By: Camp Correspondent
Maungdaw, May 23, 2025 — The Arakan Army (AA) has forcefully expelled Rohingya families from villages in northern Maungdaw and is reportedly using materials taken from their abandoned homes and nearby forests to construct military outposts across the area.
According to local Rohingya residents and observers, villages including Myo Taung, Ngan Chaung, and Gone Nar have been systematically emptied of their Rohingya populations in recent weeks. Once the villagers were driven out, AA troops dismantled houses and collected timber, wooden beams, and other resources to build fortified structures and camp facilities.
“More than 100 Rohingya households have been expelled from Myo Taung alone,” said a resident who recently fled the area. “Their lands, fishponds, and houses were seized. Some of these were later handed over to Rakhine civilians.”
In several locations, long wooden planks, doors, and windows were reportedly stripped from Rohingya homes. These, along with construction materials such as bricks and corrugated iron sheets brought from outside, are now being used by the Arakan Army to expand its military infrastructure in the region.
While the junta’s violence has already displaced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya over the past decade, many in northern Maungdaw say they are now facing similar threats under a different flag. “Even though the Rohingya escaped the brutal rule of the military regime, they are now under the control of another armed group — the Arakan Army,” said one human rights monitor. “AA is limiting their movement, taking over their property, and even forcing some to work under coercion.”
Reports from the ground suggest that AA fighters are harvesting Rohingya-grown vegetables and crops without consent, leaving villagers with little to survive on. Those who speak out risk threats, abuse, or worse.
Residents have expressed deep fear about the long-term implications of AA’s actions. “Our homes have become army posts. Our land is no longer ours. We have no say, no rights, and nowhere to go,” said one displaced villager from Gone Nar.
As the conflict deepens in Rakhine, Rohingya voices from northern Maungdaw continue to raise the alarm: they are not caught in a war between sides — they are being pushed out by both.
