax, childcare, vapes: What could be in the Budget?Watch: Chinese boats fire water at a Philippine vessel. VideoWatch: Chinese boats fire water at a Philippine vesselTransparency tool launched by BBC Verify. VideoTransparency tool launched by BBC Verify’We feel like it’s us repaying Birmingham’s debt’The Papers: NHS budget warning and Hunt ‘to keep fuel tax cut’ Elsewhere on the BBC’I was mad for stuff but I didn’t realise I wasn’t happy’Stuart Mitchell’s search for happiness will make us all question the true cost of livingAttributionSoundsDid one man from Iraq make Norway rich?Meet the man behind Norway’s rise to oil richesAttributionSounds’No one was treating me seriously’The woman who went for viral for claiming to be Madeleine McCann explains her motivesAttributionSoundsWhat holds us back from exercising as we age?James Gallagher explores the mental and physical barriers that may stop usAttributionSoundsMost Read1Councils to be told to cut diversity plans in Budget2Russian Black Sea ship ‘sunk in drone attack’3Post Office victim settles but feels ‘guilt’4’I earn £1,600 a month and two-thirds goes on bills’5Girl held and stripped twice by male prison staff6Kate’s uncle joins Celebrity Big Brother7Online hate left Traitors star afraid to go out8The sound that signalled death for IRA ‘informers’9UN finds ‘convincing information’ of sexual violence against hostages10One hurt as double-decker bus crashes into building](https://newsinsightplus.com/wp-content/uploads/https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/11C6E/production/_132841827_aa5bb94c7d90bafb473133ed546d3f7e1804639e0_0_5500_36671000x667.jpg)
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityCultureAmy Schumer: Actress reveals she has Cushing’s SyndromePublished2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Amy Schumer: “It has been a crazy couple weeks for me and my family”By Helen BushbyCulture reporterActress and director Amy Schumer has revealed she has Cushing’s Syndrome, caused by having steroid injections in high doses.She revealed the condition after being swarmed by comments about her face, with fans saying it looked “puffier” during recent TV interviews.In her initial response, Schumer attributed the change in her appearance to endometriosis.The subsequent Cushing’s diagnosis left her feeling “reborn”, she said.”There are a few types of Cushing. Some that can be fatal, require brain surgery or removal of adrenal glands,” the actress told the News Not Noise newsletter.”I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I’m healthy [which] was the greatest news imaginable,” she added.Cushing’s syndrome occurs when a person has elevated levels of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, inside the body for a long time. It mostly affects people on steroids.Amy Schumer hits back at comments about her faceAmy Schumer responds to body shamers’My face swelled like a balloon’Jessica Yellin, who founded News Not Noise, said she had reached out to Schumer after reading about the online discourse about her appearance.Schumer replied that she had sought medical advice after reading the comments.”I was also in MRI machines four hours at a time, having my veins shut down from the amount of blood drawn and thinking I may not be around to see my son grow up,” she told Yellin.”Aside from fears about my health, I also had to be on camera having the internet chime in. “But thank God for that. Because that’s how I realised something was wrong.”Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Amy Schumer said she felt “strong and beautiful and so proud of this TV show I created”Schumer had appeared on US TV earlier this month to talk about season two of the sitcom Life And Beth, which she writes, directs and stars in.During the promotional tour, the actress, who has also starred in the sketch show Inside Amy Schumer, the 2015 film Trainwreck and 2018’s I Feel Pretty, visited The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The View.Afterwards she faced a barrage of jokes mocking her face, as well as medical speculation and supportive comments.”I’ve enjoyed feedback and deliberation about my appearance,” she said.Adopting a semi-serious tone, the actress added on Instagram that she had endured such speculation “for almost 20 years […] as all women do”. What is Cushing’s Syndrome?The NHS website says the syndrome can be serious if not treated, and is uncommon.It is often a result of people taking steroid medicine, especially tablets, for a long time, which contain a synthetic version of cortisol.Very rarely, the syndrome can be caused by the body producing too much cortisol, caused by a tumour in the pituitary gland in the brain or in one of the adrenal glands above the kidneys. Cortisol is known as your “fight or flight” hormone. When it sends out alarm signals to the brain in response to stress, it can influence almost every system in the body, from the immune system to digestion and sleep.The syndrome is usually benign [non-cancerous] and most common in young women. Symptoms tend to get slowly worse if not treated, and the website said one of the main signs is weight gain and more body fat. Symptoms can include:Increased fat on your chest and stomach, but slim arms and legs.A build-up of fat on the back of your neck and shoulders, known as a “buffalo hump”.A red, puffy, rounded face.Other symptoms include skin that bruises easily, large purple stretch marks, weakness in your upper arms and thighs, reduced libido and fertility problems, depression and mood swings. The Pituitary Foundation, which provides support about Cushing’s Syndrome in the UK, told the BBC they were sorry to hear about Schumer’s diagnosis, saying it was “encouraging to see her raising awareness of her condition”. They wished Schumer “all the best in her recovery” and encouraged anyone who thinks they may have it to contact their GP.”Cushing’s syndrome is rare, affecting only a few people in every million, per year,” a spokeswoman said.”Some people live with symptoms for many years, so raising awareness is key to ensuring that people can get a diagnosis.”The spokeswoman added that other symptoms could include “excessive hair growth, irregular periods and feeling more irritable and anxious”.Son’s name change Praising News Not Noise as her “favourite credible news source”, Schumer said she wanted to “advocate for women’s health”. “I want so much for women to love themselves and be relentless when fighting for their own health in a system that usually doesn’t believe them,” she said.”I want women to value feeling strong, healthy and comfortable in their own skin.”She has previously spoken about body positivity, and said it was important to “advocate for self love and acceptance of the skin you’re in”.”The only other thing I’d like to add is that this is a good example of the fact that we never know what is going on with someone,” she said. “Everyone is struggling with something. Maybe we can all be a little kinder to each other and ourselves.”Schumer added that comments about her son’s name in 2020 had prompted a similar period of self-reflection.The actress had initially planned to call him Gene Attell, with his middle name a nod to her friend, the comic Dave Attell. People online were quick to point out that the name “sounds like genital”. As a result, she changed it to Gene David. “I realised I had named my son something that didn’t sound so good,” she said. “The internet is undefeated, as they say”.The actress, who co-hosted the 2022 Oscars, also announced she had Lyme disease in 2020.Related TopicsEndometriosisAmy SchumerMore on this storyAmy Schumer hits back at comments about her facePublished16 February’My face swelled like a balloon’Published24 January 2005Amy Schumer reveals Lyme disease diagnosisPublished9 September 2020I Feel Pretty – pretty good or pretty bad?Published19 April 2018Schumer: I learned to love myselfPublished18 April 2018Amy Schumer challenges Netflix pay gapPublished24 August 2017Amy Schumer responds to body shamersPublished7 December 2016Amy Schumer criticises ‘plus size’ labelPublished6 April 2016Top StoriesLive. 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