Urgent Appeal for the Protection of Rohingya Civilians
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the “clearance operations” launched by the Myanmar military. Seven years ago, this genocidal violence forced over 700,000 Rohingya to flee from Rakhine State, Myanmar, to Bangladesh. Not only are the perpetrators of these atrocities still enjoying impunity, but the brutal campaign against Rohingya who remain in Myanmar shows no signs of ending.
We, the undersigned Rohingya civil society organizations in Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, condemn the ongoing violence and attacks against the Rohingya people in Myanmar. We call on parties to the conflict, especially the Arakan Army (AA) and Myanmar military junta, to adhere to international humanitarian law and immediately cease both direct and indiscriminate attacks against Rohingya civilians and civilian objects.
After November 2023, as fighting escalated significantly between the AA and the Myanmar military junta, there is nowhere safe for Rohingyas caught between the two warring groups. In recent months, heavy artillery, airstrikes, arson and other means and methods of attack by conflict parties have killed many Rohingya civilians and displaced others.
On August 5, 2024, the AA reportedly killed more than a hundred Rohingya with drone and shelling attacks on the banks of Naf River in Maungdaw while they were fleeing to Bangladesh. This attack follows months of attacks launched by the AA on junta positions in Northern Rakhine, with a heavy civilian toll. Rohingya-majority villages and townships have been razed to the ground. Countless Rohingyas have been subjected to arbitrary arrest or killed. Tragically, there are also reports of the AA committing sexual violence against Rohingya women. As Rohingya villages become battlegrounds, the situation facing the Rohingya is deeply distressing.
The international community has the responsibility to take the necessary steps for the protection of the remaining Rohingya population in Rakhine State before it is too late. Moreover, all the perpetrators must be held accountable for war crimes and brought to justice.