LONDON – A recent report by the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) has sounded the alarm over escalating sexual violence, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation targeting Rohingya women in Arakan State, in areas controlled by the Arakan Army, a Buddhist ethnic armed group in Myanmar.
According to the findings, violations include instances of rape, gang rape, and threats of sexual violence, alongside abuses linked to forced recruitment campaigns and arbitrary detention. The organization noted that these practices unfold amid a deteriorating humanitarian landscape and tighter restrictions on Rohingya communities across the northern part of the state.
The report also highlights that more than 150,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since late 2024, joining roughly one million others crammed into crowded camps in Cox’s Bazar.
BROUK stated that the absence of accountability in conflict zones has allowed abuses against the Rohingya to persist unchecked, noting that worsening conditions have heightened risks of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
BROUK President Tun Khin warned against ongoing persecution, warning that the “genocide” against the Rohingya has not ended since 2017 and highlighting a continuous pattern of violations despite shifting local authorities.
The report arrives against the backdrop of an ongoing civil and ethnic conflict in Myanmar following the 2021 military coup.
The Arakan Army has emerged as a dominant force, controlling large parts of the state following a military offensive it launched in November 2013 against the army. The group has reportedly captured 14 out of the state’s 17 townships in a conflict that has left the Rohingya vulnerable to violence, persecution, and forced displacement from multiple sides.
