A total of 28 Rohingya activist groups and 115 NGOs called for the imposition of international sanctions against the Arakan Army (AA) on August 23, claiming that over 2,000 Rohingyas were killed in an attack orchestrated by the AA and warn that sanctions are necessary if human rights violations against Rohingyas persist.

Of the 115 NGOs included in this statement, 59 have been named, but the remaining 56 have not been named due to the security reason.

Also, the statement includes some allegations against Tatmadaw, including allegations against the AA.

In the statement, as the AA fighters were advancing towards Maungdaw town, heavy fighting took place, and the Rohingya people who were trying to take safe shelter on the banks of the Naf River from Maungdaw town to flee to the Bangladesh side, were attacked by AA using drones and heavy weapons on August 5, 2024. It said that at least 200 people were killed in the attack, most of the casualties were women and children.

Additionally, multiple witnesses told them that drones and artillery had been fired from AA-controlled areas in recent weeks in and around Maungdaw, and a massacre in Naf River was similar to AA's drone attacks that have killed dozens of Rohingya people every day, the statement said.

In addition, during the armed conflict between the AA and the Tatmadaw (originally described as the Myanmar military group), Rohingya people are being shot indiscriminately, regardless of the civilians and military, and the Rohingya people are being strategically targeted by both sides, according to the statement.

Also, the AA aimed to seize Maungdaw Township after they completed the operation to control Buthidaung town on May 18, 2024. During the operation, the AA fighters raided the houses of Rohingya people and committed serious human rights violations against Rohingya people. The AA is trying to blame airstrikes carried out by the Tatmadaw (originally described as the Myanmar Military Group) for the burning of villages and killing more than 2,000 Rohingya people. The claim has been widely criticized, and AA has denied responsibility for the August 5 attack.

The statement urged the AA to end all human rights violations and atrocities against Rohingya people and other ethnic groups in the Rakhine State and also called for an independent investigation led by the United Nations to enter Rakhine State to uncover the events surrounding the massacres and bring the perpetrators to justice, and to grant humanitarian aid access.