By: Camp Correspondent
April 23, 2025 |
The Arakan Army (AA) is facing fresh accusations of executing four Rohingya men who had escaped from Buthidaung prison, and of destroying multiple mosques and an Islamic school in Nanyar Kone village, further intensifying concerns over targeted violence and religious persecution under AA control.
According to eyewitnesses, the men were among 26 Rohingya prisoners who fled the facility on April 13, reportedly to escape beatings, torture, and forced labor. On April 16, AA troops reportedly found four of them hiding in Kyaung Taung village and executed them on the spot.
“They were just trying to escape the beatings and pain inside the prison. But when AA found them, they didn’t ask questions—they shot them dead,” said a Rohingya resident, who requested anonymity for security reasons.
Torture, Forced Labor, and Denial of Burial Rights
Since AA forces took control of Buthidaung township, hundreds of Rohingya civilians have reportedly been detained, accused of alleged cooperation with the Myanmar military. Residents and community leaders say many of these accusations are unfounded, and that those arrested are often subjected to daily torture, denied medical care, and not granted Islamic burials upon death.
“Even in death, we are denied dignity,” said a relative of a detainee. “They beat people with sticks every day and force them to carry loads. If they collapse or die, the body is thrown away without janazah or burial rites.”
Destruction of Mosques and Seizure of Property
In Nanyar Kone village, which was overtaken by AA in early 2024, reports confirm that at least four mosques and one madrasa were destroyed, while motorcycles, farming machinery, rice mills, and other civilian properties were looted or seized.
“They burned down our mosque. They looted the rice mill. They even told us we don’t belong here,” said a 42-year-old resident of Nanyar Kone, now living in hiding. “They burned the religious school where our children studied.”
The same resident reported that dozens of families from the village remain displaced and are not being allowed to return to their homes.
In January 2024, during clashes with Myanmar military forces, 36-year-old U Shwe Maung and three others were reportedly shot dead by AA troops in the area. The killings and destruction of religious institutions are being viewed as part of a systematic pattern of abuse against the Rohingya in northern Arakan.
Rising Fear and Displacement
As the AA expands its territorial control in Maungdaw and Buthidaung, Rohingya civilians face increasing threats—including forced eviction, violence, surveillance, and religious persecution.
“They call themselves protectors of Arakan, but they are turning Arakan into a graveyard for us,” said a young man from Myin Hlut. “We live with fear every day.”
Call for International Attention
Community leaders and rights groups are urging the international community to launch an urgent investigation into extrajudicial killings, destruction of religious sites, and abuses in AA-controlled zones.
With the Myanmar junta, armed groups, and statelessness combining into a lethal web of power, Rohingya families continue to live unprotected, undocumented, and unheard—even as more villages vanish under the shadow of armed rule.
