Arakan Rohingya National Council urges UN Security Council to hold group accountable for crimes against humanity
A coalition of Rohingya advocacy groups has condemned the Arakan Army (AA) for a string of violent actions targeting Rohingya civilians in northern Rakhine state, urging the UN Security Council to take immediate steps to hold the group accountable for crimes against humanity.
The Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) said nearly 60 Rohingya farmers were detained without warning on July 25 while working their land in Buthidaung Township. The AA allegedly ordered village guards to remain indoors during the transfer of detainees, raising fears of torture or enforced disappearance.
“Their current whereabouts and condition remain unknown,” ARNC said in a statement.
The group also said a former detainee, identified as Arshad, died in Bangladesh after suffering what it described as severe torture during eight months in AA detention. In another incident, the body of a Rohingya man was discovered after the AA claimed he had escaped custody.
“These are only a few incidents among numerous other atrocities that highlight the AA’s use of mass detention, economic coercion, arbitrary killings and fear tactics to dominate and displace Rohingya populations,” ARNC said.
The group called on the UN Security Council to impose targeted sanctions and expand investigations into AA's actions.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar over the past decade due to violent crackdowns by the military and armed groups. Most have sought refuge in Bangladesh, with some reaching Indonesia after dangerous sea journeys.
