By: Hafizur Rahman
Maungdaw, Arakan State – July 20, 2025
Rohingya families in Maungdaw Township are facing renewed financial pressure and fear as the Arakan Army (AA) begins enforcing a new tax scheme targeting homes, adding to a series of restrictions that have severely curtailed civilian life in AA-controlled areas.
According to testimonies collected by Rohingya Khobor, AA members recently went door-to-door in several Rohingya villages across Maungdaw, announcing that all families must now pay a monthly “building tax.” The fees reportedly range from 5,000 to 10,000 kyats for wooden or bamboo homes, and from 20,000 to 50,000 kyats for concrete houses. Families that fail to comply were threatened with eviction or seizure of their property.
“For the first time in our lives, we are being forced to pay house taxes,” said a Rohingya man from northern Maungdaw. “Previously, taxes were limited to shopkeepers in urban areas. Now even villagers in rural homes are being charged just for having a roof over their heads.”
Another resident, visibly shaken, added, “I can’t sleep at night. They warned us—if we can’t pay, they’ll take our things or drive us out. It feels like we are prisoners inside our own homes.”
The new tax is seen by many as a form of systematic extortion targeting a community already living under duress. Since the Arakan Army took control of Maungdaw in December 2024, local Rohingya residents say the group has implemented a sweeping regime of control, including curfews, checkpoints, travel bans between villages, and the arbitrary confiscation of property.
In multiple cases, families have reported losing land, livestock, or even their homes after being falsely accused of supporting the Myanmar military. Others have been forcibly displaced or detained without explanation.
“First they took our rights, then our movement, and now they are taking what little we have left,” said a Rohingya elder in Maungdaw. “We survived military crackdowns. Now we live in fear of the Arakan Army.”
The AA’s rising control over parts of Arakan State follows a sharp escalation in conflict with the Myanmar military since late 2023. In the power vacuum that emerged, the Rohingya community—long marginalized and stateless—has found itself once again exposed to unchecked abuse.
Human rights organizations and international observers have repeatedly raised concerns over the Arakan Army’s treatment of Rohingya civilians, including reports of killings, forced displacement, and extortion. However, limited access to the region and a climate of fear make independent verification difficult.
As monsoon rains sweep through the region and humanitarian aid remains scarce, the addition of new taxes has pushed many families to the brink.
“We are being bled dry,” said one resident. “How long can people survive like this, with no rights, no protection, and no voice?”
