By: Camp Correspondent
Maungdaw, May 29, 2025 — Rohingya fishermen in northern Maungdaw are facing growing desperation after Arakan Army (AA/ULA) forces blocked access to local prawn farms and the Naf River, cutting off one of their last remaining means of survival.
For thousands of Rohingya families in the region, fishing was not just a livelihood—but a lifeline. With limited job opportunities, no access to farming land, and dwindling humanitarian aid, fishing in nearby ponds and rivers had been the only way to feed their families.
But that changed last week, when AA fighters stationed near key border outposts began preventing Rohingya from fishing, even in privately owned prawn farms.
“They told us we are not allowed to fish—not even in the ponds we built ourselves,” said a fisherman from Maung Ni village. “Now we sit at home with nothing. Our families are going hungry.”
In Fazy village, a mother broke down as she described her child crying for fish curry.
“We used to survive with what we caught,” she said. “Now we boil plain rice and watch our children go to sleep hungry.”
Residents say the fishing ban has caused a steep rise in food prices within the camps and villages. With no protein sources available, malnutrition is intensifying, especially among children and pregnant women.
Despite repeated appeals from Rohingya elders and community leaders, the AA has not responded or explained the reasoning behind the ban. Some residents suspect the move is part of a wider effort to restrict Rohingya movement and economic independence across Maungdaw.
“They are choking us slowly,” said a local youth. “First they took our freedom, then our villages, now our food. What is left for us?”
The community is now urgently calling on humanitarian agencies and international actors to raise this issue and pressure the AA to lift the fishing ban.
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