May 29,2025
RHRC-Recent incidents in Rakhine reveal the worsening situation for the Rohingya, who continue to face brutal violence, forced displacement, and deadly sea escape attempts. The Arakan Army’s growing desperation for the Rohingya highlights a deepening humanitarian crisis.
AA Kills Rohingya Tailor Without Cause
U Anam, son of Mv Sawli Mullah, a Rohingya tailor residing in Ward No. 2 of Maungdaw town, was forcibly taken from his home on 26 May 2025 by members of the Arakan Army, based at the old Township Administration Office in Maungdaw. He was brutally beaten and killed without any justifiable reason. This targeted violence by the AA continues to inflict and reflect upon unarmed and peaceful Rohingya civilians.
AA Seizes Rohingya Homes and Resettles Rakhine Families
The Arakan Army has seized abandoned Rohingya homes and belongings in Gudar Pyin and Sein Nyein Pya villages in Buthidaung Township. These were vacated by Rohingya families who fled to Yangon or Bangladesh under threat of violence. The AA has moved Rakhine families into these houses, including new houses built for Rohingya who returned after 2017. In nearby Dinet Pyin, villagers were forced to relocate to a paddy field and have been told by the AA to move to a paddy field across the Sein Nyein Pya Stream. One resident stated, “Unless you are recently in the village, the home is no longer yours.” Similar forced resettlements have occurred in both Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships.
Over 400 Rohingya Dead at Sea Amid Growing Desperation
UNHCR has gravely confirmed that 427 Rohingya refugees died in two separate boat disasters earlier in May, due to this tragedy making 2025 the deadliest year at sea for the Rohingya community. Many of those aboard had fled from Rakhine State and refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The boats sank amid monsoon conditions, leaving few survivors. UNHCR has urged regional governments to uphold maritime responsibilities and provide protection, while calling for international support which requires $383.1 million in 2025 to stabilize the lives of refugees, so far only 30 percent of this amount has been received
Therefore, this killing, land seizures, and mass deaths at sea show the urgent need for international action. Without intervention, the Rohingya will continue to suffer in silence under violence and displacement.
