UN human rights chief Volker Türk has warned that intensified fighting in Myanmar's Rakhine State between the military and the non-state armed group Arakan Army (AA), as well as tensions between the Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine communities, pose a grave threat to civilians. In a statement on Friday, Türk warned of the grave risk of a repeat of past atrocities, such as the horrific state-backed persecution of the Rohingya in 2017.
Since a year-long informal ceasefire between the warring sides 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 Rakhine, civilians are bearing the brunt of ongoing fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the Arakan Army, with deadly aerial bombardments and heavy shelling, including in residential areas. Such violence raises serious protection concerns and exacerbates already severe humanitarian needs.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), many vulnerable displaced people in Rakhine are facing water shortages as they head into the driest weeks of the year. Food insecurity is also a major concern, with soaring prices and extremely limited market supplies in many locations.
“Rakhine State has once again become a battleground involving multiple actors, and civilians are paying a heavy price, with Rohingya at particular risk,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said.
“What is particularly disturbing is that whereas in 2017, the Rohingya were targeted by one group, they are now trapped between two armed factions who have a track record of killing them. We must not allow the Rohingya to be targeted again.”
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 MAF. They joined hundreds of thousands of other Rohingya who had previously sought refuge in the country.
The United Nations describes the Rohingya as the most persecuted minority in the world. Myanmar's government has denied the Rohingya citizenship and views them as foreign interlopers. The Rohingya have endured years of unspeakable hardship.
For decades, the Rohingya have faced institutionalized discrimination in Myanmar, including denial of citizenship. An estimated 600,000 Rohingya living in Rakhine State are unable to move freely and are subject to government persecution and violence.
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.
“Facing defeat, the military has outrageously started to forcibly conscript, bribe and coerce Rohingya into joining their ranks. It is unconscionable that they should be targeted in this way, given the appalling events of six years ago, and the ongoing extreme discrimination against the Rohingya including the denial of citizenship,” Türk said.
On February 10, Myanmar's military authorities announced plans to enforce a conscription law that will require 5,000 people to be drafted into the Myanmar Armed Forces each month beginning in mid-April. Since the announcement, arbitrary arrests and forced recruitment have affected civilians. Members of the Rohingya community have been particularly targeted.
In a recent report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the MAF had abducted and forcibly recruited more than 1,000 Rohingya Muslim men and boys from across Rakhine State since February 2024. The junta invoked the conscription law, which applies only to Myanmar citizens, notwithstanding the fact that the Rohingya have been denied citizenship for decades.
Some local reports say the military is forcing Rohingya recruits or villagers to burn ethnic Rakhine homes, buildings, or villages. Ethnic Rakhine villagers have reportedly responded in kind by burning Rohingya villages.
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) is trying to verify all the reports it has received, a task complicated by a communications blackout throughout the state.
Türk said disinformation and propaganda were also rife, pointing to claims that "Islamic terrorists" had taken Hindus and Buddhists hostage.
“This was the same kind of hateful narrative that fueled communal violence in 2012 and the horrendous attacks against the Rohingya in 2017,” he said.
Since the beginning of the year, the AA has positioned itself in and around Rohingya villages, effectively inviting military attacks on Rohingya civilians.
On April 15, the office and pharmacy of the international humanitarian organization Médecins Sans frontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) were torched in Buthidaung Township, along with some 200 homes. Hundreds have fled and are reportedly sheltering in a high school, the grounds of the former hospital, and along the streets of Buthidaung.
With both Maungdaw and Buthidaung hospitals shut down by the military in March and the conflict intensifying, there is virtually no medical care in northern Rakhine. MSF has been forced to suspend or reduce its regular activities.
“The alarm bells are ringing, and we must not allow there to be a repeat of the past,” Türk said.
“Countries with influence on the Myanmar military and armed groups involved must act now to protect all civilians in Rakhine State and prevent another episode of horrendous persecution of the Rohingya.”
In a statement on Wednesday, MSF warned that the intensification of the conflict in Myanmar since last October has led to a lack of humanitarian access to areas where people urgently need help, a decimation of the health system, and increasing fears of military conscription or forced recruitment by other armed groups.
While the normalization of the ban on humanitarian access is alarming, MSF teams in Myanmar have witnessed a near total absence of humanitarian assistance for communities that rely on it, including the Rohingya. Since November 2023, all organizations providing health care in Rakhine State have been denied permission to operate, while movement throughout the country is severely restricted and unsafe.
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 into neighboring countries. Armed conflict has spread to many parts of the country, particularly in Rakhine State, the northwest, Kachin, and the southeast.
The intensified conflict is causing displacement, raising protection concerns and exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. The UN warns that the humanitarian impact is significant and deeply concerning.
Amid widespread conflict in large parts of the country, people are fleeing their homes in record numbers, with the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) reaching more than 2.8 million, including more than 2.5 million people who have fled conflict and insecurity since the 2021 military takeover and are in need of humanitarian assistance amid access challenges.
As of November 2023, more than 78,000 civilian assets, including homes, religious structures, and education and health facilities, have reportedly been destroyed in conflict-affected states and regions.
Meanwhile, hunger is on the rise across Myanmar. In 2024, some 12.9 million people - nearly 25 percent of the population - face food insecurity, with an increased risk of malnutrition, especially among children and pregnant women. The health system is in disarray and basic medicines are running out. It is estimated that 12 million people in Myanmar will need emergency health assistance this year alone.
Across Myanmar, humanitarian agencies estimate that some 18.6 million people will need humanitarian assistance through 2024. These include 9.7 million vulnerable women and girls.
On top of limited humanitarian access, a persistent lack of funding is undermining relief efforts. The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HRNP), which calls for US$994 million, is only 5 percent funded as of April 20.
Further information
Full text: Myanmar: Türk sounds alarm amid rising tensions in Rakhine, UNHCR, press release, published April 19, 2024
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/myanmar-turk-sounds-alarm-amid-rising-tensions-rakhine
Full text: How a near-total absence of humanitarian access is impacting lives in Myanmar, Médecins Sans Frontières, press release, published April 17, 2024
https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/how-near-total-absence-humanitarian-access-impacting-lives-myanmar