A/HRC/39/CRP.2 Looting 978. The “clearance operations” also encompassed the looting of goods, in which civilians played a central role. For the most part, looting was carried out by security forces together with ethnic Rakhine, often recognisable to their Rohingya neighbours. 2198 Other minority groups also looted and were recognizable by their distinctive dress or appearance.2199 Looting often took place at the outset of a “clearance operation”, with participants arriving together with the security forces, and systematically looting Rohingya goods and other possessions from houses prior to the burning of the village. 979. Looting was comprehensive. Often, all moveable property was stolen, including gold and other valuables, food stocks, motorcycles, cattle, goats and other livestock. 2200 The stolen property was then set aside so that it would not be destroyed once the burning started. 2201 One Rohingya witness described seeing ethnic Rakhine “taking everything” 2202 from his village, while another explained how the ethnic Rakhine put looted property in sacks which were put outside before they set structures on fire. 2203 A man described the scene in his village in southern Maungdaw: I had fled my house and was with my family crouching and hiding in the bushes near the river. From there I could see the ethnic Rakhine looting the houses. They were piling up all the valuable things outside the houses before burning the houses. They were piling things on the main road. Some things were in sacks and some were on the road.2204 980. Sometimes goods were put directly into military vehicles, including large military trucks, before houses were set on fire.2205 One Rohingya villager described seeing military vehicles being loaded up and driven away and then the ethnic Rakhine leaving with all that they could carry.2206 Another villager described how looted goods were taken to temporary military camps.2207 981. Looting continued in the days following a “clearance operation”, with ethnic Rakhine often returning to the cleared villages to continue looting and round up abandoned Rohingya cattle.2208 982. The mass looting resulted not only in widespread theft of Rohingya goods, but also contributed to the forced deportation of the Rohingya population, through forced destitution and, in the case of livestock and other property, loss of their source of livelihood. 983. Many women and girls, including survivors and victims of sexual violence were also systematically robbed during body searches and assaults, and frequently told of their sense of loss for their home and possessions. 2209 Gold jewellery is an important status symbol, and its loss has a deep psychological impact.2210 Many victims of rape also lamented the loss of their new clothes, bought for the Eid festival just before the “clearance operations” began. 2211 2198 2199 2200 2201 2202 2203 2204 2205 2206 2207 2208 2209 2210 2211 236 CI-029, CI-036, CI-120, CI-124, CI-138, LI-066, LI-069, LI-081, LI-100, LI-102, LI-109, LI-119, LI120, LI-131, LI-132, QI-005, QI-013, QI-027, WI-004, WI-032, YI-006, YI-009, YI-014, YI-015, YI018, YI-021, YI-031. CI-124, LI-076, LI-109, LI-112, LI-119. CI-138, LI-037. LI-112, LI-120, LI-132. LI-100. LI-132. LI-120. CI-034, CI-138, LI-037, QI-013. CI-034. WI-032. QI-113, XI-005. EI-034, EI-069, EI-096, EI-099. K-122. EI-086.