By: Camp Correspondent
Maungdaw, Rakhine State – February 18, 2025
The Arakan Army (AA) has reportedly collected over 10 million Kyat from Rohingya business owners in Maungdaw Township and is now forcing impoverished Rohingya villagers to work on road and bridge repairs without pay. According to local sources, the money collected was intended for infrastructure improvements, yet AA is now compelling vulnerable community members—including children and the elderly—to serve as unpaid laborers.
Since February 15, AA has been enforcing work quotas on at least 50 people from each Rohingya village, including Kyauk Hla Gyi, Maghla Gyi, Pawnza, Hla Bawza, and others. The labor tasks are arduous, involving heavy stone carrying, rock breaking, and road construction under harsh, hot conditions. Workers who attempt to rest are reportedly scolded and insulted by AA soldiers.
The laborers receive no food or water from AA, and they must provide their own supplies. Despite the collection of funds from business owners, the workers have not been compensated for their strenuous work. In addition to the physical toll, the tasks are dangerous due to the potential presence of landmines or unexploded ordnance in the area. Each individual is forced to work at least four times a month, with no clear indication of when or if these forced labor demands will cease.
One worker lamented,
“We are daily laborers who need to earn money for our families to maintain our shelters. If we are forced to work for AA, our families will have nothing to eat.”
In a related development on February 14, ahead of the Islamic event Shab-e-Barat, AA compelled Rohingya village leaders to assist with security and other tasks. While some media reports claimed that the Rohingya community willingly supported AA efforts, local residents have refuted these claims, urging the media to accurately report the coercive nature of these practices.
Human rights advocates are calling for international attention to these abuses, emphasizing that forced labor under such conditions further endangers the already vulnerable Rohingya population.
