Arakan Army Extorts Rohingya, Imposes Tolls on Their Vehicles for Passage in Maungdaw
Since July 22, the Arakan Army (AA), a separatist group, has been extorting money from vehicles owned by Rohingya passing through a stone-paved junction connecting the villages of Hla Phoe Khaung, Pyinphyu, and Kyaukhlaykhar in Maungdaw, Arakan State, western Myanmar.
A motorcycle owner told Arakan News Agency that AA members stationed at the junction are charging tolls of 5,000 kyat for motorcycles, 10,000 kyat for tuk-tuks, and 50,000 kyat for trucks under the pretext of road repairs. However, these fees are imposed only on Rohingya, while members of other ethnic groups are exempt.
“Those who refuse to pay are denied passage and forced to return home. Other groups aren’t even asked to dismount from their vehicles,” he said, calling the practice racially discriminatory.
Last month, the AA began collecting similar payments at the Kanyintaw Bridge, which connects the villages of Pawngzar and Shwezarr steps residents say are targeted efforts to exploit the Rohingya community.
In a similar precedent, in January 2025, the AA summoned Rohingya businessmen from northern Maungdaw and demanded over 100 million kyat under the pretext of bridge and infrastructure repairs. They also forced villages to provide 100 unpaid laborers daily for these projects.
A human rights activist told the agency that the AA’s actions mirror a new form of dictatorship masquerading as a revolution, adding that instead of supporting the already marginalized Rohingya, they are subjecting them to extortion and severe restrictions amid worsening humanitarian conditions.
Since taking control of Maungdaw on December 8, 2024, the AA has continued committing violations against the Rohingya, including closing their homes based on false complaints, confiscating property, and displacing families.
Strict movement restrictions have also been imposed on the Rohingya, with a web of checkpoints at every village entrance and exit. Fees are even demanded from pedestrians and motorcyclists in exchange for crossing bridges.
The AA launched a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar military to take control of Arakan State, seizing 14 out of 17 towns. The conflict has severely affected the Rohingya, who now face violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides compounding the trauma of the 2017 genocidal campaign by the Myanmar military that forced nearly one million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
