– Rising Concern Among Local Residents
In northern Maungdaw Township’s Thu U Lar Village, an Arakan Army (AA)-appointed administrator named Ma Ma Yar Shit (also known as Ma Ma Ar Main) has reportedly requested higher-ranking AA officials to establish an AA military base in the village, according to information received by wsnews24.com from local sources.
Residents from nearby villages have expressed serious concern over this development, warning that if the AA establishes a military base there, it could lead to forced taxation, extortion, and abuses against local civilians.
Locals further claimed that the AA-appointed administrator has been collaborating with AA members to extort money from villagers. They contacted wsnews24.com to report these activities, stating that AA’s senior leadership may not yet be aware of the misconduct and urged that the information be made known to them.
The local community fears that the construction of such military bases will worsen the fragile peace situation in the area. They have appealed to senior AA leaders and peace organizations to intervene and prevent these abuses and militarization efforts before they escalate.
Human rights observers note that such acts of extortion, coercion, and restriction of civilian movement—particularly against Rohingya communities—constitute violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights conventions.
Under the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949) and Customary International Humanitarian Law, all armed groups are obligated to protect civilians and refrain from collective punishment, forced taxation, or arbitrary restrictions on movement. Furthermore, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 13) guarantees the freedom of movement and the right to access medical care and livelihood. Preventing Rohingya civilians from moving freely or accessing essential services without AA-issued permission amounts to discrimination and persecution based on ethnicity, prohibited under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as a crime against humanity when carried out systematically.
International legal experts stress that non-state armed groups like the Arakan Army are also bound by Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which applies to internal armed conflicts and prohibits “violence to life and person, humiliating and degrading treatment, and extortion or forced contributions” against civilians.
Human rights advocates have therefore urged regional and international bodies to monitor and document these abuses to ensure accountability for violations committed against Rohingya civilians under AA-administered areas in northern Rakhine State.
