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ANKARA 

Rohingya groups on Thursday called on Western countries to impose sanctions on the Arakan Army and its leaders over rights violations in Arakan State of Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal.

In a joint statement, 26 Rohingya groups from Australia, the US, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and several other countries strongly condemned the ongoing killing, arrests, and human rights violations of Rohingya.

"Western countries which have sanctioned the Burmese military for human rights violations need to explain why they have not also sanctioned the Arakan Army, which is committing the same human rights violations against Rohingya," it said.

The groups said that Rohingya fleeing from their areas due to Arakan Army violence are facing boat incidents, and hundreds of them have lost their lives.

"In early May 2025, two boats carrying Rohingya refugees sank in separate incidents, leaving at least 427 people, including women and children, feared dead, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)," the statement said, adding: "The drowning of Rohingya fleeing persecution and hunger has become a constant reality which the international community cannot ignore."

It added that over 200,000 people were displaced as their homes and villages were burned down by the Arakan Army in Rakhine State, while 118,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh and other neighboring countries in recent months.

The groups demanded an independent investigation by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights into boat disasters and the Arakan Army's role in causing them.

They also demanded the immediate release of Rohingya detained by the Arakan Army.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, in its recent report said that nearly 1 of 5 people attempting perilous sea movements in the region have been reported dead or missing in 2025, making the waters of the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal among the deadliest in the world.

Hundreds of Rohingya have fled their home country of Myanmar due to persecution by the junta regime, as well as other ethnic armed groups. Indonesia, besides Bangladesh, has been one of their main destinations as they flee the persecution via sea.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid