By: Camp Correspondent
Buthidaung Township, June 2, 2025
The Arakan Army (AA) and its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), have begun systematically resettling Rakhine families into villages forcibly cleared of Rohingya residents in Buthidaung Township, according to testimonies from the ground and reliable sources.
Since March 2024, the AA has carried out widespread military operations across the township, during which dozens of Rohingya villages were burned and thousands of families were forcibly displaced. Now, Rohingya sources report that over 30 empty villages are being repopulated with Rakhine settlers, under AA supervision and coordination.
“Our homes were burned down, and they forced us to leave everything behind. Now we hear Rakhine families are living in our villages. It’s like they’re erasing our existence,” said a Rohingya man recently displaced to central Buthidaung.
From Ethnic Cleansing to Land Replacement
Rakhine civilians displaced from conflict zones like Rathedaung are reportedly being moved into villages formerly inhabited by Rohingya, such as Shab Bazaar (Maung Gyi Taung), Tat Min Chaung, and Thamin Khali. The process began as early as May 2025, with AA fighters overseeing logistics and protection.
Rohingya residents say entire village tracts have been affected, including:
- Pyan Shay, Kyet Mauk Taung, Byu Chaung, Maung Gyi Taung,
- Palae Taung, Aung Lan Pyin, Tharaye Kone Tan, Maung Hlama,
- Mee Kyauk Khone Swel, Gyen Taw, Kone Tan, Laung Chaung,
- Atwin Nget Thay, Pyar Pin Yin, Htan Shauk Khan,
- Thayet Kin Manu, Mee Kyauk Zay, Dar Paing Sayar, Ngar Yan Chaung, and many others.
Historical Erasure in Motion
Beyond displacement, Rohingya communities allege deliberate efforts to erase historical Muslim village identities. Traditional Rohingya village names like Lamba Bil, Shawdaw Farar, Hadimma Farar, and Dabhuru Nyong Farar, known since British and Japanese rule, are reportedly being reclassified or renamed—a practice previously used by the Burmese military in the 1990s to sever Rohingya ties to the land.
“They’re not just removing people—they’re removing memory,” said a local from Aung Lan Pyin. “Even the names of our villages are being replaced.”
Land Seizure and Expansion
In some areas, newly settled Rakhine families are expanding beyond village boundaries, claiming Rohingya farmlands as abandoned property. Locals say no formal notices were given, and in many cases, AA fighters provided protection to the settlers, preventing former Rohingya landowners from returning.
“They told us the land now belongs to them—because we are gone,” a Rohingya farmer told Rohingya Khobor.
Demands for Justice and International Action
Human rights groups and Rohingya civil organizations are now calling for international legal accountability against ULA/AA leaders, citing the forcible displacement of over 100,000 Rohingya from Buthidaung and the ethnic reengineering of Rohingya territories.
They are urging:
- UN special rapporteurs and legal experts to investigate the AA’s role in systematic demographic change,
- Global sanctions and travel bans on AA/ULA leadership,
- And protection guarantees for displaced Rohingya families seeking to return to their villages.
