August 25, 2025
The Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) today commemorates the 8th anniversary of the Rohingya genocide with a grave warning that the genocide is not over. Eight years after the Myanmar military’s brutal campaign in 2017, the remaining Rohingya in northern Rakhine (Arakan) State now face a continuing genocidal onslaught, this time at the hands of the Arakan Army (AA). ARNO is deeply alarmed by ongoing atrocities in north Rakhine that mirror, and in some cases exceed, the horrors of 2017. We urge the international community to recognize the critical urgency of the situation and act immediately to protect the Rohingya before it is too late.
Ongoing Atrocities in North Rakhine State
ARNO has documented indiscriminate killings and attacks against Rohingya civilians in north Rakhine over the past two years under Arakan Army control. Entire villages have been attacked or depopulated in a campaign strikingly similar to the Myanmar military’s 2017 genocide. In some incidents, the cruelty has been even more shocking. Women, children, and the elderly have not been spared:
- In August 2024, as fighting engulfed Maungdaw township, Rohingya villagers fleeing for safety were targeted by drone strikes and shelling. On a single day, over a hundred civilian men, women and children were killed while trying to escape across the Naf River. Eyewitnesses described drones dropping bombs on crowds of unarmed families. These attacks drew condemnation from UN human rights experts as “tragically reminiscent” of the mass atrocities of 2017.
- In a separate massacre in northern Rakhine (Htan Shauk Kan village), nearly 600 Rohingya civilians were slaughtered after the Arakan Army seized control of the area in 2024. Survivors from that village recount how the killings came suddenly and without warning; victims included pregnant women, small children, and persons with disabilities. Many bodies were later burned or disposed of, evoking the same terror tactics used by the Myanmar military eight years ago.
- Throughout 2023 and 2024, as the Arakan Army expanded its reach across Rakhine State, it subjected Rohingya communities to shelling, arson, looting, and summary executions. In Buthidaung township, Arakan Army units attacked Rohingya villages and even used heavy artillery in civilian areas, forcing tens of thousands to flee. Over 100,000 Rohingya have been newly displaced from Rakhine State during these recent operations, with many desperate families escaping to Bangladesh. Entire Rohingya villages have been emptied and razed, and then reportedly handed over to Rakhine Buddhist settlers a blatant attempt to change the demography of the region.
- Despite these damning reports, the perpetrators have not been held to account. The Arakan Army, once known as an ethnic insurgent force fighting for Rakhine autonomy, has now become a perpetrator of systematic persecution against the Rohingya. Under its de facto administration in Rakhine, Rohingya civilians remain trapped in a deadly clash, caught between an oppressive Myanmar junta and a hostile Arakan Army. UN human rights groups and international observers have raised alarms that Rohingya in Rakhine State are “facing the gravest threats since 2017.” ARNO fully concurs with this assessment: what we are witnessing in north Rakhine today is a continuation of the Rohingya genocide by other means.
International Inaction and Double Standards
ARNO is profoundly dismayed that, despite repeated warnings, no effective action is visible from the international or regional community to curb these atrocities. Over the past years, ARNO and other Rohingya organizations have continuously sounded the alarm about the existential threat facing our people. We have provided credible evidence to the United Nations and ASEAN, urged urgent intervention, and appealed for protection for those Rohingya still in Myanmar. Yet tangible measures on the ground are nearly non-existent. The genocide continues in full view of a world that once vowed “Never Again.”
This failure to act is not only a moral abdication it also reflects an unacceptable double standard in the international response. The Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) has rightly been condemned and sanctioned by many nations for its crimes against the Rohingya. By contrast, the Arakan Army has largely escaped similar scrutiny or consequences, even as evidence of its atrocities mounts. There is no justification for turning a blind eye to one perpetrator while punishing another. Genocide is genocide, whether committed by state actors or non-state actors. ARNO reminds all governments that every state has a responsibility under the UN Genocide Convention to prevent and punish genocide in Myanmar, regardless of who the perpetrators are. Selective outrage or geopolitical considerations must not shield the Arakan Army from accountability. Such bias not only betrays the Rohingya, but also emboldens those committing the crimes.
The Rohingya have now endured eight years of acute suffering and survival since the mass killings and expulsions of 2016–2017. It is unconscionable that even today, in 2025, they remain largely defenceless and unprotected in their own homeland. Unlike most other ethnic groups in Myanmar, the Rohingya do not have militias or autonomous zones to protect them. Many other ethnic nationalities, such as Kachin, Karen, Chin, Rakhine, and others have armed resistance forces and self-administered territories where they can offer some protection to their people. In stark contrast, the Rohingya community has been systematically disempowered and left at the mercy of hostile forces. ARNO emphasizes that it is both morally wrong and strategically short-sighted for the world to neglect the Rohingya’s right to safety and self-preservation. If this bias continues, we fear the Rohingya as a people could be erased entirely from Myanmar.
ARNO’s Urgent Calls to Action
On this somber anniversary, ARNO calls upon the international community to finally move from words to action. The Rohingya cannot afford another year of hollow promises and inaction. Specifically, ARNO urges:
- United Nations intervention: We implore the UN Security Council to put the situation in Myanmar especially in Rakhine State – high on its agenda. The Council should pass a resolution demanding an immediate end to attacks on Rohingya civilians and authorizing robust measures to protect those at risk. We further call on UN member states to support a referral of Myanmar’s situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC) without delay. Accountability for past and ongoing crimes is essential to stop the cycle of genocide.
- Targeted sanctions and pressure on the Arakan Army: ARNO and a coalition of Rohingya organizations worldwide have already appealed for targeted sanctions against the Arakan Army leadership and its affiliates. We repeat this call with urgency. Governments, particularly in the West and in the region, should impose travel bans and asset freezes on those commanders responsible for atrocities. The Arakan Army must face consequences for its actions, just as the Myanmar junta does. Additionally, we ask international donors and supporters of Myanmar’s ethnic causes to ensure no aid or assistance reaches the Arakan Army as long as it continues to commit human rights abuses. Humanitarian aid for civilians must be carefully monitored so it is not diverted or used as a weapon of coercion against the Rohingya.
- Regional responsibility: ARNO appeals to regional blocs and neighboring countries – notably ASEAN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – to take leadership in resolving this crisis. ASEAN must not ignore the plight of the Rohingya during its engagements with Myanmar. We urge ASEAN to press the Myanmar authorities and Arakan Army to allow unfettered humanitarian access to northern Rakhine, and to support international efforts for justice. Likewise, the OIC and other concerned groups should intensify diplomatic efforts to protect the Rohingya and uphold their rights. The continued silence or ineffectiveness of regional actors is no longer acceptable; it only serves to further entrench the persecution.
- Safe and dignified repatriation: Ultimately, the Rohingya’s future lies in our homeland of Arakan (Rakhine). ARNO calls for renewed commitments to create conditions conducive to the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of Rohingya refugees currently in Bangladesh and elsewhere. This requires an end to violence, dismantling of the apartheid system, restitution of Rohingya lands and properties, and restoration of full citizenship and rights to the Rohingya. We insist that Rohingya voices be included in any dialogue about Rakhine State’s future. Any repatriation plan must not force Rohingya back into internment camps or unsafe situations; instead, it should empower them to rebuild their communities with international protection on the ground.
ARNO remains committed to advocating for the rights and safety of the Rohingya people. We stand ready to cooperate with the UN, governments, and international partners to bring an end to the suffering of our people. On this anniversary of tragedy, let it also be a turning point a moment when the world finally chooses to protect the Rohingya and uphold justice. There is no excuse for inaction in the face of genocide. The Rohingya people’s very existence hangs in the balance, and we implore the global community to rise to the occasion with decisive compassion and courage.
For more information, please contact:
Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO)
Email: arno@rohingya.org | info@rohingya.org
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