A/HRC/60/18 (c) restrictions on the entry and exit of civilians and blockades of humanitarian aid and essential supplies in Sittwe; and (d) indiscriminate or intentional artillery and aerial attacks against civilians or civilian objects in Arakan Army-controlled villages across Northern and Southern Rakhine. This also includes an alleged massacre of Rakhine civilians and the blocking of humanitarian aid to Rakhine communities affected by the ongoing violence. The Mechanism has collected credible information that these crimes have been committed by the military and/or military-affiliated armed groups. 21. The escalating violence has again forced large numbers of displaced Rohingya to flee Myanmar and seek refuge in Bangladesh. Despite initial logistical challenges in identifying and safely engaging with such individuals, the Mechanism has been able to meet with victims, obtaining critical first-hand evidence of horrific crimes affecting the Rohingya. In this context, the Mechanism has greatly benefited from its close collaboration with national and international civil society and documentation organizations, which supported the coordination and collection of evidence from the recently displaced population. 22. During the reporting period, the Mechanism initiated investigations into crimes allegedly committed by members of the Arakan Army, in military or civilian attire. These included summary executions, torture and beheadings of military soldiers and civilians suspected of being military informants. In addition, the Mechanism continues to collect information on sexual violence, including rape, against Chin women. C. Investigating crimes against the Rohingya 23. During the reporting period, the Mechanism continued its investigations into crimes associated with the 2016 and 2017 clearance operations, which resulted in mass killings, widespread sexual and gender-based violence, large-scale destruction of Rohingya villages and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya into Bangladesh. Investigations have also continued into the events preceding the clearance operations, including the violence of 2012, the subsequent internal displacement of Rohingya communities around Sittwe, and the series of discriminatory and persecutory measures taken against the Rohingya community before the 2016 and 2017 operations. 24. In its investigations, the Mechanism seeks to identify the individuals who are most responsible for the crimes committed against the Rohingya. This includes those who ordered the crimes, those who failed to punish crimes committed by those under their command, those who facilitated the commission of these crimes through material and financial support, and those who actively promoted the hate campaign which fuelled these crimes. 25. During the reporting period, the Mechanism continued to interview members of the Rohingya population who were impacted by the Myanmar military’s clearance operations in 2016 and 2017, and who are currently living in refugee camps and other locations. These interviews typically canvass the entirety of a survivor’s experience, including information and evidence relating to crimes committed prior to the 2016 and 2017 clearance operations which includes crimes of persecution, forced labour, sexual and gender-based crimes and crimes related to internal forced displacement. Having gathered a substantial volume of evidence through its field missions and having reached an advanced stage in incident investigations, the Mechanism has adopted a more targeted approach to witness identification and prioritization. Guided by its case prioritization strategy, the Mechanism is focusing on identifying and interviewing Rohingya witnesses who can provide linkage evidence to establish a link between the actions of specific individuals and the crimes committed. This includes evidence regarding locations, structures and operations of the security forces of Myanmar, and also concerning interactions with security officials prior to the clearance operations. In all of its interactions with witnesses, the Mechanism has prioritized the collection of information concerning sexual and gender-based crimes and crimes against and affecting children. 26. The Mechanism continues to strengthen its evidence collection by engaging with civil society groups, local and international non-governmental organizations, media outlets and governments. The Mechanism continues, in particular, to seek witnesses with “inside knowledge” of the key figures and decision makers behind the clearance operations of 2016 GE.25-10777 7