Respondents mentioned the poor quality of food available, in some cases describing it as ‘expired’ or ‘scavenged’, yet still extremely expensive.104 Most respondents described eating two meals a day of low- quality rice and stale vegetables, occasionally with fish if they can afford it. Due to the AA’s movement restrictions, Rohingya in Maungdaw township are also denied access to fishing and other livelihoods. Latrines were reported to be damaged during the fighting at all six locations, with villagers unable to repair them due to the high costs and difficulties with obtaining the necessary materials. Respondents all reported outbreaks of diarrhoea in the past three months, and many are suffering from skin diseases. Some also reported experiencing chronic weakness or fatigue, which is a sign of SAM in adults.105 In March, a local Rakhine media outlet reported signs of kwashiorkor in children in Maungdaw township, while BROUK’s research also indicates possible signs of marasmus in children.106 Before being moved to their current locations, some respondents were corralled at Hla Poe Khaung transit camp by AA for many months in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions with several thousand other IDPs before they were allowed to return home. At least 10 children died during an outbreak of diarrhoea there in 2025.107 BROUK’s findings likely represent the tip of the iceberg in terms of the prevalence of severe malnutrition and starvation in northern Rakhine State. Humanitarian workers in Bangladesh have reported that new arrivals from Rakhine State exhibit visible signs of severe malnutrition, including uncontrollable shaking.108 The regime is ultimately responsible for the conditions of life that have been inflicted on the Rohingya group over many years, with the humanitarian access restrictions, trade blockade and ban on importing medicines resulting in a sharp deterioration since November 2023. The junta has systematically deprived the Rohingya of the basic necessities of life needed for survival, with devastating consequences. For its part, the Arakan Army has largely replicated the same policies of persecution. It is impossible to overstate the extreme vulnerability of Rohingya IDPs in northern Rakhine State. Many are survivors of alleged atrocity crimes by both the Myanmar military and AA soldiers and have been displaced multiple times since November 2023. Rohingya across northern Rakhine State also face many ongoing violations by the Arakan Army detailed in the section Other atrocity crimes & the Arakan Army’s failure to comply with the provisional measures, compounding the risks of starvation and disease. Conditions of life in central Rakhine State Forced displacement, confinement in camps The Myanmar military has a decades-long history of employing divide-and-rule tactics and instigating violence against the Rohingya. The State-orchestrated violence of 2012-13 marked a critical juncture in the military authorities’ treatment of the group. A false narrative of ‘intercommunal violence’ constructed by the military authorities was used as a pretext to introduce draconian restrictions on 104 BROUK reference ICJ11-PM2c-FS-MDW-1a. 105 Bunker & Pandey, op. cit. 106 BNI, ‘Many Malnourished Children in Maungdaw Township’ (18 March 2025) available at <https://www.bnionline.net/en/news/many-malnourished-children-maungdaw-township> accessed 30 May 2025. 107 BROUK reference ICJ11-PM2c-FS-MDW-1a. 108 UNHRC (12 March 2025) op. cit. 8 [38]. Uncontrollable shaking may be a symptom of hypothermia, a complication of SAM. 20