Rohingya Forced to Flee as AA Resettles Rakhine Families in Cleared Villages

By: Camp Correspondent

Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State — May 21, 2025 | Rohingya Khobor
Tensions are escalating in northern Rakhine State as the Arakan Army (AA/ULA) continues to forcibly evict Rohingya families from their ancestral villages and resettle Rakhine families in their place. The growing campaign of displacement and replacement is driving more Rohingya toward the Bangladesh border, fearing for their safety and survival.

According to multiple local sources, nearly 40 Rohingya villages in Buthidaung Township have been cleared by force in recent weeks. In many of these areas, more than 215 Rakhine families have already been brought in—some reportedly from Sittwe, Rathedaung, and even across the border from Bangladesh.

“We were given no choice,” said a man from Maung Gyi Taung. “Armed men came and told us to leave. Now we see unfamiliar people living in our homes. They are Rakhine families brought to replace us.”

In Tapin Chaung, another Rohingya resident described the arrival of about 80 Rakhine families last week.

“Our neighbors say the same thing is happening across other villages. People are scared. Some have already fled to Bangladesh.”

Eyewitnesses claim that new settlers are being promised permanent residence, raising fears of planned demographic change.

“They said more people from Bangladesh will be brought in to take our land,” said a youth who fled recently. “This is not just displacement—it is a deliberate strategy of replacement.”

Communities now report that entire families are packing up and preparing for the dangerous journey across the Naf River, as conditions deteriorate and forced evacuations continue.

“We don’t know what tomorrow brings. We’re waiting for nightfall to run,” said a woman from Paung Zarr. “We’ve lost our land, homes, and now even our place in memory.”

With each village emptied and replaced, Rohingya fears of permanent erasure from Arakan grow deeper. Human rights observers warn that unless urgent international attention is paid, the situation could result in a new wave of refugee influx into Bangladesh, while Rohingya heritage and land are systematically wiped out.