Sittwe: A coalition of Rohingya advocacy groups has condemned the Arakan Army (AA) for a string of violent actions targeting Rohingya civilians in northern Rakhine state, urging the UN Security Council to take immediate steps to hold the group accountable for crimes against humanity.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) reported that nearly 60 Rohingya farmers were detained without warning on July 25 while working their land in Buthidaung Township. The AA allegedly ordered village guards to remain indoors during the transfer of detainees, raising fears of torture or enforced disappearance. The ARNC stated that the current whereabouts and condition of the detainees remain unknown.

The group also highlighted the case of a former detainee, identified as Arshad, who died in Bangladesh after suffering what was described as severe torture during eight months in AA detention. In another incident, the body of a Rohingya man was discovered after the AA claimed he had escaped custody. The ARNC cited these incidents as part of numerous other atrocities that underscore the AA's use of mass detention, economic coercion, arbitrary killings, and fear tactics to dominate and displace Rohingya populations.

The ARNC has called on the UN Security Council to impose targeted sanctions and expand investigations into the actions of the AA. Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar due to violent crackdowns by the military and armed groups, with most seeking refuge in Bangladesh and some reaching Indonesia after dangerous sea journeys.