14 ROHINGYA GENOCIDE DAY Additionally, nearly 1,500 other Rohingya were killed in various villages, including Kyauk Phyu Taung, Nga Kyin Tauk, and Tat Min Chaung. Some eyewitnesses reported finding many dead bodies, some identifiable as entire families, as they escaped from Buthidaung to Maungdaw through the mountains. It is possible that the AA killed them as they attempted to flee. When the UN reported beheadings, it shocked everyone, but the Rohingya were all too familiar with such horrors. According to survivor accounts, AA soldiers killed the Rohingya using snipers, rifles, pistols, machetes, drone-dropped bombs, and artillery. As the Rohingya were driven out of their homes in rural areas, most sought refuge in urban areas. Due to overcrowded homes hosting multiple families, many refugees took shelter in schools, hospitals, and government offices. The AA fired artillery into one of these schools at least three times. On May 17, 2024, at least 12 hours before the deadline for an evacuation order, the AA set fire to houses in an urban area, displacing nearly 200,000 people. Those who were already displaced were displaced once more. When they attempted to reach Maungdaw, the AA blocked their passage. According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the AA burned down at least 8,500 Rohingya houses. Now, these people are concentrated in a few locations in Buthidaung under AA control, suffering severe human rights abuses and facing the worst humanitarian crisis to date. The military junta has blacked out all communications, but people can still access a minimal mobile network range from Bangladesh. However, there is no internet service, and the mobile signal works only in certain areas. Adding to their cruelty, the AA has forbidden the Rohingya from using the available network. Most smartphones and basic keypad phones have been confiscated, and the AA has warned that anyone caught using a phone will be sentenced to three years in prison. Rohingya youth have become the primary target of the AA. Many have been abducted and disappeared, with their families unable to contact them or learn their whereabouts. On the other hand, the AA is also forcibly conscripting Rohingya youth. The AA now offers those who want to leave for Malaysia the option to pay 15 million Kyat and take a boat. The cost for those wishing to go to Bangladesh is 2 million Kyat. No humanitarian agencies are present, and no one can leave the areas where they are concentrated. With no way to earn a living, the Rohingya are entirely dependent on money sent by their relatives in the diaspora. They must pay at least a 30% commission to transfer agents reportedly connected to the Arakan Army (AA) to receive any amount. With whatever money they receive, they must purchase food and other necessities, which can only be bought through the AA. If someone pays for food commodities, half is taken as a commission, leaving the buyer with only half the value. Moreover, the prices imposed by the AA are three times higher than average market rates, so the buyer effectively receives only 20% of the value from the payment they made. After seizing Buthidaung, the Arakan Army (AA) has been advancing into the urban areas of Maungdaw. While the AA claims to be fighting against the military, Rohingya villages located on the opposite side of a military base have been attacked with drones and artillery. These attacks have resulted in around 150 Rohingya deaths and numerous injuries.