They Are Killing Our Leaders: Arakan Army Accused of Systematic Targeting of Rohingya Civilians

The death of U Anam, a community figure from Maungdaw Township, has cast fresh light on a growing pattern of alleged abductions, torture, and killings of Rohingya civilians by the Arakan Army, raising urgent questions about accountability and the reach of international law.

Photo Source: Local Source / The Daily East

A Rohingya community leader from Ward 2 of Maungdaw Township in Myanmar's Arakan State has reportedly been abducted, tortured, and killed by members of the Arakan Army. Rights groups and local residents say the incident is far from isolated. They describe it as part of a deliberate and escalating campaign of violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority, a community that has already endured decades of persecution and displacement.

The dead body of U Anam, killed by the Arakan Army | Photo: Local Source / The Daily East

The victim, identified as U Anam, was a respected figure in his community. He was known for speaking openly about the rights violations affecting civilians in the region. According to multiple local sources and family testimonies, he was detained by Arakan Army forces in early 2025 without any legal cause. His body reportedly bore signs of severe physical abuse. Rights advocates have alleged extrajudicial execution. No independent investigation has been possible due to heavily restricted access to the conflict areas.

"His death is not just a tragedy for his family," one local resident told community monitors. "It is a warning to every Rohingya who dares to speak."

A People Caught Between Two Forces

The Rohingya have endured decades of state-sponsored persecution in Myanmar. Stripped of citizenship under the country's 1982 Citizenship Law and labelled as illegal immigrants despite generations of residence in the country, they became the target of a massive military crackdown in 2017. More than one million people were driven across the border into Bangladesh. The United Nations described the campaign as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. Multiple international bodies have since characterised it as genocide.

Now, rights groups warn, the Rohingya face a second front of violence.

The Arakan Army was founded in 2009 as an ethnic armed organization fighting for Rakhine Buddhist autonomy. It gained significant territory across northern Rakhine State after intensified clashes with Myanmar's military junta began in 2018. While some initially viewed the group as a counterforce to the junta, its treatment of Rohingya civilians in areas under its control has drawn mounting condemnation from international observers and rights organisations.

"The Rohingya are trapped," said one rights advocate with direct knowledge of the situation. "The military wants them gone. And now, in AA-controlled areas, many say they are living under a different kind of fear."

A Pattern of Targeted Violence

The case of U Anam, advocates say, fits a documented pattern that has been building for over a year. Community leaders, religious scholars, teachers, and businessmen, individuals capable of organising communities or speaking publicly about abuses, have increasingly been reported as targets of Arakan Army detention, intimidation, and violence.

Human Rights Watch and Fortify Rights have both documented accounts of Rohingya being held in unofficial AA detention sites without any legal process. Detainees were reportedly subjected to beatings, starvation, denial of medical care, and torture. Families of those detained or disappeared say they have received no information about where their relatives are being held or whether they are still alive.

In January 2025, Fortify Rights reported that the Arakan Army had admitted to executing two prisoners of war. The group stated that internal action had been taken against those responsible, but no independent verification or transparent accountability process was ever made public. Rights organisations described the admissions as potential violations of international humanitarian law.

One of the deadliest incidents attributed to the Arakan Army occurred in August 2024 near the Naf River in Maungdaw Township. According to survivor accounts and evidence compiled by Fortify Rights, thousands of Rohingya civilians who were fleeing active fighting between the AA and Myanmar military were attacked with artillery shelling, drones, and direct gunfire. More than 100 civilians were reported killed. Fortify Rights stated the attacks may constitute war crimes and formally called for an ICC investigation. The Arakan Army denied any responsibility for the incident.

Conditions Under AA Control

Beyond targeted killings, residents in Arakan Army-controlled areas describe a widening net of discriminatory restrictions imposed on Rohingya civilians. Freedom of movement, access to education, the ability to earn a livelihood, and humanitarian aid have all been curtailed, according to community accounts and rights monitors on the ground. Surveillance, harassment, and arbitrary stops at checkpoints are described as a routine part of daily life.

"It is like a different kind of siege," one resident told a local monitor. "We cannot move. We cannot work. We cannot ask questions."

Rights groups have also documented allegations that Rohingya civilians were forcibly displaced during Arakan Army military operations. In some cases, civilians were allegedly used as human shields during clashes with the junta. If confirmed, such acts would constitute grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.

International Response

The United Nations Human Rights Council has expressed concern over abuses by all parties involved in Myanmar's conflict. UN officials have repeatedly stressed that non-state armed actors, including the Arakan Army, remain fully bound by international humanitarian law and carry the responsibility to protect civilians living in areas under their control.

Fortify Rights has formally called on the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged Arakan Army crimes. The organization submitted survivor testimonies, video footage, and photographic documentation of alleged executions, torture, and attacks on civilian populations. However, legal accountability remains constrained because Myanmar has not ratified the Rome Statute. This limits the ICC's jurisdiction unless the matter is referred to by the UN Security Council, a step complicated by deep political divisions within the body.

ASEAN has drawn renewed criticism for its non-interference approach to the Myanmar crisis. Western governments have broadly condemned the violence but have stopped short of imposing targeted sanctions specifically on Arakan Army leadership. Humanitarian organizations continue to call for unrestricted access to conflict zones and fully independent investigations into all abuses against civilians.

Calls for Justice

For the family of U Anam and for the many other Rohingya families mourning disappeared or killed relatives, justice remains out of reach. Rights advocates argue that any credible peace process for Myanmar must include accountability mechanisms covering all armed actors, not only the military junta. They insist that the protection of civilians must come first, regardless of ethnicity or religion.

"There can be no selective accountability," said one rights observer. "Every victim deserves justice, whether the perpetrator wears a military uniform or carries a different flag."

As conflict continues to reshape Arakan State, the Rohingya find themselves once again at the intersection of violence, displacement, and silence. The community of U Anam says his death must not be allowed to pass without consequence. For now, they wait, and they grieve, with little sign that anyone in power is listening.