The Arakan Army (AA) has come under sharp criticism from rights observers after preventing Rohingya and Rakhine civilians in Buthidaung town from leaving their homes near its military bases, despite rising fears of imminent airstrikes. The move has been widely condemned as a blatant human rights violation and a calculated use of civilians as human shields.

Local residents told Arakan News Agency that AA fighters blocked their attempts to move to safer areas, instead telling them “nothing will happen” and ordering them to stay put. This comes amid heightened tension following the Myanmar military’s imposition of martial law on July 31, raising fears of intensified attacks.

Sources said AA commanders met residents from both communities in the Nyaung Chaung area on Thursday, urging them to ignore “rumors” of an attack and promising to defend against any Myanmar Army advance. However, analysts warn that AA bases in Buthidaung are almost certain targets for airstrikes, putting civilians at extreme risk by keeping them in close proximity.

Under AA’s control, the Rohingya population has faced widespread abuses, including home seizures based on malicious complaints, confiscation of property, forced displacement, and harsh movement restrictions enforced through a network of checkpoints around Rohingya villages. Such practices have deepened the community’s suffering, already compounded by the Myanmar Army’s 2017 genocide campaign that drove about a million Rohingya into Bangladesh.

Since November 2023, the AA's military assault against the Myanmar Army has taken control of 14 of 17 cities in Arakan State. But it has also left the Rohingya in a precarious situation where they are persecuted and subject to bloodshed on both sides.Human rights defenders say AA’s latest actions in Buthidaung are further proof that the group is willing to endanger civilians for military advantage, in flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law.

BOB Post