2024 — From Detention and Village Attacks to Mass Displacement

12 January 2024 — Hatkannya Fara: detention and alleged torture

Fortify Rights interviewed a Rohingya man who said AA personnel entered a mosque in Hatkannya Fara during evening prayers on 12 January and detained him. He described prolonged shackling, interrogation and severe beatings while interrogators accused him of connections to Rohingya armed organizations and Myanmar’s military.

The survivor reportedly remained under AA detention until November 2024. Fortify Rights said it observed scars on his body in connection with his testimony. The case is important because it indicates that abusive detention practices were alleged months before the large-scale AA conquest of Buthidaung.

Source: Fortify Rights — ICC Should Investigate Arakan Army War Crimes Against Rohingya

January–March 2024 — Foteh Ali Fara and Boriyong/Bo Gyi Chaung: 12 Rohingya men found dead

A 33-year-old Rohingya man from Foteh Ali Fara in Buthidaung Township told Fortify Rights that approximately 15 armed AA personnel arrived at his family’s house at night and took his brother. Approximately two months later, villagers were reportedly informed that bodies had been found around Boriyong, also known as Bo Gyi Chaung.

The witness said he and his brother travelled to the location and found 12 dead Rohingya men from their village in an open field. Some reportedly had gunshot wounds, while the bodies showed bruising and signs of severe physical abuse. The case is a serious allegation of detention followed by killing, but its public evidentiary base is more limited than later incidents corroborated by satellite imagery or multiple independent investigations.

Source: Fortify Rights — 23 July 2025 investigation

24–28 January 2024 — Hpon Nyo Leik: civilians caught between the armies

AA forces reportedly established military positions in and around the predominantly Rohingya village of Hpon Nyo Leik in Buthidaung Township. Myanmar military forces subsequently subjected the village to heavy artillery fire.

Twelve Rohingya civilians were reportedly killed and 32 injured, including children, while thousands fled Hpon Nyo Leik and neighbouring communities. The deaths themselves were principally attributed to Myanmar military shelling rather than direct AA fire. The incident nevertheless illustrates the danger created when armed positions were established in or near densely populated Rohingya communities.

Source: Fortify Rights — Protection of Civilians in Rakhine State

April 2024 — Chin Tha Mar: alleged recruitment of Rohingya youths

A Rohingya survivor from Chin Tha Mar village in Buthidaung Township told Fortify Rights that AA conducted a recruitment drive during April. Approximately 120 Rohingya youths were reportedly provided about ten days of training at Bo Gyi Chaung School.

They were subsequently required to serve AA personnel, including by cooking, tending cattle and performing other unpaid work. Later investigations by Fortify Rights and OHCHR documented allegations of forced recruitment across AA-controlled territory.

Source: Fortify Rights — Forced Labour Investigation

17 April 2024 — Abuja Hamlet, Tha Yet Oak: five Rohingya detained; four reportedly beheaded

Five Rohingya men were reportedly detained after AA forces entered Abuja Hamlet in the Tha Yet Oak village tract of northern Maungdaw. Fortify Rights publicly identified several victims, including Numal Hakim, Islam and Abdul Amin. A witness reported seeing AA personnel kick and punch the men before restraining them and taking them away.

Their bodies were later discovered in a pond approximately one mile away. All five reportedly had severe injuries and four had been decapitated. Fortify Rights reviewed an approximately 18-second mobile-phone video showing five bodies, four without heads. OHCHR independently documented essentially the same incident. AA denied responsibility and attributed the killings to ARSA.

Because eyewitness testimony, video evidence and independent UN reporting converge, this incident carries considerable evidentiary weight despite the AA denial.

Source: Fortify Rights — 23 July 2025

Source: OHCHR — 2024 Human Rights Council report

21–30 April 2024 — Rohingya villages burned east of Buthidaung

As AA advanced through Buthidaung Township, extensive destruction appeared across Rohingya communities east of Buthidaung town. Human Rights Watch used satellite imagery and thermal-anomaly analysis to examine the destruction.

Among the specifically identified communities partially or completely burned during this period were Rongia Daung/Ywet Nyo Taung, Keya Zinga Para/Ah Twin Hnget Thay and U Hla Hpay. A Rakhine witness separately told HRW that he saw AA fighters burning houses in U Hla Hpay and Ywet Nyo Taung. The destruction drove additional Rohingya families toward Hoyyar Siri/Htan Shauk Khan.

Human Rights Watch map of routes and locations around Hoyyar Siri and neighbouring areas. © Human Rights Watch, 2026. Used here as an incident-location visual, not as a photograph of the burning.

Source: Human Rights Watch — Buthidaung investigation

Late April–early May 2024 — Da Pyu Chaung: 11 civilians reportedly killed in one attack

A Rohingya survivor from Da Pyu Chaung told Human Rights Watch that the village came under shooting and drone attacks attributed to AA. A projectile struck a neighbouring house.

According to the witness, an entire family of six — two parents and four children — was killed, together with five additional people sheltering inside the same house. Satellite imagery comparing late April and early May showed Da Pyu Chaung almost completely destroyed.

Source: Human Rights Watch — Myanmar: Armies Target Ethnic Rohingya, Rakhine

2 May 2024 — Hoyyar Siri/Htan Shauk Khan massacre

The most extensively documented mass killing attributed to AA occurred on 2 May 2024 at Hoyyar Siri, known in Burmese as Htan Shauk Khan, in Buthidaung Township. The village comprised primarily Bor Para and Fatailla Para and had also become a refuge for Rohingya displaced from surrounding burned villages.

As AA advanced on nearby Myanmar military positions, large numbers of Rohingya attempted to leave the area. Human Rights Watch interviewed 41 witnesses and survivors who described AA fighters opening fire on groups of unarmed civilians attempting to flee. Some witnesses said civilians carried white flags. Survivors described bodies scattered on roads and in paddy fields and civilians being intercepted near Toinna Mura and around Fatailla Para mosque.

Human Rights Watch identified more than 170 villagers by name as killed or still missing, including approximately 90 children, and concluded that AA may have killed at least 170 Rohingya men, women and children and probably killed or injured hundreds more. The actual toll may be higher.

The investigation is especially significant because it is supported by satellite imagery, verified photographs and video, geolocation, mapped killing sites, survivor testimony and forensic review of images of human remains. Forensic specialists identified apparent gunshot injuries in some skulls.

AA/ULA denied massacring Rohingya civilians and argued that many of those killed were Myanmar military personnel, recruits or members of Rohingya armed groups. Human Rights Watch concluded that the evidence it reviewed contradicted that account.

Satellite evidence published by Human Rights Watch showing Hoyyar Siri after the 2 May 2024 massacre, with most structures destroyed. © Planet Labs / Human Rights Watch, 2026.

Source: Human Rights Watch — “Skeletons and Skulls Scattered Everywhere”

Source: Fortify Rights — Hoyyar Siri investigation

After 2 May 2024 — capture, robbery, abuse and displacement of Hoyyar Siri survivors

Rohingya who escaped toward U Hla Hpay described being intercepted by AA personnel. One survivor told Human Rights Watch she was captured with at least 200 other people. Survivors described money, jewellery and mobile phones being taken and reported kicking, punching and beatings.

Human Rights Watch also documented detention and forced labour affecting some survivors. The subsequent destruction and looting of Hoyyar Siri meant that residents could not return to their homes.

Source: Human Rights Watch — Hoyyar Siri investigation

May 2024 — Hpon Nyo Leik: hundreds gathered for forced labour

A 23-year-old Rohingya man told Fortify Rights that AA personnel gathered hundreds of Rohingya men inside the mosque at Hpon Nyo Leik. Armed AA personnel reportedly surrounded the group and ordered them to work.

The survivor said he was forced to help construct a detention facility for approximately one month. This and similar testimony from other villages indicate that forced labour was developing into an organized system under AA control rather than isolated misconduct by individual fighters.

Source: Fortify Rights — Forced Labour Investigation

May 2024 — Nga Yant/Nga Yat Chaung: forced-labour quotas

A Rohingya administrator from Nga Yant Chaung told Fortify Rights that more than 1,000 men under his administrative authority were required to provide labour. He said AA fighters beat him when he failed to meet the imposed labour quota.

A separate 19-year-old Rohingya from Nga Yat Chaung told Human Rights Watch that he was taken for forced labour and remained with AA for approximately five months.

Source: Fortify Rights — Forced Labour Investigation

Source: Human Rights Watch — Arakan Army Oppresses Rohingya Muslims

14–17 May 2024 — Htin Shar Pyin

Residents of Htin Shar Pyin told Human Rights Watch that AA personnel accused villagers of sending sons for Myanmar military training and that homes were burned. On the evening of 17 May, violence reportedly resumed with mortar fire and additional burning.

One fleeing survivor said he saw approximately 15 covered bodies. Another resident reported that his 16-year-old cousin was killed. Satellite imagery corroborated substantial destruction and blast damage in the area.

Source: Human Rights Watch — Buthidaung Investigation

17–18 May 2024 — burning and destruction of Buthidaung town

AA’s capture of Buthidaung town triggered one of the largest episodes of Rohingya displacement during 2024. Witnesses said AA representatives had given residents until the following morning to leave, but survivors reported that burning and shooting began during the night before the deadline expired.

Satellite imagery detected fire damage across all seven wards, with severe destruction particularly in Wards 1, 2, 3 and 6. Witnesses reported houses being burned, mortar fire, shootings, looting and destruction around civilian facilities. A woman from Ward 4 told Human Rights Watch that six members of her family died; five reportedly died when their home burned and her brother-in-law was shot while escaping.

Human Rights Watch reviewed videos showing hundreds of Rohingya men, women and children fleeing along the Buthidaung–Maungdaw road while fires illuminated the night sky. AA denied intentionally attacking Rohingya civilians and disputed responsibility for the fires.

Human Rights Watch regional map showing Buthidaung, Hoyyar Siri and routes used by fleeing residents. © Human Rights Watch, 2026.

Source: Human Rights Watch — Myanmar: Armies Target Ethnic Rohingya, Rakhine

17–21 May 2024 — Tat Min Chaung: violence and destruction along escape routes

Rohingya escaping Buthidaung encountered further violence around Tat Min Chaung. One survivor told Human Rights Watch that fleeing civilians became mixed with retreating Myanmar soldiers and that shooting occurred; he suffered a gunshot injury.

Satellite imagery subsequently showed more than 70 percent of Tat Min Chaung’s structures burned. Because active combatants were present among civilians during parts of this episode, individual deaths require case-by-case attribution.

Source: Human Rights Watch — Buthidaung Investigation

June–August 2024 — battle for Maungdaw and civilians trapped without safe escape

After taking Buthidaung, AA’s offensive shifted toward Maungdaw, the other major Rohingya-populated township of northern Arakan. Tens of thousands of Rohingya became trapped as front lines moved toward the town.

OHCHR and Fortify Rights documented repeated reports of drone and artillery attacks affecting Rohingya villages and displaced populations. A senior humanitarian source interviewed by Fortify Rights described heavy weapons being fired toward areas where displaced civilians had gathered, including the high school, hospital and market.

Source: Fortify Rights — Maungdaw/Naf River Investigation

4 August 2024 — Maung Ni: up to 36 Rohingya disappear

Eight Rohingya families reportedly gathered inside an imam’s house in Maung Ni, southern Maungdaw. The group may have contained as many as 36 people, including 10 women and 18 children.

OHCHR received testimony that AA personnel entered the house. The entire group subsequently disappeared and their fate had not been established when the UN documented the case. They should therefore be recorded as missing or forcibly disappeared rather than automatically counted as confirmed dead.

Source: OHCHR — A/HRC/60/20

5 August 2024 — Maungdaw/Naf River mass-casualty attack

Thousands of Rohingya attempting to escape Maungdaw gathered near the Naf River hoping to reach Bangladesh. They came under drone, mortar and artillery attacks.

Fortify Rights interviewed survivors and eyewitnesses and analyzed photographs, video and the direction from which attacks reportedly originated. Witnesses attributed attacks to areas where AA held positions, including Shwe Zar/Shuza Fara and Pan Taw Pyin. Survivors described seeing dozens of bodies; some reported approximately 50, while others described seeing about 100.

Fortify Rights concluded that more than 100 Rohingya women, men and children were killed in the August 5–6 attacks. AA denied responsibility. The incident should therefore be described as a strongly documented allegation with disputed attribution.

Source: Fortify Rights — Maungdaw/Naf River Investigation

5–6 August 2024 — Rohingya drown while escaping the attacks

The Naf River episode also produced deaths by drowning. Fortify Rights documented at least three overcrowded boats sinking or capsizing during the escape.

One survivor reported that a boat was directly struck during a drone attack and that only two people survived. Another boat reportedly capsized when terrified passengers panicked as explosives were dropped nearby. A further vessel sank during the following day’s escape.

These deaths are best recorded as deaths during flight while civilians were under attack, rather than as ordinary maritime accidents.

Source: Fortify Rights — 27 August 2024

6 August 2024 — a father loses all five children in the Naf River

A 44-year-old Rohingya father told Fortify Rights that his family attempted to cross the Naf River after fleeing the violence around Maungdaw. Their boat encountered severe wind, rain and waves and capsized.

All five of his children drowned. He estimated that approximately 30 additional people also drowned. This particular boat was not reported to have been directly struck, so the deaths should be described as drowning during forced flight following the Maungdaw violence rather than direct killings by AA.

Source: Fortify Rights — Survivor testimony

6 August 2024 — Rohingya children shot while fleeing

Fortify Rights documented a separate incident involving approximately 30 civilians hiding near the border. A Rohingya father said AA soldiers approached and opened fire.

His eight-year-old son was killed, his 10-year-old daughter was shot and wounded, and his adult sister-in-law was also reportedly killed. The father himself suffered a gunshot wound. Fortify Rights reviewed medical evidence and published a photograph of the wounded girl receiving treatment in Bangladesh.

Source: Fortify Rights — Maungdaw Investigation

Late 2024 — Kyi Kan Pyin: mass detention and forced labour

A 21-year-old Rohingya from Kyi Kan Pyin told Fortify Rights that AA carried out mass arrests after accusing villagers of connections to ARSA. Detainees reportedly had their hands tied and were eventually transferred to Buthidaung prison.

The survivor described exhausting forced labour in detention. The incident forms part of a broader pattern of detention and coercive labour documented after AA consolidated control.

Source: Fortify Rights — Forced Labour Investigation

December 2024 — Keya Zinga Para: severe beating in detention

A 35-year-old Rohingya from Keya Zinga Para told Human Rights Watch that AA detained him after accusing him of receiving military training. He said he was taken to Ward 3 police station in Buthidaung and repeatedly beaten with bamboo.

When later interviewed, he reportedly continued to experience difficulty walking.

Source: Human Rights Watch — Arakan Army Oppresses Rohingya Muslims