by Hafizur Rahman
October 3, 2025
Mingal Gyi, Paungza, Laldiya, and Suwaddyia — Hundreds of Rohingya are being trapped between despair and exploitation as the Arakan Army/United League of Arakan (AA/ULA) imposes harsh restrictions and collaborates with traffickers along the Myanmar–Bangladesh border.
According to local sources, around 450 Rohingya from Buthidaung Township are attempting to flee to Bangladesh. But AA/ULA controls the routes, while Bangladeshi authorities have not permitted entry in several areas, leaving many stranded mid-journey in precarious conditions.
Desperate families are now being targeted by human traffickers, reportedly operating in collaboration with AA/ULA. Refugees say traffickers demand 130,000 kyats (approx. USD 62) per person over the age of five, while children are taken free of charge. Half of the profit, they allege, goes directly to AA/ULA.
“This is not freedom of movement — it is business with our lives,” one Rohingya man told Rohingya Khobor. “They take money from us in every way, and even when we try to escape, they sell us again through traffickers.”
The hardships do not end there. AA/ULA has also ordered the forced relocation of 10 Rohingya families — 73 people — from Kyakhauktown village to Pwinphu Chaung village, without providing any justification. For villagers, this means abandoning farmland, homes, and fragile livelihoods.
“Leaving our farms and moving to a new place is not easy,” a Rohingya farmer said. “These orders destroy our ability to survive. We cannot rebuild every time they force us to leave.”
Human rights observers note that instead of providing security, AA/ULA is weaponizing its military control to exploit displacement and profit from trafficking networks. For Rohingya communities already facing statelessness and persecution, the group’s policies are pushing them deeper into uncertainty — lives without homes, safety, or secure futures.
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