By: Camp Correspondent
April 11, 2025 | Buthidaung, Rakhine State
The Arakan Army (AA), also known as the United League of Arakan (ULA/AA), has intensified its campaign of forced evictions against Rohingya communities in Buthidaung Township, targeting three more villages this week in the Nga Yant Chaung village group—namely Kyin Nu Thay North, South, and East.
According to local sources, these evictions are part of a broader, systematic operation that has already cleared and seized more than 30 Rohingya villages since March. Rohingya residents report the complete confiscation of homes, farmland, and community properties, including mosques and madrasas. In many cases, families have been given only days to vacate, often under threat and at gunpoint.
“They came to our village with weapons and ordered us to leave within days. We had no choice but to abandon the home my grandfather built,” said Mohammed Ismail, 46, from Zatiphara Village. “Now, we live in fear and uncertainty—with no roof, no food, and no justice.”
The AA has reportedly offered small plots of land in Kyin Nu Thay Middle Village for displaced families to rebuild. However, these plots are already owned by other Rohingya farmers, creating further tension and injustice. Community members say such so-called “resettlement” amounts to forced displacement layered upon internal displacement.
“They said they would give us new land, but that land already belongs to someone else,” said Nurul Amin, 23, from Myitnar Village. “We are now being used to displace others, just like we were displaced. This is not resettlement—this is suffering upon suffering.”
Religious Sites Also Targeted
In addition to homes, AA forces have reportedly demolished at least four mosques and six Islamic schools (madrasas) in villages like Feda Ali and Myitnar, raising fears that the campaign is not only territorial but also cultural in nature.
“Our mosque was not just a place to pray—it was the heart of our community. They destroyed it. They destroyed everything,” said Fatema Khatun, 38, from Kyet Maw Taung South. “We feel erased.”
Widespread Impact Across Buthidaung
Villages affected by AA-led evictions include:
- Pyin Shay (Lambabil), Kyet Maw Taung (North and South), Dabru Chaung (Dabrunyawng), Pulae Taung (Mawnaphara), Maung Gyi Taung (Shabazar), Aung Lan Pyin (Maurisarbil and Olibarphara), Tharay Kone Tan (Shaikrikuna), Maung Hla Ma (Yawnphara), Nya Khyin Tauk, Badhana, Kumikhali, Mee Kyaung Khawn Swel, Laung Chaung (Rusanabil), Oriyaphara, Bazarphara, Andain Nget The (Kiyazinga Phara), Pyarbin Yin (Sitorphara), Than Shauk Khan (Hawlyasiri), Ywet Nyo Taung (Yawnggaya Taung – Middle and South), Fourni Basha, Kuntine village group, Tharyet Kinmanu (Tharakuni), Feda Ali, Myitnar (Zatiphara), and the Kyin Nu Thay villages.
Residents across these areas report similar patterns: arrival of armed AA units, orders to leave homes, destruction of religious institutions, and forced relocation to areas lacking shelter or infrastructure.
Calls for Accountability
Rohingya leaders and human rights groups have condemned the actions as violations of international humanitarian law and a continuation of Myanmar’s long-standing campaign of ethnic and religious persecution against the Rohingya. They are urging international observers and humanitarian agencies to take urgent action.
With no access to justice, legal remedy, or humanitarian aid, thousands of families now face worsening displacement, hunger, and fear—many for the second or third time in their lives.
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