By: Hafizur Rahman
August 5, 2025, Maungdaw, Arakan State
The Arakan Army (AA), now controlling most of Arakan State, held a closed-door meeting on Monday with Rohingya residents in Maungdaw, urging them to cooperate with AA authorities while issuing implicit threats against those perceived to support rival groups.
According to residents who attended the meeting, AA officials promised a prosperous future, claiming that “Arakan will become like Singapore within 20 years” if all communities—including the Rohingya—stood united under AA rule. A battalion commander reportedly told attendees that peace and progress depended on defeating ‘terrorists’, a term frequently used to describe opposing armed factions and, at times, Rohingya civilians accused of disloyalty.
“They say we must cooperate for peace,” said a Rohingya elder, “but what we see is our homes being seized, our people forced into labor, and our faith restricted. How can we trust these promises?”
Veiled Warnings, Lived Fears
Though framed as an appeal for unity, the meeting also carried thinly veiled threats. Several residents said the AA warned against any communication or collaboration with “outsiders” or “enemy forces.” The ambiguity of who falls under those terms has further heightened anxiety.
“If we’re seen talking to someone they don’t approve of, they can accuse us of being traitors,” said a young Rohingya man. “We could lose our homes, our freedom—or worse.”
Since the AA took control of Maungdaw in December 2024, Rohingya communities have experienced increasing restrictions on religious practice, movement, and access to aid. Numerous reports also document land confiscations, arbitrary arrests, forced labor, and extortion under AA administration.
Another elder who attended the meeting said,
“They spoke of prosperity, but we only see suffering. Our freedoms are shrinking by the day. We fear darker days are ahead.”
Between Two Powers, with No Protection
The AA launched its military campaign against the Myanmar junta in November 2023, seizing 14 of 17 townships in Arakan State. While the group claims to represent all ethnic and religious groups in the region, Rohingya residents say their daily reality is defined by discrimination, surveillance, and fear.
“AA speaks of inclusion, but our people are treated with suspicion and hostility,” said a community leader in Maungdaw. “We are not partners—we are prisoners.”
This meeting comes at a time when Rohingya civilians remain trapped between two forces: the Myanmar military, responsible for the 2017 genocide, and the Arakan Army, whose promises of self-governance have translated into localized oppression for the Rohingya.
