Recent reports from northern Rakhine state reveal new atrocities committed by Myanmar’s military against the Rohingya population. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has received alarming accounts of violence, including killings and property destruction.
Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, detailed these concerns in a briefing on Friday, May 24, in Geneva. “Serious allegations of Rohingya civilian killings and the burning of their property have been received,” she said, noting that tens of thousands have been displaced by recent fighting in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships. Satellite images and eyewitness testimonies indicate significant destruction in Buthidaung, which began on May 17, shortly after the military retreated and the Arakan Army took control.
James Rodehaver, head of the Myanmar Team at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, corroborated these findings, reporting numerous credible accounts of violence. Survivors described harrowing scenes of death and extortion as they fled their homes. The Arakan Army and the military have both been implicated in these attacks.
This surge in violence occurs amid a broader civil war following the military coup against Aung San Suu Kyi’s government. The Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, has resumed hostilities with the military after a cease-fire, aiming for greater autonomy in Rakhine state. This region is home to around 600,000 Rohingya, who face severe discrimination and are largely denied citizenship.