By: Camp Correspondent
Maungdaw, Arakan State | May 5, 2025
At least 20 Rohingya families who had returned from Bangladesh in hopes of resettling in Shwezar village group, Maungdaw Township, have been detained by the Arakan Army (AA). Some have already been sentenced to two to five years in prison by a local court, according to multiple eyewitnesses and residents.
The families had responded to AA announcements earlier this year allowing displaced civilians to “return home.” However, instead of receiving the promised support and documentation, many were arrested shortly after arrival and accused of vague or undisclosed offenses.
“We thought we were going back home safely,” said Mohammed Salim, whose relatives were among the returnees. “But at the Chaung Wa checkpoint, they demanded 100,000 kyats per person and said they would register us. Instead, they sent our families to prison.”
Deception, Detention, and Sentencing
Other residents described a pattern of deception, where Rohingya returnees were told they would receive family registration cards and ID photos the next day—only to be arrested in the morning.
“They came to our house and promised documents,” said Hasina Begum, a returnee from Shwezar. “But when we lined up the next day, they took us all to Maungdaw. We still don’t know why.”
According to Karimul Rahman, who witnessed the incident, villagers were sorted based on lists, and some were sent directly to court hearings without access to legal representation.
“They said names didn’t match or documents were suspicious. That’s how they justified it. But these are families just trying to live,” he said.
Some of the detainees have since been sentenced to five years in prison, while others remain awaiting trial in detention, without any known legal support or formal charges being made public.
Wider Crackdown on Returnees
Villagers report that the AA has instructed local administrators to gather names of all Rohingya who returned from Bangladesh. Yet no official paperwork or protection has been provided to those who complied.
Families of the arrested are now living in fear and silence, unable to contact their loved ones or seek legal help. In some cases, even asking about a detained relative has led to threats or harassment.
“We came back thinking things were changing. Instead, we’re being punished for trusting them,” one woman said, speaking under condition of anonymity.
A Systematic Betrayal
The incident follows a wider trend of coercive control, extortion, and criminalization of Rohingya civilians under Arakan Army rule in northern Rakhine. Although AA had claimed it would allow peaceful return and coexistence, many now fear these “return programs” are being used to monitor, divide, and detain members of the Rohingya community.
Rights observers warn that without international oversight, so-called reintegration programs in Arakan State could become tools of further oppression.
