ULA disputes UN report on Muslims in Arakan State

By Admin 05 Sep 2025

DMG Newsroom

5 September 2025, Mrauk-U

The United League of Arakan (ULA) said the UN Human Rights Council report on the situation of Muslims in Arakan State focuses only on extremist allegations, rather than contributing to building trust and unity among the diverse communities of the Arakan People's Government.

The ULA released a statement on September 4 saying that while it had submitted answers to questions to the UN Human Rights Council, the report contained biased opinions rather than factual information.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General on September 2 released a report titled "Situation of Human Rights of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar."

The report alleged that the Arakan Army had committed human rights violations against Muslims. The ULA rejected the allegations, saying that the Arakan Army had established rules and taken action against violators, and allowed Muslims to participate in administrative areas.

It is also inappropriate to single out the Arakan Army for the burning of houses in Buthidaung, the ULA said, adding that the Myanmar military and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) were also involved in the Buthidaung conflict.

"There is no direct UN presence in Rakhine State, and no proper independent assessment has been carried out," the ULA statement said. "Therefore, the claim that '350,000 Rohingya have been displaced since November 2023' cannot be verified and appears to be based on estimates rather than factual ground data. Such figures risk being inflated by reliance on narratives from sources that may not be impartial. According to ULA's ground assessments, as of June 2025, approximately 600,000 people are internally displaced across Arakan, of which fewer than 20 percent are Muslims."

"The ULA reiterates that no massacre occurred in Htan Shauk Khan. The reality on the ground was intense fighting between AA and junta forces, with the involvement of armed Muslim militants, not deliberate targeting of civilians. We urge that future reporting be based on verifiable, impartial investigations that include the voices of all affected communities," the ULA statement reads.

The UN report states that on August 6, 2024, the AA, claiming to be a Muslim armed group, attacked Muslims with drones along the Naf River west of Maungdaw, killing 38 people, including four children. Interviewees stated that there were no junta troops in the area at the time of the incident, only the AA.

The ULA responded that the allegations were false, as the Arakan Army's drone technology was not yet comparable to that of the military regime.

"It is not only Muslims who have suffered in Arakan State. Tens of thousands of Arakanese civilians have also faced torture, arbitrary arrests, forced recruitment by the Myanmar military, and restrictions on their freedom of movement in the Myanmar military controlled areas. The humanitarian crisis affects all communities in Arakan State. Any report that portrays the situation as affecting only one group fails to capture the broader ground realities," said the ULA statement.

The ULA said the UN's allegations were based on unverified evidence without any real verification.

The ULA responded to the OHCHR Myanmar team's interview questions, but said that their lack of inclusion of their responses when the report was finally released had diminished trust in the UN. The ULA statement said that with the increasing activity of Muslim armed groups in Arakan State, UN reports, if not verified, could lead to further tension and instability in the region.