An investigative documentary released this week sheds new light on the continued persecution and trafficking of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar’s Rakhine State amid escalating civil conflict. Using leaked documents, exclusive footage, and forensic analysis, the film examines the complex dynamics of violence facing the Rohingya as they become caught between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army rebel group.

Since the outbreak of civil war in 2023, more than 150,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled the conflict zones, mainly seeking refuge in Bangladesh and neighboring countries. This documentary highlights how both the military junta and the Arakan Army have targeted the Rohingya, with abuses ranging from killings and forced displacement to exploitation for profit.

Seterra Begum, a Rohingya refugee now in Bangladesh, described how the Arakan Army entered her village, establishing checkpoints and fortifying positions. “Some people’s children, brothers, and relatives were killed, while others lost their legs or hands. Many disappeared, many were killed on the road, and it was a bloodbath,” she recounted.

The investigation reveals that since the Arakan Army assumed control over much of Rakhine State, the group has been implicated in using Rohingya people in human trafficking networks. The documentary includes testimony from Ayes, a 14-year-old Rohingya asylum seeker, who detailed harsh conditions aboard trafficking boats, where children were confined below deck and beaten for attempting to stand or look up.

Despite repeated requests, the Arakan Army declined to participate in interviews or respond in writing to the allegations presented. The group has previously denied involvement in attacks targeting civilians, including several mass killings of Rohingya villagers.

Myanmar’s military, in a written statement, accused the Arakan Army of inciting hatred against the Rohingya and claimed the rebels have committed acts of genocide since seizing control of much of Rakhine. The military asserted its forces protect Rohingya communities during the conflict but did not directly address allegations of military abuses raised in the documentary.

Currently, approximately 1.2 million Rohingya live in overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, described as some of the largest in the world. Despite ongoing violence in Myanmar, some Bangladeshi officials express a desire to repatriate the refugees, citing security concerns related to insurgency and transnational crime.

Mohammad Touhid Hossain, a former foreign advisor to Bangladesh’s transitional government, warned of potentially destabilizing consequences if younger generations of refugees remain without prospects. “When you have young boys in their twenties with no light at the end of the tunnel, don’t ever expect that they will just sit quiet and do nothing,” he said.

This report forms part of a broader series examining the fallout from Myanmar’s 2021 military coup and the resulting civil unrest. It aims to provide a clearer understanding of the ongoing humanitarian crisis that has drawn international attention since widespread abuses against the Rohingya were first documented in 2017.