Alarming reports are emerging of new atrocities being committed in a concerted campaign of violence and destruction by non-state armed groups and the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) against members of the Rohingya people in northern Rakhine State. Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced in recent days in relation to fighting in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships. Some 45,000 Rohingya have reportedly fled to areas near the border with Bangladesh.
“We are receiving frightening and disturbing reports from northern Rakhine state in Myanmar of the impacts of the conflict on civilian lives and property,” Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a briefing to journalists in Geneva on Friday.
“Some of the most serious allegations concern incidents of killing of Rohingya civilians and the burning of their property,” she said, noting that tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced in recent days by fighting in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships.
An estimated 45,000 Rohingya have reportedly fled for protection to an area along the Naf River near the border with Bangladesh. The current upsurge in violence and intercommunal tensions also increases the risk of further atrocities.
Throssell said that information gathered over the past week from victim testimony, eyewitness accounts, satellite imagery, and online videos and images indicates “Buthidaung town has been largely burned.”
“We have received information indicating that the burning started on May 17, two days after the military had retreated from the town and the Arakan Army claimed to have taken full control,” she said.
On May 17, widespread attacks were reported in Buthidaung, which has a predominantly Rohingya population. Satellite imagery shows that large parts of the city have been destroyed by fire. The fires caused widespread destruction of homes and reportedly forced tens of thousands of civilians, mostly Rohingya, to flee their homes.
There are competing accounts of who is responsible for the attacks in Buthidaung. On Saturday, the predominantly ethnic Rakhine Arakan Army reportedly set fire to the town, forcing tens of thousands of people, mostly Rohingya, to flee. The armed group has denied the allegations.
Towns and villages in Rakhine State have been consistently targeted by the military regime and armed groups. In the weeks leading up to the burning of Buthidaung, the UN human rights office documented renewed attacks on Rohingya civilians by both the Arakan Army and the MAF in northern Rakhine State.
Speaking in Bangkok, James Rodehaver, head of the Myanmar team for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said his team had spoken to many sources on the ground and reviewed a great deal of materials, many of which “were deemed to be credible.”
“Our offices are corroborating information further, particularly in establishing who were the perpetrators of the burning.
“One survivor described seeing dozens of dead bodies as he fled the town. Another survivor said that he was among a group of displaced persons numbering in the tens of thousands, who attempted to move outside of the town to safety but were blocked by the Arakan Army,” Rodehaver said, pointing out that the Arakan Army had abused survivors and extorted money from them as they fled the town.
The Arakan Army (AA) is an ethnic armed group fighting as part of an alliance against the Myanmar military.
“In the weeks leading up to the burning of Buthidaung, the Myanmar team of the UN human rights offices has documented renewed attacks on Rohingya civilians by both the Arakan Army and by the military in northern Rakhine state,” Rodehaver said.
He said his office has also received reports of shooting at unarmed fleeing villagers, multiple disappearances and burnings of homes, and has confirmed four cases of beheadings. Rodehaver said the military has been actively targeting the Rohingya for years and has “actively enforced draconian and discriminatory restrictions affecting all aspects of their lives.”
“It is one of the reasons why the Rohingya, whenever they were asked to leave Buthidaung and other villages, have been very reluctant to move because they have needed special permission to move outside of their township of residence. They also have nowhere else to go,” he said.
“They, of course, have learned very hard lessons in 2017, knowing that whenever movement starts, it usually ends [with] them leaving their homes, never to see them again.”
In August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Cox's Bazaar in Bangladesh to escape violence and persecution in Myanmar. They joined hundreds of thousands of other Rohingya who had previously sought refuge in the country.
More than one million Rohingya are now in Bangladesh, having fled previous waves of atrocities. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on Bangladesh and other states to provide effective protection to those who seek it.
More than 600,000 Rohingya currently live in Rakhine State. Although they have lived in Myanmar for generations, the government considers them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship.
The Myanmar junta, which has been at war with ethnic armed organizations for decades, has suffered many recent defeats. As a result, it has conscripted young Rohingya men to fight its battles, promising them many benefits, including more food rations for their families and the promise of citizenship.
Rodehaver called that an insidious ploy by military leaders.
“They know that most of these men have never had any sort of combat training or self-defense training. So, they are largely being sent to the front lines as human shields or as cannon fodder, and the military knows that very well,” he said.
“The military also told the Rohingya, if you run away and you do not serve, we will arrest you or cut the rations to your family. So, they use a variety of pressures to convince the Rohingya to join. We have had reports that from 1,500 to 2,000 men have been recruited at this point,” Rodehaver added.
In a separate statement, Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, warned Thursday of “ominous signs of another Rohingya bloodbath in Rakhine state” if the international community were to continue to turn a blind eye and fail to take action to save the lives of thousands of Rohingya.
“Once again, the world seems to be failing a desperate people in their hour of peril, while a hate-driven unnatural disaster unfolds in real time in Myanmar’s Rakhine state,” he said.
Mirroring that assessment, UN human rights chief Volker Türk is calling for “an immediate end to the violence, and for all civilians to be protected without any distinction based on identity.
“Prompt and unhindered humanitarian relief must be allowed to flow, and all parties must comply fully and unconditionally with international law,” he said.
On Friday, Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States issued a joint statement expressing deep concern about the escalating conflict in Myanmar, and in particular the increasing harm to civilians, “which is driving a worsening and devastating human rights and humanitarian crisis across the country.”
“In Rakhine State, towns and villages have been consistently targeted by the military regime and armed groups. We are concerned by recent reports of high levels of displacement in Buthidaung. We call on all armed actors to ensure the protection of civilians”, they said.
The deliberate use of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech was fueling sectarian and intercommunal conflict, the statement said.
“Reports of forced recruitment, including of the Rohingya, is further dividing communities and exploiting tensions and mistrust”, the governments said, while noting that all populations face extreme levels of food insecurity.
Hunger is on the rise throughout the country. In 2024, some 12.9 million people - nearly 25 percent of the population - are projected to be food insecure, with an increased risk of malnutrition, particularly among children and pregnant women.
The ongoing escalation of conflict in Myanmar - including the worst levels of violence since 2021 - is severely affecting people in almost every corner of the country, with alarming spillover effects on neighboring countries. Armed conflict has spread to many parts of the country, particularly in Rakhine State, the northwest, Kachin and the southeast.
“The situation is increasingly dangerous for all civilians, including Rakhine, Rohingya and other ethnic communities,” the governments' statement said.
“There must be accountability for all atrocities committed in Myanmar. We recall the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures order and the need for compliance with it to safeguard human rights and prevent violations.”
In January 2020, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an order directing Myanmar to "take all measures within its power" to prevent the commission of acts defined in the Genocide Convention, including ensuring that its military and all irregular armed units refrain from committing these acts.
The country is experiencing a critical period in its more than three-year post-coup conflict, with rebel groups gaining significant territory and launching unprecedented attacks against the Myanmar junta. The intensified conflict is causing displacement, raising protection concerns and exacerbating existing vulnerabilities, with significant humanitarian consequences.
Civilians are bearing the brunt of the ongoing fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces and non-state armed groups, with deadly aerial bombardments and heavy shelling, including in residential areas. The humanitarian situation in Rakhine is particularly alarming as fighting intensifies and intercommunal tensions simmer.
In Myanmar, there are 18.6 million women, children and men in need of humanitarian assistance - the fifth-largest number in the world. Among those in need are 6 million children. Access restrictions remain severe despite soaring needs.
The health system is in disarray and basic medicines are running out. This year alone, an estimated 12 million people in Myanmar will need emergency health assistance.
Some information for this report provided by VOA.
Further information
Full text: Myanmar: Growing human rights crisis in Rakhine state, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, press briefing notes, released May 24, 2024
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2024/05/myanmar-growing-human-rights-crisis-rakhine-state
Full text: Joint statement on the situation in Myanmar, Australia, Canada, the European Union, the Republic of Korea, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, Government of Canada, released May 24, 2024
https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2024/05/joint-statement-on-the-situation-in-myanmar.html
Full text: Myanmar: Urgent international action crucial to save lives of thousands of Rohingya in Rakhine State says UN expert, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, press release, published May 24, 2024
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/05/myanmar-urgent-international-action-crucial-save-lives-thousands-rohingya