by RK Desk
August 12, 2026
Three separate developments in Myanmar’s Rakhine State have raised fresh concerns over the safety of Rohingya communities and the wider protection of civilians, as fighting, forced recruitment and allegations of serious international crimes continue across the region.
The developments include new findings by United Nations investigators on alleged crimes against Rohingya by both Myanmar junta forces and members of the Arakan Army (AA), a reported junta order formalising rotating Rohingya recruitment around Sittwe, and a separate airstrike in Thandwe Township that reportedly killed 14 civilians.
UN Investigators Examine Alleged Crimes Against Rohingya by Junta and AA
The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) said in its latest annual report that it is investigating serious crimes committed against Rohingya and other communities in Rakhine State by multiple armed actors.
The UN-mandated mechanism said investigators were examining alleged nighttime raids, mass arrests and killings involving Rohingya and Rakhine detainees in Sittwe, as well as restrictions on humanitarian assistance, including obstruction of medical and hygiene supplies and reported starvation-related deaths.
The IIMM also reported collecting evidence concerning alleged crimes by members of the Arakan Army, including rape and other sexual violence against Rohingya women, summary executions, recruitment and use of children under 15, and the destruction of mosques.
Investigators said entire Rohingya areas in Buthidaung and Maungdaw had also been cleared and that mosque sites had in some cases been repurposed for the settlement of non-Rohingya communities.
The IIMM stressed that it investigates crimes by all relevant actors regardless of their political or ethnic affiliation. Its findings constitute investigative evidence and are not final judicial determinations of individual criminal responsibility.
The Mechanism has gathered evidence from more than 1,600 sources for possible use in future prosecutions. Associated Press and Reuters also reported that the latest IIMM findings document an escalation in serious abuses by both military and anti-junta forces across Myanmar.
The findings are particularly significant for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh because they indicate that serious threats remain in areas increasingly controlled by the AA, while abuses by Myanmar military authorities are also continuing.
Junta Reportedly Formalises Rotating Rohingya Conscription Around Sittwe
In a separate development, Myanmar Now reported that Myanmar military authorities have issued a written order requiring Rohingya communities around Sittwe to provide recruits on a rotating monthly basis.
According to the report, the notice, dated 29 July, requires Aung Mingalar and five associated Rohingya neighbourhoods to provide 20 recruits each month. Residents told Myanmar Now that the system involves selecting people from participating households and that similar recruitment pressure also affects villages and displacement camps.
Myanmar Now described the order as a formalisation of a coercive recruitment practice that Rohingya residents say has already been taking place. The outlet said it had obtained the written notice, although the document has not been independently authenticated publicly.
The report also said authorities have begun new household-registration and photography exercises in Rohingya settlements, while tightening restrictions on residents’ movements.
Residents reportedly said authorities warned that registered people must be present during inspections and that households could face consequences when members are absent. Myanmar Now also reported allegations that food assistance could be affected, although those claims have not been independently confirmed.
The reported conscription system places Rohingya in an especially precarious position. Myanmar has long denied most Rohingya citizenship and subjected the community to severe restrictions, yet Rohingya residents are now reportedly being compelled to serve forces involved in the continuing conflict.
Rohingya Khobor has not independently verified the reported notice or the scale of recruitment.
Fourteen Civilians Reportedly Killed in Thandwe Airstrike
Meanwhile, a Myanmar military airstrike reportedly killed 14 civilians and injured 11 others in Kyauk Gyi village in Thandwe Township on 10 August.
Myanmar Now reported that the strike occurred at around 1 p.m. near a Buddhist monastery. The casualty figures were provided by the Arakan Army, which said the dead included 11 females and three males aged between nine and 88. The AA also said 21 houses were damaged.
A Thandwe resident quoted by Myanmar Now said the village was bombed several times and that repeated airstrikes had created widespread fear among local residents.
The precise casualty figures have not been independently verified.
The Associated Press separately reported that the AA claimed around 20 civilians were killed and 22 injured in military airstrikes across three Rakhine townships between 1 and 11 August. Myanmar’s military authorities had not publicly responded to those allegations at the time of reporting.
The latest airstrike allegations come as UN investigators report a wider escalation in aerial attacks on civilians across Myanmar. The IIMM said it had documented attacks affecting homes, schools, medical facilities, religious buildings and displacement camps, as well as the growing use of drones, paramotors and other low-cost aircraft.
Although there is currently no indication that the reported victims in Kyauk Gyi were Rohingya, continuing airstrikes across Rakhine add to the broader insecurity facing civilians and complicate discussions about creating conditions for the safe and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees.
Taken together, the three developments underline a central problem confronting Rohingya communities: they remain exposed to coercion and alleged abuses in areas controlled by different armed actors, while the wider conflict continues to make civilian safety across Rakhine increasingly uncertain.
