5/21/26, 11:25 AM Myanmar: No Redress for Rohingya Muslims in Arakan Army Massacre | Human Rights Watch The Arakan Army, which denies having committed war crimes, deliberately fired on unarmed villagers who were seeking safety after the armed group English advanced on two Myanmar military bases DONATE NOW in the vicinity. The Myanmar military and Arakan Army should end attacks on civilians, release everyone unlawfully detained, and provide redress to victims. Both parties should cooperate fully with UN and other independent investigations. (Bangkok) – Two years after the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, killed and wounded hundreds of Rohingya Muslims and burned down their village in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, the survivors remain unable to return home, with many effectively detained, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The Arakan Army has rejected responsibility for the massacre at Hoyyar Siri (Htan Shauk Khan in Burmese), Buthidaung township, which involved grave violations of the laws of war amounting to war crimes. The 56-page report, “‘Skeletons and Skulls Scattered Everywhere’: Arakan Army Massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Hoyyar Siri, Myanmar,” documents the May 2, 2024 attack, in which Arakan Army fighters deliberately fired on unarmed villagers who were seeking safety after the armed group advanced on two Myanmar military bases in the vicinity. Details of the massacre only began emerging more than a year later, after some survivors fled to Bangladesh and Malaysia. “The Arakan Army’s murder of hundreds of Rohingya civilians and the burning of their village in Rakhine State in 2024 took the armed conflict with Myanmar’s junta to a new level of depravity,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Today, the massacre’s survivors are effectively detained by the Arakan Army, which has neither provided redress nor held those responsible to account.” Human Rights Watch interviewed several dozen witnesses and survivors, corroborated their accounts by satellite imagery, and analyzed and verified photographs and videos. Hostilities between Myanmar junta forces and the Arakan Army in Rakhine State resumed in November 2023. Both sides have been responsible for serious abuses, including targeted attacks on civilians, arson, and unlawful conscription. The findings contradict the Arakan Army’s claims in a letter to Human Rights Watch that its fighters only targeted military personnel or members of Rohingya armed groups. Army fighters first opened fire on a group of civilians leaving Hoyyar Siri, some of whom were WeArakan use cookies, tracking technologies, and third-party waving white flags. “First, my son was hit by a bullet,” said one man. “Then my wife and baby daughter analytics tools to better understand who is using the website were shot, followed by my other daughter.” The fighters continued to fire on the villagers as they and improve your experience. By using our website you are turned back and attempted to flee. agreeing to this. Read our privacy policy to find out what cookies are used for and how to change your settings. https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/05/18/myanmar-no-redress-for-rohingya-muslims-in-arakan-army-massacre 2/6