Second Wave of Genocide Against Rohingya in Buthidaung Hidden Amid Internet Blackout

Date:06-September-2025

Buthidaung, Rakhine/Arakan State-A second wave of mass killings targeting Rohingya Muslims in Buthidaung Township has unfolded since May 2, 2024, leaving an estimated 3,000 people dead, according to Rohingya community reports and human rights monitors.

The violence, largely obscured by a government-imposed internet blackout in northern Rakhine, is being carried out under the guise of armed conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and Burmese ’s military junta. Survivors and local witnesses allege that the AA has systematically targeted Rohingya civilians and burning villages, carrying out extrajudicial executions, and burying bodies in mass graves to conceal evidence.

Despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Myanmar’s junta in 2020 to ensure the safety and security of the Rohingya population, the authorities have failed to uphold this obligation. Instead, Rohingya residents of Buthidaung find themselves caught in a deliberate campaign of destruction, where both warring parties are accused of using them as scapegoats.

“The world does not know the scale of what is happening because there is no internet, no journalists, no aid workers allowed,” said a  Rohingya activist Mohammed Faisal, who recently fled Buthidaung to Bangladesh. “Thousands have been killed and buried secretly. Entire families have disappeared.”

Human rights organizations warn that the situation bears chilling parallels to the atrocities of 2017, when Burmese’s military drove more than 740,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh through a campaign of mass killings, rape, and arson that the U.S and the United Nations have recognized as genocide.

This time, however, the blackout and restricted access to northern Rakhine have allowed atrocities to continue with almost no international scrutiny. Aid groups have been blocked from the region, and humanitarian relief remains absent for tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya who are trapped without food, shelter, or medical care.

The U.S. government, which in 2022 formally declared the military’s campaign against the Rohingya as genocide, has yet to publicly address the renewed killings. International human rights defenders are urging urgent investigations and the lifting of communication blockades so evidence can be gathered before it is erased.

“The silence of the international community is deafening,” said a statement from Rohingya human rights networks. “This is not just conflict, it is genocide unfolding in real time.”

As Buthidaung’s Rohingya population continues to suffer under siege, calls are growing for urgent UN intervention, stronger sanctions against perpetrators, and international justice mechanisms to hold both the junta and the Arakan Army accountable for crimes against humanity.

For now, with internet access cut off and mass graves buried in secrecy, the Rohingya of Buthidaung remain invisible victims of a genocide the world has yet to acknowledge.

Human Rights Report: Second Wave of Genocide Against Rohingya in Buthidaung.

We will soon publish a report on the ongoing issue, which will be based on interviews with those who have arrived in Bangladesh since January 2025.

Background

Since 2 May 2024, a new wave of mass atrocities has been carried out against Rohingya civilians in Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State (Arakan). The violence has taken place under the cover of ongoing armed conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and Burmese ’s military junta.

Despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Burma/Myanmar in 2020 to protect Rohingya civilians from genocide, the authorities have failed to uphold their legal obligations. Instead, the Rohingya remain targeted, scapegoated, and deliberately exposed to atrocities.

Findings Mass Killings:

• Reports from survivors and local monitors confirm that at least 3,000 Rohingya men, women, and children have been killed in Buthidaung since May 2, 2024.

• Systematic Targeting:

  
  

  Eyewitnesses allege that the Arakan Army (AA) has carried out extrajudicial executions, mass shootings, and torching of Rohingya villages, under the pretext of fighting the junta.

• Mass Graves:

  
  

  After the killings, bodies were buried in mass graves in remote locations to conceal evidence of atrocities. These sites remain undocumented due to access restrictions.

• Internet Blackout:

  
  

  A government-imposed communications blackout in northern Rakhine/Arakan State has severely obstructed evidence gathering, leaving the international community largely unaware of the ongoing crimes.

• Humanitarian Blockade:

  
  

  Rohingya survivors trapped in Buthidaung face starvation, displacement, and lack of medical care as aid groups remain barred from the region.

Evidence

• Testimonies from survivors who escaped across the border describe entire families being executed.

• Independent Rohingya community monitors have verified lists of the deceased, though full documentation is impossible under the blackout.

• Satellite imagery suggests widespread village destruction in parts of Buthidaung, consistent with reports of arson and mass displacement.

Legal Context

• The United States declared Myanmar’s actions against the Rohingya a genocide in 2022.

• The ICJ provisional measures (2020) legally obligate Myanmar to prevent acts of genocide and protect the Rohingya community.

• The current atrocities constitute clear crimes against humanity and possible renewed genocide, given their scale, targeting, and intent.

  
  

Recommendations

1. Immediate International Action

   • The UN Security Council and international community must urgently demand an end to the internet blackout and access for independent investigators and humanitarian actors.

     
     

2. Accountability

   • Both the Myanmar military junta and the Arakan Army must be investigated for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

   • Evidence of mass graves must be preserved for future international tribunals.

     
     

3. Protection of Civilians

   • Urgent humanitarian corridors must be established to deliver aid to displaced Rohingya in Buthidaung and surrounding areas.

     
     

   • Regional governments must refrain from deporting Rohingya refugees back into danger zones.

     
     

4. International Justice

   • The International Criminal Court (ICC) and the ICJ should expand jurisdiction and investigations into the second wave of genocide against the Rohingya.

     
     

   Reported By Rohingya Political Journalist Saiful Arakani.