UN Warns of Heightened Risk of Atrocities Amid Renewed Violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has expressed deep alarm over a resurgence of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, warning of the potential for further “atrocity crimes” amid heightened inter-communal tensions, TRTWorld reported yesterday.

In a statement released on Sunday, Turk said he was “deeply alarmed by reports of renewed violence and property destruction in Buthidaung township,” which has resulted in the displacement of potentially tens of thousands of civilians, primarily from the Rohingya minority group.

The latest clashes erupted in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the 2021 military coup. The violence has since spread to 15 of Rakhine state’s 17 townships, with hundreds killed or wounded and more than 300,000 people displaced, according to Turk.

The fighting pits the military against the Arakan Army (AA), one of several armed ethnic-minority groups in Myanmar’s border regions that have battled the military since the country’s independence from Britain in 1948, seeking greater autonomy and control over lucrative resources.

Turk cautioned that with “inter-communal tensions between ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya high — and being actively stoked by the military — this is a critical period when the risk of yet further atrocity crimes is particularly acute.”

The UN is working to corroborate reports of serious human rights violations, underscoring the urgency of addressing the deteriorating situation in Rakhine state to prevent further loss of life and displacement.