By: Camp Correspondent
Buthidaung, May 27, 2025 — The Arakan Army (AA/ULA) has reportedly taken control of abandoned Rohingya homes in Gutar Pyin and Sein Nyin Pyin villages in northern Buthidaung Township and begun resettling ethnic Rakhine families in their place, according to residents and newly displaced Rohingya sources.
Fleeing the region due to escalating threats, forced labor, and intimidation, many Rohingya families had sought refuge in Bangladesh, Yangon, and other parts of Myanmar. Once these villages became largely vacant, AA forces seized the empty homes and began allocating them to Rakhine settlers — a move Rohingya activists are calling “ethnic reengineering through armed dispossession.”
“We rebuilt those houses after 2017 — with nothing but hope and borrowed bamboo,” said a Rohingya man who recently crossed into Bangladesh. “Now AA has taken everything. They gave our homes to others as if we never existed.”
A Second Wave of Dispossession
Gutar Pyin village, which was razed by the Myanmar military during the 2017 clearance operations, had seen partial return of displaced Rohingya in the following years. With support from humanitarian agencies and local efforts, some homes were rebuilt. Now, those same homes are being distributed to Rakhine families by AA forces, locals report.
In nearby Sein Nyin Pyin, the AA allegedly instructed Buddhist Dainet villagers from neighboring Dainet Pyin to relocate across the creek and resettle directly on Rohingya land. At the same time, the remaining Rohingya families were forcibly evicted from their homes and pushed onto farmlands without shelter or support.
“They told us: ‘This is no longer your village. We will make all Rohingya disappear — to Sittwe, to Yangon, to Bangladesh. Then it will be ours,’” recounted another displaced man who fled Buthidaung earlier this month.
Expanding Control Through Land Grabs
These displacements are not isolated. They reflect a growing pattern of systematic removal of Rohingya communities under AA administration across northern Rakhine. With the area now under the complete control of the Arakan Army following military defeats of the junta in late 2024, Rohingya residents report that their villages, properties, and agricultural lands are being redistributed — often without explanation, compensation, or the possibility of return.
Several Rohingya sources also claim that AA officials have threatened villagers, stating they will be “swept out one by one” unless they voluntarily leave.
“There is no one to protect us,” said a villager now hiding near the Bangladesh border. “We are being erased silently.”
No Path to Justice
With no government presence, no international monitoring, and no legal recognition of Rohingya rights under AA rule, displaced families are left with little hope of recovery. The resettlement of non-Rohingya families into Rohingya villages is viewed by many as a strategic move to permanently change the region’s demographics, mirroring tactics previously employed by the Myanmar military.
Human rights observers warn that such actions may amount to ethnic cleansing if left unchecked.
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