According to activists and authorities, thousands of Rohingya have been forced to leave their homeland of Myanmar and embark on dangerous boat journeys after falling into the hands of armed rebels.
After wresting control of large parts of Myanmar’s Rakhine state from the military, Arakan Army rebels turned against the Rohingya minority in the areas under their control, shelling villages, forcing them to flee their homes and reportedly rounding up entire groups of men.
A UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said exact numbers could not be verified but thousands of Rohingya have fled Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships in recent weeks.
Rohingya activists in Bangladesh’s Nayapara refugee camp said they found the bodies of three people washed ashore on Tuesday on the Bangladeshi side of the Naf River, which forms the border with Myanmar, while dozens more have been recovered in recent weeks.
Many villagers fled to nearby rivers in the hope of escaping by boat either to Rakhine’s capital, Sittwe, or across the border into Bangladesh, where a million Rohingya refugees have lived since Myanmar’s military regime first launched attacks on the Muslim minority in 2017.
The UN official said it appeared that a coordinated attack took place on August 5. Arakan Army fighters drove Rohingya from several villages out of their homes and onto a river bank, where they were then attacked by drones loaded with explosives.
Abdus Sukkur from Maungdaw arrived in Bangladesh in mid-August after one of his sons was killed in the attack.
“The Arakan Army used drones to drop bombs on us, so we had to flee our homes and come to Bangladesh,” he said. “I couldn’t even say a funeral prayer for my son because we had to run away from the horror so quickly.”
The UN official said there had been attempts by international mediators to contact the Arakan Army after previous reports of aggression, including sieges on villages that prevented the Rohingya from working or farming, but the August 5 drone strikes marked an escalation in hostilities.
“This time they are not only burning villages, they are also using drones. So it seems like they are making it even worse,” the official said. “We don’t know if this is a strategy, if it is a message, if they are doing it intentionally to make a point.”
“This is not just a case of the Rohingya being caught between the Arakan Army and the military,” the official said. “This is something else: This is the Arakan Army deliberately targeting the Rohingya while the military has been completely expelled.”
Bangladesh has turned back many of the boats that arrived from Myanmar, but others have been able to get through because Bangladeshi security forces are overwhelmed after weeks of unrest linked to the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The head of the new transitional government, Muhammad Yunus, said that they would continue to support the refugees.
“We need the continued efforts of the international community for humanitarian operations for the Rohingya and their eventual repatriation to their homeland of Myanmar, in safety, dignity and with all rights,” Yunus said.
Bangladesh has taken harsh measures against Rohingya refugees, most of whom came to the country after the massacres in 2017. To encourage their return to Myanmar, Bangladesh restricts their work, travel and education opportunities.
However, attempts to bring them back to their homeland failed because their safety was not guaranteed in Myanmar. The situation has worsened as the Arakan Army battles the military for control of Rakhine State.
The Myanmar military has forcibly recruited Rohingya to fight against the Arakan Army. At the same time, the Arakan Army has attacked the Rohingya and accused them of collaborating with the military.
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The expulsion of 700,000 Rohingya from Myanmar in 2017 was the culmination of decades of violence and persecution against this ethnic minority, which the United States classifies as genocide.
It is estimated that there are still around 500,000 Rohingya in Myanmar and activists fear that the recent violence could lead to even more people being displaced from their homes.
Tun Khin, president of the human rights group Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, said: “These are not isolated incidents – they are part of a systematic campaign of violence and terror that must be stopped. The Rohingya cannot endure another tragedy while the world remains silent.”
Those who have managed to reach Bangladesh do not register as refugees for fear of being returned and remain without any assistance. The medical aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières reported that the number of people being treated for combat injuries has increased.
Aid group Cafod said there was already a lack of financial resources for refugees in Bangladesh and the arrival of more refugees showed the need for greater international support.
Bibi Hazera, 12, said she fled Maungdaw with 10 family members, but only she and two siblings survived the Arakan Army attacks. The three children live with an aunt in Bangladesh.
“We have no roof over our heads, we have nothing to eat. The only clothes I have are the ones I am wearing now, which I borrowed from another girl,” she said.
Conditions are similarly bad for Rohingya arriving in Sittwe, where they must endure a days-long boat journey downriver while trying to escape the Arakan Army and Myanmar’s military.
An activist in Sittwe who fled Buthidaung in May said: “Many Rohingya have been arrested and killed by both the Arakan Army and the military, and more have been killed on the Sittwe coast by the Burmese navy.
“The Rohingya have lost everything – our homes, our property and our youth and educated people have been killed. They all hoped that Sittwe would be safe for them.”
