Rohingya civilians across Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships are facing a fresh wave of abductions, threats, and forced relocations by the Arakan Army (AA/ULA), according to multiple accounts from villagers and eyewitnesses.
On May 25, AA fighters reportedly entered several Rohingya-majority villages, including Atein Ngak The, Nyaung Chaung, Panzi, and Badaga, where they rounded up male residents, held them in forced gatherings, and accused them of supporting the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)—a group the AA claims to be fighting.
“They came early in the morning, gathered all the men, and accused us of helping ARSA,” said a resident of Badaga village, speaking to Rohingya Khobor on condition of anonymity. “We told them we are just ordinary people, but they wouldn’t listen. They threatened to arrest or harm anyone who refused to follow their orders.”
In southern Buthidaung, including villages like Guda Pyin and Saint Ngin Pyin, the AA reportedly forced entire families out of their homes without legal notice or explanation. Eyewitnesses said people were driven out at gunpoint, leaving behind their belongings and forced to live under open skies.
“We were not allowed to take anything,” said a displaced man from Panzi village. “They said ‘Leave now.’ We’re now living in nearby fields with no food, no water, and no safety.”
This latest round of intimidation echoes previous incidents in March 2025, when the AA forcibly expelled Rohingya from Badaga and Panzi, forcing hundreds to live in makeshift shelters along farmland edges under severe conditions.
Pattern of Fear and Displacement Deepens
Residents say the accusation of links to ARSA is being used as a pretext to intimidate and suppress Rohingya populations across AA-controlled areas. In the absence of any judicial process, entire communities are being held collectively responsible and punished arbitrarily.
Humanitarian observers warn that this mirrors tactics long employed by Myanmar’s military, including collective punishment, forced displacement, and the erasure of Rohingya presence in key territories.
Rights groups are now calling for independent monitoring of AA-administered areas and urgent international protection for Rohingya civilians caught between armed insurgency and ethnic cleansing.
“We’re living the same fear we thought we had escaped,” said a Rohingya elder from Buthidaung. “Different uniform, same fear.”
A Humanitarian Breakdown Unfolds
With humanitarian access restricted and communication lines disrupted, aid organizations are struggling to assess the full extent of displacement. Locals report that hundreds of families are now camped on farmlands, with no medical support, food aid, or security.
The situation in northern Rakhine continues to deteriorate, leaving Rohingya civilians once again trapped in a cycle of fear, statelessness, and abandonment.
