By: Camp Correspondent
April 29, 2025
The Arakan Army (ULA/AA), which now controls most parts of Arakan State, has intensified its campaign of forced displacement and property seizures against the Rohingya population in northern Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships.
Forced Relocations in Buthidaung Intensify
On April 21, Rohingya families from Kyaung Daung, Tin May, and Kyaung Pork villages in northern Buthidaung were forcibly relocated to Kyaung Pork. Local residents said that although the Arakan Army had verbally instructed them a month earlier, the relocation was strictly enforced last week.
“We didn’t want to leave our village, but we had no choice. The AA told us to go to Kyaung Pork or face consequences,” said a displaced resident from Tin May. “Now we’re rebuilding our lives on land left behind by others who fled in 2017.”
Kyaung Pork had only 15 families remaining after the 2017 military crackdown, during which thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh. The newly displaced families were ordered to settle on these abandoned lands and reportedly given five acres of farmland each. However, several families who are still in Tin May have been warned that they too will soon be removed.
In a more recent development, the ULA/AA has now ordered all residents of Myitnar (Sawfarar) Village, under the Chindamar village group in northern Buthidaung, to evacuate by May 7. The area includes not just homes but vital religious and educational institutions, including mosques and Islamic schools.
Villagers have been told they will be relocated beyond Fawngdawpyin Village—on land reportedly seized from other Rohingya. Each family is expected to receive only a 20 by 40-foot plot to build a shelter.
According to sources, nearly 40 Rohingya villages have already been cleared in Buthidaung, and more evictions are ongoing.
“We’ve lost our homes, farmland, and mosques. Where we’re being sent, there is nothing,” said a Rohingya elder. “Some families are now thinking of leaving Arakan altogether.”
Property Seizure in Maungdaw
On April 25, the Arakan Army sealed the home of Dr. Kamal, a prominent Rohingya physician in Maungdaw, and removed all belongings including equipment and furniture from his son’s adjacent shop. His three-story house, located near the Maungdaw clock tower, was confiscated under accusations of supporting the military—claims widely dismissed by locals.
“Dr. Kamal helped everyone—Rohingya and Rakhine alike,” said a local resident. “This act has deeply shocked our community. He was a symbol of coexistence.”
Mounting Fears of a New Humanitarian Crisis
The ongoing forced relocations, land confiscations, and targeted actions against Rohingya professionals have heightened fears of a fresh humanitarian disaster in northern Arakan. Displaced families are being sent to underdeveloped, unstable areas with little or no infrastructure. Many now face dire conditions with limited food, healthcare, or shelter.
Local activists and international observers warn that the ULA/AA’s systematic expulsion of Rohingya from their ancestral villages may signal a broader strategy of demographic and territorial restructuring—pushing an already stateless population further into marginalization and exile.
