In Kyauktaw Township’s Aung Bar Yi, A Pauk Wa, Guppi Taung, Ywa Nya, and Pauk Taw Palaung villages of Rakhine State, the Arakan Army (AA) has appointed representatives who are involved in trafficking members of the Rohingya minority, according to local reports received by WSnews24.com on the morning of August 11, 2025.
It is reported that in these villages, the AA has appointed both Rohingya—mostly those aligned with the group—and some Rakhine residents as local representatives, assigning them to carry out human trafficking operations.
Sources also indicate that underage children have been targeted, arrested, and forcibly sent across the border to Bangladesh, where they are sold as child laborers.
“For some of the arrested children, if their family members want them released after the children cry and plead, the traffickers demand up to 1.5 million kyats in ransom,” a local resident told wsnews24.com.
In addition, these AA-appointed trafficking representatives reportedly treat people in a mafia-like manner. When victims attempt to lodge complaints with the local administrative offices under AA control, not only are there no effective solutions, but complainants are also subjected to retaliation and blame, according to local accounts.
Similar incidents have been reported in Thet Kadi village of Ponnyagyun Township. Human rights monitors say the AA appears to be using various methods to drive Rohingya out of Rakhine State, and Rohingya organizations are working to push the international community to take action against the group.
