By: Camp Correspondent
May 6, 2025
As the Arakan Army (AA) tightens its grip over northern Rakhine State, the Rohingya population is facing a fresh wave of enforced disappearances, religious persecution, and fatal violence. Over the past two days alone, three men have gone missing following a raid, a historic Muslim cemetery has been seized, and a former village leader has reportedly died under torture after being detained by the AA.
Three Rohingya Men Disappear After Night Raid in Kyauk Chaung
On the night of May 5, three Rohingya men from Kyauk Chaung village in northern Maungdaw vanished following a raid by approximately 20 armed Arakan Army members. The missing are:
- Gofur Alom (47), son of Adu Korim
- Mohammad Ayub (42), son of Nur Ahmed
- Mohammad Elyas (26), son of Nur Ahmed
“They came around 10 p.m., shouting and threatening to shoot anyone who moved. When they left, three of our brothers were gone,” a local resident told Rohingya Khobor.
This is part of an ongoing pattern of disappearances across Maungdaw, where residents say the AA frequently detains civilians without explanation, often accusing them of links to armed groups such as ARSA.
AA Seizes Rohingya Cemetery in Kin Taung Village
In Kin Taung Village, Buthidaung Township, the Arakan Army has forcibly taken over a centuries-old Rohingya cemetery, ordering villagers to vacate the site and prepare a new burial ground.
A meeting held between villagers and AA representatives on May 4 confirmed that the cemetery would be fenced and occupied starting the next day. The community was allowed just one day to say their final goodbyes to the graves of their loved ones.
“We begged them not to take it. It’s against our faith. But they didn’t care,” said a local elder.
Residents view this act as a violation of their religious and cultural rights—another example of the erasure of Rohingya identity in their own homeland.
Former Village Chairman Dies from Torture After AA Detention
On April 24, five Rohingya men were detained by the AA from Ale Chaung and Bagonna villages in Buthidaung Township. Among them was Mohammad Roshid, a former chairman of Ale Chaung who had previously worked under AA’s local administration.
Roshid reportedly died from severe torture during interrogation. The remaining four—Alom, U Lalu, Mohibullah, and one unidentified man—remain missing.
“We don’t know where they are. No contact. No information. Nothing,” said a relative of one detainee.
This incident highlights the deadly risks faced by Rohingya civilians who are arbitrarily detained without legal process. Families of the victims have received no legal support or official explanation.
A Pattern of Fear and Impunity
Since the Arakan Army took control of large parts of Maungdaw and Buthidaung in late 2024, Rohingya Khobor has documented a rising pattern of arbitrary arrests, land and property seizures, looting, forced disappearances, and now religious persecution. The escalating abuses have pushed over 118,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh within the past year.
Community leaders and human rights observers warn that without urgent international intervention, the situation will deteriorate further.
“This is no longer a local conflict. It is a systematic campaign of repression against an entire people,” said a Rohingya teacher currently displaced in Maungdaw.
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