The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) has released a scathing statement accusing the Arakan Army (AA) of a systematic campaign of violence against Rohingya civilians in northern Arakan (Rakhine State), urging immediate intervention by the international community.

In its Thursday press release, the ARNC cited a string of recent abuses by the AA, including arbitrary arrests, torture, forced displacement, and extrajudicial killings. “These are only a few incidents among numerous other atrocities,” the council stated, accusing the AA of using mass detention, economic coercion, and fear to dominate and displace the Rohingya.

One such incident occurred on July 25, when nearly 60 Rohingya farmers were reportedly detained by the AA while working in Sein Hnyin Pyar and Tha Peik Taung villages in Buthidaung Township. According to the council and local news outlet Arakan Now, the detainees were initially held in Kyauk Sar Taing village and later moved to an undisclosed location. Their current whereabouts remain unknown.

The ARNC also detailed the case of 22-year-old Arshad, a Rohingya youth allegedly tortured by the AA during an eight-month detention. The council claims Arshad was injected with a substance that led to severe tissue and bone decay. He died on July 26 after fleeing to Bangladesh.

May be an image of 11 people, helicopter, grass, stadium, park and text
Villagers flee  the Arakan Army's atrocities  near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox's Bazar district, Bangladesh, February 6, 2024.

In another case, 35-year-old Shunamia reportedly died in AA custody after being detained for two weeks. The AA claimed he escaped, but his body was later found near a Rakhine village. Community members were allegedly barred from retrieving the body.

The ARNC press release painted a grim picture of daily life for Rohingya under AA control. “Most people are starving. Some even beg from others,” one Buthidaung resident is quoted as saying. “We are forced to pay 50,000 MMK each month as labor and village guard fees. If we don’t pay, we’re punished.”

Such conditions have reportedly led to a mass exodus. The ARNC pointed to a May 10 tragedy in which two boats carrying over 500 Rohingya capsized while fleeing AA-controlled areas. More than 400 people were reported dead or missing. Survivors claimed AA forces pursued the boats, raising fears of a deliberate attack.

The statement also highlighted the plight of a Rohingya family who voluntarily returned to Myanmar from Bangladesh, only to flee again after allegedly being tortured and extorted for 5 million kyats by the AA. Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, confirmed the family had returned to Cox’s Bazar due to threats from the AA.

According to ARNC estimates, more than 2,500 Rohingya have been killed and over 150,000 displaced since the AA took control of large parts of northern Rakhine.

The council called on the international community to take concrete steps, including:

  • Convening an emergency UN Security Council session
  • Holding the AA accountable for genocide and crimes against humanity
  • Imposing targeted sanctions on AA/ULA leadership
  • Launching a UN-mandated international investigation into crimes by both the AA and Myanmar military
  • Disrupting the illicit arms and financing networks supporting such atrocities

The full statement reflects mounting concerns among Rohingya communities and rights groups over what they describe as an escalating humanitarian and human rights crisis in Arakan.

 

BOB Post