The Arakan Army (AA) is reportedly using four mosques in the Ywet Nyotaw village tract of Buthidaung Township as recruitment centers for new soldiers.
In April 2024, during AA’s offensives against the military junta, Rohingya residents of various villages in Buthidaung Township were forcibly evicted. Some villages were burned down by AA during the operations, and Ywet Nyotaw was among those affected. Nearly a year later, in late March 2025, AA only allowed return to a single central village in the Ywet Nyotaw tract. The remaining northern and southern villages, along with surrounding farmland, were seized by AA.
According to local Rohingya, in the areas now controlled by AA within the Ywet Nyotaw village tract, the four remaining mosques and associated religious schools (madrassas) are being repurposed as recruitment camps for new AA soldiers.
“Among the seized buildings are four mosques and madrassas. These mosques are now being used to house new recruits,” said a person with direct knowledge of the situation.
Locals also reported that these religious buildings, once respected places of worship for Muslims, are now being used for military gatherings and celebratory events involving alcohol and festivities, causing great distress to the Rohingya Muslim community.
One eyewitness told WSNews24.com, “Inside the mosques, there are piles of trash, including empty alcohol bottles, beer cans, and cigarette butts.”
Because the mosques are now used for AA recruit gatherings, both men and women are staying there. The locals said they frequently hear loud noise from welcoming parties and celebrations organized for new recruits.
AA has full control over Buthidaung Township and has cleared out nearly 40 Rohingya villages. Preliminary estimates suggest that the number of displaced Rohingya who fled Buthidaung after AA’s takeover is now in the hundreds of thousands.
Bangladeshi authorities and UN officials stated that since the beginning of the AA’s offensive, approximately 180,000 more Rohingya have entered Bangladesh.
