by RK Desk
Maungdaw, Arakan State — September 17, 2026
Rohingya residents in southern Maungdaw Township say settlement construction for ethnic Rakhine families has expanded into additional areas formerly inhabited or cultivated by Rohingya communities, weeks after Rohingya Khobor first reported similar developments in Bagone Nar.
Residents said new construction and land clearance have recently been observed in areas including Goduthara, Thayikonebaung and Bagone. They alleged that ethnic Rakhine families displaced by fighting in Rathedaung and other parts of Arakan State are being moved into some of these locations.
Rohingya Khobor has not independently verified the latest construction activity, the number or origin of families being resettled, or whether the arrangements form part of a formal ULA/AA policy.
The United League of Arakan and Arakan Army have not publicly responded to Rohingya Khobor’s questions concerning the reported land allocations.
Residents said bulldozers had been used to clear parts of former Rohingya settlement areas before houses were constructed. They also reported that some newly settled families were receiving residential plots and access to farmland.
The dimensions and amount of land reportedly allocated to individual families could not be independently confirmed.
Earlier reports of land redistribution
The latest accounts follow previous reports from Buthidaung and Maungdaw that ethnic Rakhine families had been settled in areas from which Rohingya communities were displaced.
In August, Rohingya Khobor reported allegations of new settlement construction in Bagone Nar and land redistribution in Maung Gyi Taung, Tat Min Chaung and Kyein Chaung, also known locally as Thami Khali.
International human rights reporting has documented broader concerns over Rohingya property under Arakan Army control.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported that the Arakan Army regulates the use and sale of property belonging to Rohingya who fled northern Arakan and has taken control of some property belonging to displaced families in Buthidaung and Maungdaw.
OHCHR also cited reports that ethnic Rakhine residents were living in some formerly Rohingya areas and that Rohingya labour had been used in the destruction of homes and construction of housing for ethnic Rakhine families.
Displaced Rohingya families face shelter and land problems
Rohingya residents in Buthidaung separately continue to report difficulties after being relocated from their original villages.
Some families said they had been given small residential plots but remained responsible for constructing their own shelters. Residents also reported restrictions on collecting bamboo, timber and other materials from nearby forests.
One displaced Rohingya farmer told Rohingya Khobor that his family had not regained access to farmland previously used by them.
“We were given land and some roofing materials, but we have to build the houses ourselves,” he said. “We also cannot get our farmland back.”
The resident said families feared arrest if they refused relocation. Rohingya Khobor could not independently verify the threat or determine which local authority issued it.
Human Rights Watch documented widespread destruction and displacement in Buthidaung during fighting in 2024, including the burning of more than 40 villages and hamlets.
The latest reports raise further questions over property ownership, access to farmland and the ability of displaced Rohingya to return to their original communities.
Further verification is needed to establish the extent of recent settlement construction, the legal basis for land allocation and whether displaced Rohingya families retain recognised claims to their former homes and farmland.
