The Rohingya are facing another devastating chapter in their long history of persecution. In Arakan, many Rohingya are living under violence, severe restrictions, forced displacement, hunger and the denial of their fundamental rights. With no protection and no prospect of a safe future, increasing numbers are being driven from their ancestral homeland.

More than 500 feared dead

On 16 July 2026, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, reported that two boats carrying more than 500 people, mostly Rohingya, may have capsized after departing from Arakan. One boat carrying approximately 250 people lost contact shortly after departure, while another vessel carrying around 280 people was believed to have sunk off Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady coast on 8 July.

IOM and UNHCR stated that the journeys took place outside the regular sailing season, amid torrential rain, flooding and extremely dangerous maritime conditions. The incidents and final death toll have not yet been officially confirmed.

Serious allegations concerning the Arakan Army (AA)

The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), citing sources in the region, alleges that both boats departed from areas controlled by the Arakan Army (AA). According to BROUK, the AA facilitated the movement and boarding of the passengers. It further alleges that traffickers requested permission to delay one boat’s departure because of forecasts of torrential rain, thunderstorms, strong winds and waves reaching nine feet, but that the AA refused the request and ordered the boat to leave.

These extremely serious allegations require an urgent and independent international investigation. If confirmed, forcing an overcrowded vessel to depart despite severe weather warnings would demonstrate a shocking disregard for human life.

A cruel cycle of persecution and exploitation

The allegations also point to a deeply disturbing system in which the AA makes life unbearable for the Rohingya and then facilitates their departure through trafficking networks that demand large payments. The Rohingya are therefore trapped in a cruel cycle: persecution, violence and intolerable living conditions push them from their homeland, while trafficking networks exploit their desperation and charge families large sums for dangerous journeys in overcrowded and unseaworthy boats.

In this way, the AA is accused of benefiting on several levels: forcing Rohingya from Arakan, receiving money connected to their departure and taking control of the homes, land, livestock and other possessions they leave behind. There are also allegations that confiscated Rohingya properties are being transferred to incoming Rakhine settlers from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and elsewhere. These claims must be independently investigated and documented.

If verified, this would reveal a system whose effect is not merely to displace the Rohingya temporarily, but to remove them permanently from their ancestral homeland while allowing others to profit financially and materially from their suffering. The combined effect of persecution, trafficking, forced displacement and dispossession raises grave concerns about an organized effort to cleanse Arakan of its Rohingya population.

International action is urgently needed

The international community must urgently investigate the reported maritime tragedies, identify and dismantle the trafficking networks, and examine the alleged involvement of the AA and other actors. Rohingya homes, land and property must be protected and restored to their rightful owners. Humanitarian organizations must receive unrestricted access, safe routes to protection must be established, and everyone responsible for persecution, trafficking, forced displacement or unlawful property seizure must be held accountable.

The Rohingya must never be forced to choose between persecution on land and death at sea.

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