Rohingyas at risk of further persecution in war-ravaged Myanmar: UN

The United Nations fears a repeat of the 2017 atrocities committed against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, warning a human tragedy was unfolding in Rakhine State.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk voiced grave alarm on Saturday about the sharply deteriorating situation across Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine where, he said, hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed while trying to flee fighting.

A mass exodus of Rohingya people started on August 25, 2017, after Myanmar’s military launched a brutal operation against the Muslim minority in the country’s northern region.

Since then, approximately 1.2 million Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh and live in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps.

'Forced to flee'

Clashes have rocked Rakhine since the rebel Arakan Army attacked forces of Myanmar's junta in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since a military coup in 2021.

Turk blamed both sides for abuses against the Rohingya including extrajudicial killings, abductions and indiscriminate bombardments of towns.

The AA says it is fighting for more autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine population in the state, which is also home to around 600,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled Rakhine in 2017 during a crackdown by the military that is now the subject of a United Nations genocide court case.

"Thousands of Rohingya have been forced to flee on foot, with the Arakan Army herding them repeatedly into locations that offer scant haven," Turk said in a statement.

"As the border crossings to Bangladesh remain closed, members of the Rohingya community are finding themselves trapped between the military and its allies and the Arakan Army, with no path to safety."