By: Hafizur Rahman
July 29, 2025
The Arakan Army (AA), a powerful ethnic armed group in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State, is facing fresh allegations of widespread abuses against Rohingya Muslims under its control, according to recent testimonies gathered by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Rohingya refugees who recently fled to Bangladesh described life under AA rule as marked by harsh restrictions, forced labor, extortion, pillaging, and other abuses that have left entire communities struggling to survive. The AA’s increasing dominance in northern Rakhine since renewed fighting erupted with Myanmar’s military in late 2023 has, according to observers, only deepened the Rohingya’s suffering—a population already subjected to decades of persecution and displacement.
“The Arakan Army is carrying out policies of oppression against the Rohingya similar to those long imposed by the Myanmar military,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. “The Arakan Army should end its discriminatory and abusive practices and comply with international law.”
Between April and July 2025, HRW interviewed 12 Rohingya refugees from Buthidaung Township. Witnesses described severe restrictions on movement, with the AA requiring travel permits that cost between 3,000 and 5,000 kyats (approximately US$1.40–US$2.40) and were valid for just a single day. Violators of curfews reportedly faced arrest or disappearance.
“We were not allowed to work, fish, farm, or even move without permission. We faced extreme food shortages, with most people begging from one another,” said a 62-year-old refugee now living in Bangladesh.
Many described how the AA routinely confiscated land, livestock, and property. Cemeteries in some villages were reportedly destroyed, with residents instructed to bury the dead in paddy fields instead. Two men from Kin Taung village confirmed this account.
Forced labor and recruitment—including of children—were also frequently reported. One father said he hid his 17-year-old son for two months before fleeing after AA fighters tried to conscript him. When they failed to find the boy, they allegedly set the family’s home on fire.
“I lived in constant fear as they tried to force him to join,” the father told Rohingya Khobor. “They target children from poor families. My son fled the village 45 days ago and hasn’t returned. We don’t know if he’s alive.”
Accounts of forced labor include reports of unpaid work and the use of civilians as human shields near combat zones. An elderly man said the AA initially paid him half of the usual daily wage before ceasing payment altogether. A 19-year-old man recalled being abducted and beaten in 2024 for resisting forced labor.
“They called us ‘Bengali kalar’ and said they’d treat us like the Burmans did,” he said, referencing a racial slur used against Rohingya Muslims.
The abuses have driven over 200,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh since late 2023. Bangladesh authorities have registered around 120,000 new arrivals since May 2024, though many remain unregistered and excluded from formal aid programs in the already overburdened refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.
HRW also noted that both the Arakan Army and Rohingya armed groups—including the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)—have allegedly profited from human smuggling networks. Refugees told HRW they paid up to 1.25 million kyats (about US$595) to traffickers to reach Bangladesh, with many journeys involving danger, deception, and exploitation.
Despite recent talks of repatriation, HRW stressed that conditions in Rakhine State are nowhere near safe for return. The organization urged the United Nations and influential governments to increase protection efforts and humanitarian support for Rohingya refugees in both Myanmar and Bangladesh.
“Donors and influential governments need to do much more to protect the Rohingya people, including their right to safety and freedom, whether in Myanmar or Bangladesh,” said Pearson. “They should also press the Arakan Army to respect the rights of all communities in Rakhine State.”
