The body of 58-year-old Amir Hossain was found in a stream after his family spent days searching for him. Residents say the circumstances of his death remain unclear.
by Hafizur Rahman
Maungdaw, Arakan State, 26 August 2026: A 58-year-old Rohingya man with a disability was found dead in a stream in northern Maungdaw Township after being missing for nearly two weeks, according to local residents and family sources.
The deceased was identified as Amir Hossain, also known as Aik Saw, a resident of Block 4 of Oo Shwe Kyauk village. His family said he had a disability affecting his left hand.
According to residents, Amir left home at around 11:30 a.m. on August 8 after eating lunch and travelled to a cattle-grazing area near Yae Twin Kyaung village to look after his cows.
When he had not returned by around 4:00 p.m., family members and neighbours began searching nearby grazing areas, paths and streams.
They were unable to find him.
Family Searched AA Camp for Information
As the search continued, Amir’s family also approached an Arakan Army camp in nearby Ywet Nyo Taung village to ask whether AA personnel had seen or detained him.
The family said they received no information about his whereabouts.
Relatives initially feared that Amir might have encountered an AA patrol and been detained.
Because of his disability, they hoped that if he had been taken into custody, authorities would recognise his condition and release him.
There is no independent evidence that Amir was detained by the AA, and Rohingya Khobor has not obtained information linking AA personnel to his disappearance or death.
Body Found in Stream
On August 21, family members and neighbours returned to search the area where Amir had disappeared.
They found a badly decomposed body in a stream near the village, according to local residents.
Family members identified the body as Amir.
Residents said there appeared to be injuries on the body, although its advanced state of decomposition made it difficult to determine how the injuries had occurred or what caused his death.
Rohingya Khobor has not independently verified the reported injury marks, and no medical examination or official investigation establishing a cause of death has been made available.
Because the body was badly decomposed and difficult to transport, relatives said they performed Janazah prayers beside the stream and buried Amir near the place where he was found.
Area Largely Abandoned Since 2017
Residents said the area around Yae Twin Kyaung has remained sparsely populated since the violence of 2017, when Rohingya villages across northern Maungdaw were destroyed and large numbers of residents fled to Bangladesh.
Ywet Nyo Taung is a documented village tract in Maungdaw Township and has long been part of the security landscape of northern Maungdaw.
Local residents said AA personnel based in the area now regularly patrol nearby villages, roads and rural areas.
Rohingya Khobor could not independently confirm patrol movements around the location at the specific time Amir disappeared.
Cause of Death Remains Unknown
The circumstances of Amir Hossain’s death remain unclear.
His family’s initial concern that he might have been detained was based on uncertainty over his disappearance rather than evidence that he had been taken into custody.
No witness has been identified who saw him being detained or attacked, and no independent evidence currently establishes who, if anyone, was responsible for his death.
The reported injuries on his body also cannot by themselves establish that he was killed, particularly without a medical examination.
For Amir’s family, nearly two weeks of searching ended with the discovery of his body rather than an explanation of what happened to him.
The case raises further concern among Rohingya residents over safety and accountability in rural areas of northern Maungdaw, where communities say access to independent investigation and reliable information remains extremely limited.
