Rohingya Repatriation Unsafe Amid Rakhine Abuses, Warns Amnesty

Amnesty I

Amnesty International has issued a stark warning against plans to repatriate Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh, describing current conditions in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State as “catastrophic”. The rights group says forced labour, movement restrictions, and escalating conflict make safe return impossible.

The warning comes ahead of a UN General Assembly conference on the Rohingya crisis, where international leaders will discuss the fate of over one million refugees displaced by military violence in 2016 and 2017. Amnesty’s findings, based on interviews with recent arrivals from Myanmar, paint a grim picture of life under the Arakan Army, which now controls much of northern Rakhine.

“Many Rohingya feel the Arakan Army has simply replaced the Myanmar military as their oppressor,” said Joe Freeman, Amnesty’s Myanmar researcher. Civilians are reportedly coerced into labour, denied healthcare and education, and subjected to arbitrary detention. Some describe being forced to clean up battlefield debris, carry supplies to checkpoints, and pay for travel permits valid for just two days.

One refugee recounted how his children were repeatedly conscripted for labour, while another described beatings and threats after refusing to work. Women and children in displacement camps face dire conditions, with little food, contaminated water, and no medical aid. “They seemed happy when anyone died,” said a 60-year-old man who fled Buthidaung Township in July.

The Arakan Army denies the allegations, claiming that labour is voluntary and travel fees minimal. However, Amnesty and other observers say the abuses mirror those previously committed by the Myanmar military, including denial of Rohingya identity and use of civilians as human shields.

With the military still controlling the state capital Sittwe—blocking aid and launching airstrikes—the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Over 150,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in the past 20 months, bringing the total refugee population to an estimated 1.2 million.

Amnesty urges the UN and international community to halt any repatriation efforts until conditions improve. “Pushing ahead now,” Freeman warned, “would be dangerously premature—and potentially catastrophic.”

-2025-10-01