[1] The fire occurred shortly after the Arakha Army captured the town during their offensive in Rakhine State, Myanmar.

Many Rohingya fled either north towards the Bangladesh–Myanmar border, or west to the junta controlled town of Maungdaw, many of the latter grouping near the Buthidaung prison.

[4] Yanghee Lee, the former UN special rapporteur on Myanmar and founder of SAC-M, stated that “There are credible reports that Rohingya in Buthidaung have been targeted in attacks by the AA.

There is a very real risk that these attacks could escalate further.”[4] James Rodehaver, head of the U.N. office on human rights for Myanmar, told Reuters that “every indication” from his organisation's interviews with residents suggested the Arakan Army was responsible.

[1] The Arakha Army denied that they had any role in the towns's burning, claiming that a Tatmadaw airstrike had caused the fire and accusing the local Rohingya population of being “saboteurs” and “selfish”.