HRW: Arakan Army killed hundreds of Rohingya, survivors detained

Human Rights Watch reports the Arakan Army killed hundreds of Rohingya Muslims in a 2024 massacre in Myanmar's Rakhine State. Survivors are now unable to return home and are effectively detained by the armed group, which denies the war crimes.

Two years after the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, killed and wounded hundreds of Rohingya Muslims and burned down their village in Myanmar's Rakhine State, the survivors are unable to return home, with many effectively detained, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released on Monday.

The Arakan Army has rejected responsibility for the massacre at Hoyyar Siri (Htan Shauk Khan in Burmese), Buthidaung township, which involved grave violations amounting to war crimes. The 56-page report, titled "'Skeletons and Skulls Scattered Everywhere': Arakan Army Massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Hoyyar Siri, Myanmar," documents the May 2, 2024, attack, in which Arakan Army personnel deliberately fired on unarmed villagers who were seeking safety after the armed group advanced on two Myanmar military bases in the vicinity.

Details of the massacre only began emerging more than a year later, after some survivors fled to Bangladesh and Malaysia.

"The Arakan Army's murder of hundreds of Rohingya civilians and the burning of their village in Rakhine State in 2024 took the armed conflict with Myanmar's junta to a new level of depravity," said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Today, the massacre's survivors are effectively detained by the Arakan Army, which has neither provided redress nor held those responsible to account," Ganguly added.

Human Rights Watch interviewed several dozen witnesses and survivors, corroborated their accounts by satellite imagery, and analysed and verified photographs and videos.

Hostilities between Myanmar junta forces and the Arakan Army in Rakhine State resumed in November 2023. Both sides have been responsible for serious abuses, including targeted attacks on civilians, arson, and unlawful conscription.

The findings contradict the Arakan Army's claims in a letter to Human Rights Watch that its "fighters" only targeted military personnel or members of Rohingya armed groups.

Eyewitnesses Recount the Attack

Arakan Army personnel first opened fire on a group of civilians leaving Hoyyar Siri, some of whom were waving white flags. "First, my son was hit by a bullet," said one man, adding, "Then my wife and baby daughter were shot, followed by my other daughter."

The personnel continued to fire on the villagers as they turned back and attempted to flee. One woman said the fighters gathered a group of villagers in a paddy field beside a mosque. "Within minutes, they opened fire at us randomly, without saying anything," she said, adding, "No one was spared. My husband was hit by a bullet. When the Arakan Army saw he was still alive, they came closer, firing at him several more times."

Evidence of the Massacre

Human Rights Watch compiled a list of over 170 villagers, including about 90 children, who were killed or are still missing after the Hoyyar Siri massacre. The actual death toll is likely much higher.

Human Rights Watch analysed and verified photographs and videos showing human remains at three separate sites in the village. At two of these sites, civilian clothing is visible among human remains. Satellite imagery corroborates witness accounts that Arakan Army personnel set fire to Hoyyar Siri and, after taking control, destroyed the entire village. They also robbed villagers of their cash and jewellery.

Survivors Detained and Abused

One man detained by the Arakan Army said that he and other detainees were beaten and tortured, including with electric shocks. Several witnesses reported that the Arakan Army abducted Rohingya women and girls from the village.

In February 2025, the Arakan Army ordered all surviving Hoyyar Siri residents to relocate to a makeshift camp nearby. Villagers who later managed to flee to Bangladesh told Human Rights Watch that they were denied freedom of movement, subjected to forced labour, and faced severe shortages of food and medical care. They said that in August, the armed group organised a controlled media visit to Hoyyar Siri in which survivors were forced to provide false testimony to exonerate the Arakan Army for killing the civilians.

Broader Implications for Rohingya Refugees

According to Human Rights Watch, over the past decade, the Myanmar military has committed ethnic cleansing, genocidal acts, and other atrocities in Rakhine State that have forced over a million Rohingya to flee. The massacre in Hoyyar Siri underscores that returning to Rakhine State is still unsafe for Rohingya refugees, even in areas now controlled by the Arakan Army.

Calls for Accountability

The Myanmar military and Arakan Army should immediately end attacks on civilians, release all civilians unlawfully detained, and provide redress to victims and their families, Human Rights Watch said.

The Arakan Army, in its letter to Human Rights Watch, said it would facilitate inquiries by international human rights groups deemed credible and independent. Both parties should cooperate fully with independent investigations, including by granting access to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, the United Nations special rapporteur on Myanmar, and human rights groups.

"Myanmar's military seemed indifferent to the plight of the Rohingya civilians at Hoyyar Siri in 2024, and since then the junta has done nothing to address their broader human rights concerns," Ganguly said, adding, "Concerned governments should urgently press both the Myanmar junta and the Arakan Army to respect the rights of all communities in Rakhine State." (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)