By: Camp Correspondent
April 24, 2025 |
More than 100 armed personnel from the Arakan Army (AA) moved into northern Maungdaw early Thursday morning, triggering widespread concern among Rohingya communities in the Thu Oo Lar village tract.
Local sources confirmed to Rohingya Khobor that village leaders were summoned by AA commanders shortly after their arrival. Though no official statement was given, villagers were reportedly told that the area would be “cleared,” a term many now associate with displacement and forced relocation.
“We don’t know what will happen next. They told our leaders not to let anyone leave, but everyone is scared,” said a Rohingya resident who spoke under condition of anonymity.
A Repeat of March Raids?
This movement echoes events from mid-March, when AA forces entered several Rohingya-majority villages across Maungdaw and forcibly removed residents from their homes. Families were made to sleep in nearby fields while homes were searched, ransacked, and in some cases looted.
“Last time, they made us stay out in the cold all night while they entered every house,” said a man from the same region. “Now they’ve returned. We fear this time it will be more brutal.”
Strategic Military Repositioning or Ethnic Reengineering?
Residents fear that the latest deployment is not a routine patrol, but part of a broader plan to consolidate control over Rohingya villages. Sources close to the Kyikanpyin AA base suggest that the military buildup may be connected to planned relocations or repopulation efforts.
“The way they’re moving feels like they want to change the population structure here,” said one Rohingya schoolteacher who fled a nearby village earlier this month.
There are growing concerns that these actions are part of a calculated demographic reshaping, as the AA seeks to establish political dominance in northern Rakhine while gradually pushing Rohingya communities into isolated zones or across the border.
Urgent Appeals for International Monitoring
Community leaders and civil society actors are now urging humanitarian organizations and UN bodies to immediately monitor the situation to prevent mass displacement.
“If there is no pressure from outside, they will keep moving forward with their plan. We need the world to see this now, not after we are gone,” said a local Rohingya leader via phone from Maungdaw.
So far, no public statement has been issued by the Arakan Army or its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), regarding the troop movement or its intended objectives.
An Atmosphere of Fear and Uncertainty
With memories still fresh of previous evictions, forced labor, and religious site destruction, the return of armed groups has left entire families paralyzed by fear.
“We are not fighters. We are farmers and students. But we are treated like enemies on our own land,” said a youth from the Thu Oo Lar tract.
As the world’s attention drifts, Rohingya families in northern Maungdaw now face another chapter of fear and uncertainty—trapped between silence and survival.
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