Tens of thousands of Rohingya have reportedly been displaced in Myanmar's western Rakhine State following escalating fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the ethnic armed organization Arakan Army (AA). The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on the warring parties to cease fighting, protect civilians, and allow immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access.
There are conflicting reports about what happened and the current situation in Rakhine's Buthidaung township and other areas, and who is to blame for the forced displacement of civilians and the burning of the town.
“I am deeply alarmed by reports of renewed violence and property destruction in Buthidaung township in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state, resulting in the displacement of potentially tens of thousands of civilians, mainly Rohingya,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement Sunday.
The UN has warned for weeks that intensified fighting in Rakhine State between the military and the Arakan Army, as well as tensions between the Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine communities, pose a grave threat to civilians.
The United Nations continues to closely monitor the situation in Rakhine State, "which is exacerbating the vulnerability of all communities in one of the poorest regions of the country," a spokesman said Monday in New York.
"The team on the ground is deeply alarmed by the latest reports of further escalating violence and destruction taking place in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships," UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a press briefing.
"The UN calls on all military and political leaders, as well as community influencers to do their part to deescalate and defuse attempts to reignite inter-communal tensions, particularly between ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya, and avoid the repetition of past human rights atrocities in Rakhine State," he said.
On Saturday, the predominantly Rakhine-ethnic Arakan Army reportedly set fire to the town, forcing tens of thousands of people, mostly Rohinyga, to flee. The armed group has denied the allegations. The AA claimed on Saturday that it had captured the township, near the Bangladesh border, and that its forces had seized all army bases in Buthidaung.
The Burmese service of Radio Free Asia (RFA) quoted Rohingya sources as saying that the AA had burned houses in several neighborhoods of the town, and that tens of thousands of Rohingyas had fled their homes after the rebel group ordered them to leave by 10 am Saturday. AA fighters also had rounded up thousands of Rohingya near Buthidaung prison, a source told RFA.
The news service said it was unable to confirm any of the testimonies because telecommunications were down.
“With inter-communal tensions between ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya high – and being actively stoked by the military – this is a critical period when the risk of yet further atrocity crimes is particularly acute”, the High Commissioner for Human Rights said.
The UN Human Rights Office is seeking to corroborate information pointing to serious human rights violations.
Türk appealed directly to the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army to pause the fighting, protect civilians, allow immediate and unhindered humanitarian access, “and comply fully and unconditionally with international law – including the measures already ordered by the International Court of Justice for the protection of Rohingya.”
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.
In August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, to escape persecution, violence, and gross human rights violations in Rakhine State following coordinated attacks by the Myanmar Army. They joined hundreds of thousands of other Rohingya who had previously sought refuge in the country.
“I also appeal to Bangladesh to once again extend protection to vulnerable people seeking safety, and for the international community to provide all necessary support,” Türk added.
In a separate statement on Sunday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, called on the warring parties to ensure the safety of civilians and humanitarian workers. He also appealed to neighboring countries to allow safe access to refugees.
The UN describes the Rohingya as the world's most persecuted minority. Myanmar's government has denied the Rohingya citizenship and views them as foreign interlopers. The Rohingya have endured years of unspeakable suffering.
For decades, the Rohingya have faced institutionalized discrimination in Myanmar. More than 600,000 Rohingya living in Rakhine State are unable to move freely and are subject to government persecution and violence.
Since a year-long informal ceasefire between the parties to the conflict broke down last November, 15 of Rakhine's 17 townships have been affected by fighting, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries and pushing the number of displaced people to well over 300,000.
In February, Myanmar's military authorities announced plans to enforce a conscription law requiring 5,000 people to be drafted into the Myanmar Armed Forces each month beginning in mid-April. Since the announcement, civilians have been subjected to arbitrary arrests and forced recruitment. Members of the Rohingya community have been particularly targeted.
Since last November, the military has been rapidly losing ground to the Arakan Army throughout northern and central Rakhine. This has led to intensified fighting in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships ahead of an expected battle for the Rakhine state capital, Sittwe. The two townships are home to large Rohingya populations, putting them at grave risk.
“The capital of Rakhine State – Sittwe - also remains concerning, with reports of food shortages, unavailability of cash, soaring market prices, water scarcity and the spread of water-borne disease. Humanitarian assistance and essential services have been heavily interrupted across the states,” UN spokesman Dujarric said today.
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 repercussions for neighboring countries. Armed conflict has spread to many parts of the country, particularly in Rakhine State, the northwest, Kachin, and the southeast.
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.
Meanwhile, hunger is on the rise across 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, especially among children and pregnant women.
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. 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.
Further information
Full text: Comment by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, statement, released May 19, 2024
https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/05/comment-un-high-commissioner-human-rights-volker-turk-violence